The wildfire tragedy of the Waldo Canyon, Colorado

Waldo Canyon fire forced evacuation of 32,000 people in Colorado Springs, Colorado as of June 27, 2012.
It's been burning for the last 5 days or so. Due to the unusually dry and hot weather in Colorado, the fire seems to be burning out of control with incredible destructions. As of now, it is about 40 miles south from my home but it is slowly marching northwards up to US Air Force Academy and then possibly toward us.

Waldo Canyon has been our favorite place for hiking. Due to lower altitude and south-facing slope, it gets the first signs of spring with wildflowers. We go there every year and sometimes 2-3 times a year.

We happened to take a hike at Waldo Canyon this year on May 26, 2012.
I took a lot of pictures of the canyon then without ever knowing that it would be the last pictures of our favorite Waldo Canyon. The news picture shows that the wildfire burned through the area where we hiked. Now, the pictures I have in my hard disk have become very precious records showing the original canyon prior to the fire.
Originally, I was not going to make a webpage about this hiking, but I have decided to publish here as a memorial of a favorite old place that has been consumed by the fire.

What we saw during the hiking about a month ago and what are on the pictures won't be seen again. I assume they are gone. For us, mortals that don't have much time, it is forever gone. However, for the nature who has infinite time, newly restored scenes will be emerging slowly taking many years or decades, hopefully, in a more wonderful style.

They say that wildfire is the way of nature to take care of the land on which we live. It is something we should leave as "let it be" but we, human beings, have intruded into the wild so much and so deep that their properties come on its way and disappear in smoke. Sometimes, I think, the wildfires may be what the nature intended.

I live in a subdivision in the middle of a forest of ponderosa pines where deer, elks, bears, and mountain lions used to live. As we try to take a good care of them, some of them are still staying with us but we chased most of them away. Someday, my house could be one of those victims of wildfires.
Contrary to our illusions, nothing last forever. In the nature, there are always changes, destructions, and restorations. In the natural process, the nature seems to be the master of all. Looking at the raging wildfires, we, human beings, are still a minute helpless existence against the nature. No matter how we think about ourselves, we are miserably small and insignificant.

I am full well aware of that those fresh young green leaves and pretty flowers are, by now, turned into gray ash. Those beautiful pine barks turned into charred remains on dead trees. Here, I get myself calm and poised, I am writing about the day in the Waldo Canyon as if nothing so terrible would ever happen in this paradise.

We will be back to Waldo Canyon probably in the spring of next year. We don't know how much will be left for us to see. We may even get more abundant wildflowers that frequently happen after a wildfire. A disaster is sometimes a blessing in disguise. We will never know.

SNUMA WM

Hiking at Waldo Canyon
Manitou Springs, CO
May 26, 2012

Shang Rhee was visiting from Nashville and we decided to hike the Waldo Canyon. It was early summer in Colorado and there's a lot of snow in the higher mountains. But in the sunny south-facing slope in lower altitude, we were expecting a lot of wildflowers in the Waldo Canyon. Having met at a parking lot of a shopping center in Castle Rock, we headed south to Colorado Springs. At the northern end of the city, we turned into US Highway 24 West to Manitou Springs. Shortly after passing Manitou Springs, we arrive at the Waldo Canyon trailhead.



Waldo Canyon is a part of Pike National Forest. An old rusty sign at the trailhead.

A picture of us (except the photographer), before leaving the trailhead parking lot (without order):
Shang Rhee*65, Nashville, TN
Y. J. and E.S. Lee, Castle Rock, CO
S.Y. and Myoungho Kim*75, Englewood, CO
Mr. and Mrs. WM, Castle Rock, CO



Looking down the parking lot at the side of US highway 24-West.
There are a lot of red rocks in this area as you can see at the canyon walls on both sides of the road.



A few "Yellow Salsify, Goatsbeard", being considered as a weed. Like a giant dandelion, puffy globular seed balls form after the flowers and parachute-like seeds spread through the wind. On a hiking trail, they never look like weeds.

Our visiting timing happened to be the season of "Yucca's annual blooming."
The trail is surrounded by Yucca Plants and their flowers. Below the hill is US Highway 24.



More Yucca Plants ("Spanish Bayonet") blooms on the way up all over the slope.



"Sidebells Penstemon" growing between red rocks. Flowers are generally at one side of the stem instead of both sides.



On the trail. Photographers tend to get behind and then always have to run to catch the group.



Waldo Canyon and the highway below. US 24 is one of the highway that crosses the Rocky Mountains east-west.
Fresh ligh-green leaves of "Scrub Oaks" (산도토리 나무) are in the foreground. These trees are very similar to what we see in Korea.
However, the scrub oaks in the western USA are very drought tolerant.



Another kind of Penstemon, "Taper-leaved Penstemon (Beardtongue)" in tight groups, indicating that they are perennial,
growing from the same old stem and root, again and again.



"Showy Goldeneye" (Sunflower group, Aster family)



A group of "Oxeye Daisy" (Aster family)



"Pigmy Goldenweed" (yellow) with Penstemon (Lavendor).



"Western Wallflower" (Mustard family)



An passing hiker was kind enough to take a picture of all of us.



Entering the left fork of the Waldo Loop. Left loop is more steeper in the beginning but has a better view on the way down.



"Boulder Raspberry" (Rose family), always grow near the creek where there are moisture.



After a climb through a deep steep valley, we came into an open ridge top to see Pikes Peak (14,115 feet, 4,302 meter).



The northern face of the Pikes Peak to our south. The peak is about 6,000 feet above our head and a few miles away.
On Pikes peak, you can see the horizontal "Tree Line" (where trees can not grow any further up) at about 12,000 feet level.



With Pikes Peak at our right, the trail continues on a sunny slope.



Pikes Peak in the far background. The foreground is where the wildfire swept through (by my guess).



"Red Indian Paintbrush" ("Prairie Fire"), one of the early season wildflowers.
It is supposed to contain high amount of selenium. It is edible and American Indians used to eat.



"Short's Milkvetch" (Locoweed or Crazyweed, pea family). Brilliant color under the sunny light.



A rather tall "Short's Milkvetch". Usually in lavendor color but this one is almost white.





"Old-Man-of-the-Mountain" (probably lower-altitude variety). Leaves of scrub oaks below and right.



Walking through the various hues of greens in the early summer. The yellowish green leaves are scrub oaks that were just sprouting from the winter dormancy. In the lower valley, they did that probably about 2 weeks ago already. Late snow that can happen easily in Colorado will kill these young leaves. But they say that the scrub oaks can re-sprout three time in a year if necessary.



A tiny yellow flower (unidentified) between rocks.



Another canyon to the east, a part of Waldo Canyon system. You can see the street of Colorado Springs in the background.
The western prairies are beyond the horizon.



"Gaylocks Four-nerve Daisy, Old-Man-of-the-Mountain" arising betwwen rocks.



"Old-Man-of-the-Mountains" withering in the afternoon sun.



"Brittle Pricklypear Cactus". It will be another week or two before they get into full blooms.
We found only a couple of them in bloom. A plenty of these along the trail.





"Sidebells Penstemon" growing with "Pricklypear Cactus"



Unidentified flower



Yucca plants with flowers. Scrub Oak bushes in light green spring color against the background of the Pikes Peak.





"Sticky Purple Geranium" (Richardson's Geranium, ? Pineywood Geranium).
We find this flower every time at the wooden stairways near the trailhead.



Coming to an end of the hiking, we returned to the trailhead. It was a nice day.
One more last thing to do... We would stop for lunch at a Korean restaurant in Colorado Springs.

Note: An accurate identification of the wildflowers are not my cup of tea. There may be some errors.
Photo and Text by SNUMA WM - June 29, 2012