Fire on the Mountain

To illustrate the effects of a super-fire that devastated 2 million acres in 2000, this image in the Bitterroot Valley shows just a small part of the BR Range that is less than half a mile from the valley floor. Nothing has grown since. The soil is sterilized and it will take many more decades to create enough soil to support the trees that once covered this range in a dense canopy. The canyons are now open and the dense undergrowth is gone. Rock climbers enjoy some of the best climbing in the USA. I enjoy deep canyon hikes.