The air in Colorado Springs is feeling more like soup than something breathable this week. As a west side resident I've been keeping an eye on the
Waldo Canyon Fire progress. It doesn't look good. Evacuations and notices currently extend from Woodland Park to Monument and into the Colorado Springs City Limits. I find my own home a mere half a block outside of a pre-evacuation area.
While my home is still a few miles away from the actual front line of the fire I admit my stomach is twisted in knots. I've already left once due to the smoke. Thankfully the wind changed and I am now home again. The situation is so surreal. People have already lost homes and places I used to hike are now consumed by flames. The mountains I used to love so much are now an inferno fueled by years of collected pine needles and dead brush. I can't help but think about how long it will be before I'm allowed to walk through beautiful
William's Canyon and drive on
Rampart Range Road again. In my head it is still unreal.
I wait with my ears turned toward the TV all day to see if anything will change. The meager 5% containment and the ever growing fingers of the
Waldo Canyon Fire threaten more communities as each day passes. I can only wonder if, or maybe when, I will have to leave my home again too. My heart goes out to those who have lost their home. There are no words strong enough to comfort their losses.
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