Julia,
I tried the mindspring address and couldn't reach you. Must be outdated. Email me. NCCUSL is coming to Pasadena. If you're still out there I thought we could hook up. McCabe is finally cashing out and there is a big McCabe Roast planned for Monday, July 30, 2007. Sorry to post to your blog but I didn't know how else to reach you. Hope you're well.

Elizabeth

Julia, I'm so sorry for your sadness. It is upsetting. I lived through the Oakland Hills fire which was mostly homes and many lost pets - not parkland - but there was an amazing result - the extreme heat allowed certain plants to come back that had not bloomed in centuries. May you walk gently back to your special places.

oh, julia, i am sorry for you and your trail. we had a huge fire in my foothill area about 4-5 years ago and it breaks your heart because all the land looks scarred...but take heart, it will rebound. that is the nature of our chaparrel hills. if you need a fix, head east on the 210 and check out marshall canyon trail. a bit of a drive, but then you can viit me and the beans again. :)

WOW! So close to you! I am glad you are safe. The thought of a place for solice,now gone, is devastating. Since we humans have encroached on all those animals' places to live, where DO they go? I too hope they are safe...

Go slow and take good care of yourself as you mourn your loss. And when you are able, I hope you will find exitement in exploring and finding a new sacred space.

The chaparral has evolved to burn off regularly, so it should come back fairly quickly. The roots of the plants aren't damaged by fire, meaning the plants can rebound rapidly. All we need is a little rain (too much and there will be mudslides) and it'll be back sooner than you think possible.

I've lived in SoCal since 1961 and seen a lot of acres go from twenty-foot-high chaparral to bare ash-covered dirt to twenty-foot-high chaparral. It can look mighty desolate and bleak, but that doesn't last. This is at least the third big fire in Griffith Park that I remember, maybe the fourth.

Oh, that makes me so sad. We need our wild forests and wildlife so very badly, any kind of refuge from the daily grind and L.A. life. We were in Mammoth last year and hiked through the area where a wildfire had burned more than a decade ago. It will take a long time to recover. I hope this won't be politicized.

Beautiful pictures.

I'm so sorry, for all that you've lost there. The photos are terrifying. But I do hope that someday soon, you can find some comfort in the first shoots of green that push up through the black.

Too close for comfort in a whole slew of ways . . . stay safe.

Fire is nature's way of cleaning it self up. Everyone forgets that LA is really a semi dessert area. And the fire will hopefully have cleaned up the invasive plants. Just think of the new plants that will grow. And you get to watch it up close.

How sad for you and everybody in your community. I have heard that after a fire the next year's wildflowers are supposed to be spectacular though! Not much consolation, I know, but nature can benefit from a little fire now and again.

That is horribly sad and i'm sure you will be dumbstruck when you first see it close up. I am still remembering the san diego fires from a few years ago and what it did to mission trails park and mira mar. The photo of your living room is unreal. I'm glad you were safe.

That is devastating. My husband and I are avid hikers and if one of our favorite and long loved ares was destroyed it would be heartbreaking. It takes a long time for the vegetation to grow back and for the wildlife to return. So sorry.

Sometimes I drive by many areas that were previously scorched and it's sad to see the trees and other vegetation. Because even though it grows back it seems to take a long time and things are just not the same.

(Zosia is getting so big!)

We felt the same way when the Boundary Waters went up in flames. However, later, watching the plants that needed the fire grow made the destruction worth it.

Many ecosystems of CA also need fire to germinate their seeds... I hope you find the fire brings your retreat more beauty than ever.

Sorry to hear about the fire; I hope the animals had somewhere to go.

Stay safe.

It is so so sad. I love Griffith Park. *sigh*

Oh Dear.
I went to High School right near there, and those being happy memories, so too were memories of going to the observatory and the Greek (i graduated there!) and the awesome zoo...and travel town... *sigh*. Well I am glad that the landmarks are ok, but it still hurts. And to have it be the result of a stupid mistake sure don't make it any better... but it will all come back fast, everything in LA grows so quickly! Just stay safe there... be careful and stuff!

:( I wish there was a way to make a bigger sad face. I have more pictures from another hike we took; I'll send them to you. And more from my nanny days and times I've gone up there with Jacob if you'd like. I know it will grow back someday, but for us - it's hard - that's my view every single day from my street; our local park!

Amazing and scary photos. I had to help a friend get ready to evacuate, what was it, 2 years ago, when the fires were pretty bad near the valley. When the fires start naturally I can generally be pretty OK with them, since they do seem to beneficial qualities, but knowing this was probably a man made fire is upsetting.

Let's hope that Griffith park comes back more lush and green and better irrigated.

oh my god - that looks horrible! I'm so sorry that you lost a place so special to you. it's good that you have so many photos to remind you of the good times you had. I hope that your family stays safe and that the fires go out soon.

Even we could see the fire from our front steps...our favorite playground was right next to the carousel, I wonder if it's still there.

What will amaze you is not only how fast everything grows back, but what grows first, second, third. It would be cool if you can help restore the trail and monitor the park as it recovers. Fire is actually beneficial to nature in general, although not necessarily when started by man.

late tuesday afternoon I drove by your place on the 5, as I was picking Cam up from work. it was CRAZY how close and huge the flames where. I though of you being so close. I hope you didn't have too much smoke at your place!

You're the first person I thought of when I first learned of the fire the other day. B and I watched the news, in awe and with sadness. It's hard to believe a single spark could lead to so much devastation. Though I find solace in that the fire didn't spread even more, the amount that it did destroy was horrible enough.

There are no words that can do justice for what you are going through. Nature can be so vicious in its cycle, and so unfair to those that love it.

Fire is so scary and so fast! I'm sorry about your place, Julia! So sorry!

I'm so sorry, Julia - that totally sucks. I'm so glad you have some pictures to remember your good times there - and you'll have more there, one day, I'm sure.

In other news, Zosia is a SCHMOO.

Wow, that is so sad. I live in West Virginia and the beauty of the mountains is just amazing. We have fires all the time, mostly from someone smoking and dropping their cigarretts without putting it out properly or from camp fires that weren't put out. It's just so sad that something so beautiful can just be destroyed like that. The great thing is is it does grow back, it will take time, but the beauty will return.

my SIL lives near Lake Arrowhead a few years ago she almost lost her home, by sheer luck the fire stopped before it reached where she lived.
it's is truely heartbreak to see nature destroyed and what's worse it's often at the hands of arsen.

I saw the fire on the news and had no idea it was near you. It' looked frightening and I could imagine it on 'my' mountain. I'm so sad for your loss.

there is alot of wildfires going on here in FL right now too.... i have ash on my car every morning lately.

but dont worry, as the song goes... "dont worry, it'll grow back"

Such tragic destruction. I've enjoyed your posts and photos about your hikes, and I'm sorry to hear that you won't be able to enjoy that area for a while. Places that hold so many memories are like family, and it hurts when they're taken from us.