Pre-Evac Week for Pole Creek

Just saying that there are a billion new posts below. I realize there are very few readers for this blog anymore but I like it for its record keeping so enjoy if you're still here. 

When we got back from Colorado there was a lot of chatter about the fires coming closer but nothing that was making any of the canyon veterans worry so we were not too worried. Sunday night, though, the fire jumped Hwy 6 and they put us on pre-evac and my heart pounded out of my chest!

It was truly a rush packing our house that night; having weird debates in my head whether this was stupid and premature and overreacting or serious and too slow; getting so caught up in the sorting of things that I would forget I wasn't just dejunking but that there were hungry flames headed my way; wondering whether insurance (did we even have any? Yes, we found out we did, but oh my) would cover this or that and whether it would be worth it to re-buy it after a fire if it didn't; stopping to think what my neighbors were doing and if they needed help; going out to check on Billy's progress in the garage and hearing everyone a-bustle at 2am; being grateful there's only 4 of us and we've only lived 30 years so we don't actually have that much stuff worth saving (even though we have an excessive amount of stuff in our lives); pushing back thoughts about a black hillside and a pile of ashes to show for my trail and my brand new kitchen (dramatic, yes, but these thoughts do come!); happily discovering that in an emergency my spotty cell service, booster internet and landline were plenty sufficient to keep me updated; falling asleep wondering if we'd be woken up to an evacuation call. 

Well, we weren't and truthfully the pre-evac probably came only because we were attached to the road that eventually led to the fire and because that road would be the only way out for 300 families if we did get evacuated but it resulted in a very weird week of half living in my house/out of a suitcase, half living out of my car and all the time living on the internet looking for updates and praying for a safe canyon. 

I climbed my trail that first morning because wouldn't you? 

And we just kept packed and waited...and waited...and waited...and nothing happened. So we decided to live a normal week, as normal as we could. 

Some days were better than others and I would know that there was no real danger but sometimes those smoke clouds would look awfully close!

On Saturday I hiked/ran Powerhouse mountain with Kim and Jared to try and glimpse the flames but it was too smoky. Eerily smoky...

And then when we went back to our house there were firefighters everywhere, in our yard seeing where they could set up sprinkler lines and whacking out brush and cutting down trees. That made it seem a little closer, especially since by then I had pretty much assumed we were out of danger. 

We and a lot of our ward friends posted signs up and down the canyon road for the firefighters. They were so nice and I wish I had asked them to take a picture with Truman cus he thought they were cool. 

Our stake president asked us to fast on Sunday and it was so cool. We all fasted and then we broke our fast and went to sit on the coach and then it started raining!!! Our prayers and fastings were truly answered and that was a big confidence booster for even my most worried neighbors. 

And as of 6 minutes ago, we are officially off pre-evac. Haha the fire is still active but they have 140 miles of it contained and our line hasn't moved for several days so I guess they think we are safe! Phew! What a weird experience!

And it is good fall time with harvest in Meemaw's garden (my is already frozen dead) and beautiful leaves and good fall running. 

Even though a lot of beautiful, nostalgic, favorite places are crisped I am very grateful the most beautiful, nostalgic, favorite place of my canyon home is not! The firefighters are truly champions.