Opal Creek - once a place of awe and color and depth - now feels and looks much different. The 2020 Beachie Creek fire took many of Opal Creek's character that people had come to love deeply and cherish as much as they did family members.

The gemstone waters of Opal Creek were clearly the result of thousands of years of plant life at work creating clean air and rich sweet soil that made drinking right from Opal Creek a privilege. 

Winter in Opal Creek where tree limbs were draped in snow, and lichen and moss were frozen in ice, made time stand still. Snow flakes gently fell from the sky, landing with barely perceptible voices. Water trickled slowly under ice. Green and red ferns relaxed under the weight of cold temperature and ice. 

Opal Creek rests in winter, always. 

The cycles of birth, life through hundreds of plant and animal species, and transformation by fire, will eventually open up Opal Creek to rebirth. New plants and animals, new ways of teaching humans about the nature of resilience.