It’s 9:06pm on a Tuesday night. Tuesday September 5th 2017, to be exact, a night that I will never forget. As I sit on my bed, puffy eyed from crying all evening, I try to distract myself from the constant reminder that Oregon’s sanctuary, the Columbia River Gorge, is burning to the ground.
After spending 8 plus hours at work, doing my best to keep it together with the exception of a few teary eyed moments, I came home to my cushioned bed to cry and I mean really cry. The kind of cry that you can feel deep down, where every inch of your body feels the pain. Still in shock, I stare out my window to see an eerie, smoky, ash filled sky, but my gaze is quickly interrupted by the newscast on the nearby television reminding me of the current hell our state is in. I grab my laptop but I am bombarded by the horrific images on social media of the Columbia Gorge completely engulfed in flames. Tonight I am faced with the realization that I won’t be able to distract my emotional self from the events that are happening just a few miles from home. As I shut down social media for the night, turn off my television, and snuggle up to my pup, I look for another way to express my anger, frustration, and pain. I’ll use my writing as a form of an emotional outlet to voice my raw emotions. Many of you, especially those that are not from the Pacific Northwest, may find what I’m saying to be overly dramatic, but please sit back and hear me out for the next several minutes while I explain why The Columbia River Gorge was our sanctuary.
What is it that makes Oregon, Oregon you may ask? Is it the luscious amounts of greenery and trees? Is it the mountains or rivers? Maybe it is the massive amount of rainfall we get each year? Or could it be the several scenic waterfalls we have? The answer is yes. All of these characteristics are, in my opinion, what makes Oregon, Oregon. In fact, all these amazing characteristics are what make the Columbia River Gorge specifically, so special to us Oregonians. The Gorge truly embodies it all. To give the non-residents a little background, The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. The canyon stretches for over 80 miles as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south (Wikipedia). The gorge is not only aesthetically pleasing but it’s also a popular recreational destination. The Gorge gains its popularity as a destination for hiking, biking, sightseeing, fishing, and watersports. The area is known for its high concentration of waterfalls, with over 90 on the Oregon side of the Gorge alone. Many are along the Historic Columbia Highway, including the notable 620-foot high Multnomah Falls (Wikipedia). In fact, each year Multnomah Falls alone, brings in several tourists. 
The Columbia River Gorge is our landmark. It’s where we bring our visitors, you know, the ‘out of staters’ to show, but mostly brag of our state’s natural beauty. It’s our version of New York’s Central Park or Seattle’s space needle. For many of us Oregonians, The Columbia Gorge is what defines us.
As a native Oregonian, I have been blessed to call Oregon home for the last 28 years. More specifically, for the last 6 years, I have been able to call Portland home. I consider myself lucky to have been able to fully embrace this area.
I don’t attend church very often, but on a Sunday morning, you may find me in the gorge on a hike, or I may be passing through to wine taste or white water raft in the small towns bordering the Columbia River. The gorge was my own version of church, my spiritual oasis, my perfect escape. What ultimately made this place so sacred is that it wasn’t just mine or yours, but in fact, it was ours, Oregon’s outdoor sanctuary. It was a place that could bring us all together. There’s something to say about that, something so amazing and beautiful about nature that it can do that, bring people of all different beliefs and backgrounds together in one magical surrounding.
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in tune once more.” –John Burroughs
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” –Albert Einstein
Saturday September 2nd 2017 at about 8:00pm, a couple of friends and myself were headed back from spending the entire day white water rafting in White Salmon, WA followed up with wine tasting tasting in Hood River, OR. It was a fun and eventful day. As we were driving through the gorge down 1-84, we noticed smoke in the trees and several cars pulled off the side of the road taking pictures. We pulled off the side of the road and snapped a few photos ourselves, but never in my wildest nightmares would I foresee the events to come.
153 hikers were trapped that Saturday night on the Eagle Creek Trail. After being stranded, and forced to stay overnight, the next morning they were led to safety after a 14 mile long hike. The turn of events continued to worsen before our eyes. Wind gusts acted as a lethal weapon spreading this fire from 3,000 to 10,000 to 20,000 to over 30,000 acres of our precious land. The wind gusts carried the fire across the Columbia River to the Washington side. Several people were evacuated from their homes and Interstate 84 was completely shut down. While the news broadcasted the horrific images of our precious sanctuary in flames, every Oregonian stood in front of their televisions watching their screens as if they were viewing a scene from a horror movie.
“When Nature Suffers because it is destroyed by human activities, the notion of beauty is really losing its meaning, because nothing is more aesthetic than the natural beauty.” –Marieta Maglas
Our lives changed today.
Just like the beautiful Columbia River Gorge was able to bring all of us together in her beauty, today we are brought together in a much different way. We are brought together with our grief and sorrow. We are unified in our mourning and our sadness, and oddly, there is something both very familiar and comforting in that.
The ash and soot covered ground will eventually wash away and the trees will eventually grow back, but until then, all we have are the pictures and the memories of the beauty and life the Columbia River Gorge gave us, and for that, I am forever grateful.
-A grieving Oregonian
I would like to take a moment to thank our heroes, the brave firefighters who put their lives on the line and saved Multnomah Falls and the historic lodge. Oregon thanks you!
Kyla Benson 