What happens when you add trees and fire together? You get a "black forest"!
Seriously, that's exactly what we saw on our way to Lake Mountain this Sunday. Forests of tall black charcoal looking tree trunks standing at some of the sites of Victoria's worst bushfire disaster one Saturday in January 2009.
It's black, it's white
We decided to make a day trip to Lake Mountain, in the Yarra Range National Park, again because 1) we wanted to bring the kids out for some fun with the snow, 2) see for ourselves the aftermath of that area since the bushfire and 3) contribute our tourism dollars to help rebuild their tourism.
KK can't wait to have a snowball fight
Initially I thought the forest looked rather strange, as all the trees had trunks that were very dark coloured, almost black. It was only as we drove on that we realised that these trees have all been burnt by the fire. There were young green leaves growing on some of the trunks but they don't belong to the tree. Probably some ferns that found the charcoal bark a good source of fertilizer.
As we approached the township of Marysville, at the foot of Lake Mountain, we can see some empty plots of land with only the metal gate and perhaps the metal frame of what used to be a clothes hanger, telling you that there once was a house there. Some other structures were unscathed but many were burnt to the ashes.
The main building of the Lake Mountain was not burnt, thankfully, and with the snow season starting, business seemed to be as usual. It was another clear, fine day with lots of parents and enthusiastic kids on the toboggan slopes.
Tobogganing is fun on the way down. The not so fun part is the climb UPSLOPE, on slippery icy snow. It is more so challenging when you have to pull a two and a half years old toddler along at the same time. Worse when he tells you he's "tired" and wants to be carried!
The climb UP!
Even as you've finished your slide and trying to pick yourself up, one's got to be careful of other 'kamikaze' toboggan-ers who can come crashing uncontrollably into you. One such accident happened to me and sent me falling into the snow as I was trying to get XX up after a slide. Well, accidents happens and I wouldn't have minded. But instead of apologizing, she started to say "We were screaming (for you to get out of the way) all the way down. You have to listen!" Like it was my fault that I was attending to my child and not paying attention to all the screaming men, women and children behind my back.
After getting up on my feet, I tried to inform her that she can control the toboggan a little by tugging at the rope in front. She immediately pointed at her daughter and said, "She's the one who hit you." I stared at her in disbelief but before I know it, my son and husband came crashing downslope, straight into her!
I opened my mouth, not sure if it was of shock or I was about to laugh. The timing was hilarious and couldn't be better. I could see she was not too happy about being crashed into but she couldn't get angry cos she was a kamikaze toboggan-er herself just moments ago. Still, as she struggled to stand up, she had to justify, "See what I mean?" I just smiled and said, "We're Ok." I really mean, "We're Even." After that incident, we moved to another slope that was better organised, with a clear path for people to walk back upslope without getting bulldozed.
XX and our snow-men
All that climbing and walking soon got XX very tired and hungry. So we left KK and Papa to continue while we went to the car for a snack and drink. While waiting for XX to eat, I admired the scenery. Later on, we walked down a snowy slope, upclose to some of the blackened trees and spent some peaceful time there on the fluffy, untrampled snow, building snowmen and throwing snowballs.
The glistering white snow covering the ground formed a very stark contrast with the blackened tree trunks. It's beautiful yet eerie. Fire ravaging five months ago and wintery frost everywhere now. The extremes of temperatures. The beauty and threat of Mother Nature.
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