ConquerMountains.com

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[Thanks to webs.com for showing the link ... NOT!]

By John Rezell

     It hit quickly, without warning.

      Driving up the Santiam Canyon I expected to see the results of the Beachie Creek Fire that raced down the highway on Labor Day and the days to follow.

      Still, the first signs struck me like the bolt of lightning.

      Suddenly buildings that were there this summer, aren't there now. Many are replaced by a pile of scrap.

      I ventured up the canyon wondering if there would be any opportunity for us to journey up Thanksgiving weekend and cut a Christmas tree, which has been our family tradition for years.

      The first sight of damage turned my stomach upside down. And so it continued. For mile after mile after mile. The trip ripped at my heart. The video tells it all.