Kay Wade
Close ups
Tops of broken pine trees lie across uprooted oaks like grieving relatives at a funeral, throwing themselves across the dearly departed. The 2020s have been rough on trees. Tornados have skipped through the escarpment. Late in 2024 a water-logged hurricane toppled oaks, blowing wide holes in the tree canopy. Now, in 2026, an epic ice storm has made kindling of pines, leaving behind fresh snags in places neither chainsaw nor wood chipper will enter. The fresh, invigorating scent of pine follows us around the Oconee Bell Trail at Devils Fork SP, and what appears as utter devastation already invites renewal of lives unseen. ~K