By Michael Yelton
My hometown of Lake Lure has been rocked by wildfire. As of November 13, 2016, over 3,176 acres have burned. It started on top of Party Rock, a popular camping and hiking spot that overlooks Chimney Rock State Park and Lake Lure. Chimney Rock Village has been evacuated along with Rumbling Bald Resort. As I humbly write these words I think about all the men and woman that are risking everything to help save our town. I usually write about fly-fishing but with the current situation I felt compelled to write about the state of emergency.
On Friday November 11, 2016 the firefighter man count was 350. By Saturday it was up to 500 and by Sunday is was expected to reach 1,000. Firefighters from across the state have poured into our little town. I even heard that some firefighters from Oregon and Alaska are in route as well. Fire helicopters have been continually dipping water from Lake Lure to help douse the flames. C-130s have been dive-bombing the fire with pink flame retardant. Our local community has rallied around these brave men and women by donating food, lodging, water, chapstick, foot powder and wet wipes.
Friends and neighbors have already been evacuated so I told my two boys it was time to pack a bag just in case we had to do the same. With a tear rolling down his cheek, my 5 year old told me that he didn’t want to go anywhere. I tried to explain to him that this was just a precaution and that we might not need to evacuate. I continued on by telling them to get a couple of changes of clothes and anything they could not live without or replace. My 9-year seemed to get a little upset when he realized his prized X Box wasn’t part of that category. To tell you truth, I felt like crying myself.
The realization of possibly losing everything you own is a very humbling experience at that moment in time. After reflection though, it’s really just “stuff”. You can replace “stuff”. It’s the friends and loved ones that cannot be replaced. It’s the “stuff” that weighs us down in life. At the end of the day you cannot take all your “stuff” with you when it’s your time to go. So be sure to share your “stuff”, give more than you receive, volunteer your time and thank a firefighter or police officer whether you know them or not. In this crazy messed up world we all live in, these are the men and women that hold everything together in times of trouble. God bless them all and thank you for doing what you do.
Michael Yelton is the owner/operator for The Granddaddy Fly Fishing Experience, LLC est. 2005. Michael has guided fly fishing trips for 17 years.