Enjoying Nature’s Bounty in the Midst of Nature’s Wrath

This last weekend, I decided to run/walk a great event out at Ste. Chapelle’s winery in Caldwell: the Idaho Wine Run. Normally this race is my favorite of the year, since there’s no better way to celebrate finishing a great run than with a glass of wine.

This year, though, I was reminded that nature’s bounty and beauty can be a double-edged sword.

It’s been a particularly difficult fire season here in the Northwest, as fires rage all over Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. I followed the smoke from one of those fires to the start of the race. And though the race was quite smoky, I completed the enjoyable run with a few new friends, all the while thinking about the irony of the situation.

In good wine climates like ours, fire danger is a constant threat. So like all farmers and ranchers, wine growers depend on the right weather at the right time to get them through the growing season unscathed.

Being at the race offered a timely reminder of the tenuous relationship we have with the land. We enjoy what it offers us, but sometimes forget to be grateful. So as fire season rages on, let’s all take a moment to thank Mother Earth and those who tend to her with a raised glass of Idaho wine—maybe after a walk or a run outside.

Della Fencl | Jul 2, 2015