Just a few weeks ago I flew into the Denver International airport. I was told I would be able to clearly view the Rockies right from the terminal. Upon arrival, I shot up to the upper level of the building which is pretty much glass for optimal visuals and...nothing?? I swung around to the other side and the same thing. Joe Gossack picked me up and I asked where the Rockies went. He said they were very much present but a pesky fire about 100 miles away was throwing up the smoke that was covering them for the moment. The folks I stayed with had daily updates and it seemed the fire was growing but they never dreamed, nor did I, that the pesky fire would soon become the largest most destructive fire in Colorado history. It continues to roar as I write this. I was told by my hosts that when fire touches a section of the Rockies, at least one generation will never see them in their former glory again. Because of the altitude, things grow extremely slow. The once tree covered canyons will take decades to even begin to recover.
