As a professional firefighter, visiting this memorial was a very moving experience. The Boise and Prineville Hot Shots, who just finished with the fires around Denver, were also paying their respects.

At the observation area stands a burnt tree where people place momentos for the fallen firefighters. I placed a leather thong with one of our pins attached. At the top of the picture is a bracelet one of my co-workers put there last year. Across the valley (to the left of the branch) is where 12 of the 14 firefighters perished. It's sobering to stand among the monuments for the fallen smoke jumpers and hot shots and serves to remind me of just how frail we are.