Seasons in SalmonAs the valley transitions into fall, preparation for winter begins. Ranches start gathering cattle from high-elevation mountain public land leases. Cowboys ride out to trail the herds back down to the home ranch pastures before the first heavy mountain snows hit. Calves born in the spring are separated from their mothers. September also brings a fresh wave of newborn calves that need to be weighed and tagged before cold weather sets in. It’s time for the final hay cut of the year. As temperatures drop, irrigation from the river gets shut down. People are clearing ditches and shutting down water lines to prevent freezing. Then comes hunting season. The tourists that were here for the river transition to hunters camping all over the mountains. They are all up here for the chance at a trophy bull elk or simply filling the freezer with some organic meat. Up in this paradise valley, people live hand in hand with the surrounding nature and seasons. Unlike most population centers in the U.S., where everything is sterile, climate-controlled, landscaped, and nature is often an inconvenience. In this agricultural community, it is not difficult to talk about God and “His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Rom. 1:20). By observing the power and beauty of nature surrounding us, “Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?” (Job 12:9-10). We have been here these past few months to help people come to know and draw closer to their Creator. Prayerfully, all of us as children of God work hand in hand with all of creation to declare the glory and grace of our Father. No matter where we are, the sun still “rises on the just and the unjust” (Mat. 5:45).
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