6 Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... Officials battle wildfires and misinformation Discovering a hidden gem By Lawrence Stoller Guest Columnist My friend Gary and I have been exploring the wil- derness of our Three Sisters Cascade range for years. The other day we started at a trailhead in an area we are generally familiar with. After a short time following the trail, we spontaneously veered off into the under- brush in a direction that we never explored, letting curi- osity be our compass. This kind of adventur- ing combines the elements of wonder, surprise, and uncertainty with a hefty dose of hardship and poten- tial danger. (We have about 80 years of combined wil- derness experience and do not recommend others fol- low our lead without proper experience, gear, a GPS and a developed sense for adventure.) We found ourselves walk- ing several hours up and through rugged overgrown terrain, following deer trails and trusting our innate sense of adventure. We ascended the flow of a rushing creek, climbed over endless fire- fallen trees, waded through thick masses of head-high snowbrush, bouldering ever higher. As we rounded a bend, with the echo of the creek increasingly amplified, we saw an impressive series of cascading waterfalls. As we got closer, maybe a few hundred yards away, we saw a large slab rock that had come off the side wall of the canyon. It was planted in the middle of the upper falls and was beau- tifully carved by eons of winter runoff of the rushing creek. But as we neared, the wonder and beauty of the moment disappeared in an instant. It looked as if some- one had sprayed bright neon green paint on the rock. Who would have come all the way up here to deface this mag- nificent rock? We continued our approach with a mix of dismay and angst. As we got closer, the graffiti became obscured by the terrain, and we lost track of the defaced boulder. The ravine was steep, with By Ali Swenson Associated Press PHOTO BY GARY TOWNSEND A pair of local explorers discovered an interesting geological phenomenon out in the woods. many drop-offs, which made getting to creek level too dangerous. But as I looked across the ravine, I could see that there were traces of color on some of the surrounding rocks as well. Excitement clicked in triggering my min- eralogical mind, and every- thing changed. (I have been an artist working with gems and minerals for almost 40 years.) The color in the formation appeared to be chrysocolla, a close mineralogical relative of turquoise. Chrysocolla is a hydrated copper phyllosili- cate mineral, or more simply stated, a strikingly beauti- ful rock. Over time, traces in the copper mineral had oxidized, turning a beautiful blue-green. As we climbed closer, we found a safe section of the creek where we could both cool off and cross to the other side. Once across, we paralleled the falls, looking for the colored stone. And there it was& the old mas- terpiece. Mother Nature had painted a three-foot splash of color directly in the center of the rock slab. A thin, vivid patina layer of chrysocolla. There were little wisps of chrysocolla in the surround- ing rock formations. Apparently, eons ago Mother Nature was testing her color palette and dabbed this lovely blue green min- eral on the canvas of gray slab rock. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 7 a.m.-4 p.m. 541-588-0311 201 E. Sun Ranch Dr. Year-round FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com Call or come in today for a free Farmers Friendly Review 541-588-6245 • 257 S. Pine St., #101 www.farmersagent.com/jrybka AUTO • HOME • LIFE • BUSINESS CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS MULTI-STATE MEAT S, GAME ALASKAN SEAFOOD CHEESES SANDWICHES BEER, WINE, CIDER 110 S. SPRUCE ST. | 541-719-1186 If you can’t find what you are looking for in our hand-forged product line, we can design something to fit your needs Class size limited. Safety measures in place. Tuesday, September 29 • 6 p.m. Best Western Ponderosa Lodge• 500 Hwy. 20 W., Sisters “Your Local Welding Shop” CCB# 87640 PHOTO BY ALEX JORDAN WORKING HARD ON THE FRONT LINES! See MISINFORMATION on page 11 Do you know your agent? Do you understand your policy? Are you overpaying? “Necessity is the mother of INVENTION” A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR FIREFIGHTERS S E AT T L E ( A P ) 4 Emergency responders in the Pacific Northwest are fighting misinformation along with raging wildfires as people spread unsubstantiated social media posts blaming coordi- nated groups of arsonists from both the far left and far right for setting the blazes. The FBI said Friday, September 11, that it9s inves- tigated several claims and found them to be untrue, while officials in Oregon and Washington state have turned to Facebook to knock down the competing narratives 4 some posts blamed far-left antifa activists and others claimed the far-right group the Proud Boys was respon- sible for the fires scorching wide swaths of the region.