Although the pines, firs and junipers of Bridger Canyon remain stark and blackened, bursts of scarlet Indian Paintbrush and yellow arrowleaf balsamroot blossoms stand tall against the burn scar, a reminder that even when the land seems inhospitable, life still grows.

For many canyon residents, the same is true. Five years ago, on Sept. 4, 2020, lightning smoldering in a tree near the “M” sparked the Bridger Foothills Fire , which roared through more than 8,000 acres and destroyed 68 structures — 30 of them homes — leaving families without houses, belongings and a sense of safety.

For Sharon Davis, who’d lived in the canyon seasonally since the late 1990s, that day is etched just as deeply as the scars on the land. What began as the annual end-of-summer visit from her daughter and grand

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