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Hayman Fire destruction inspires creativity
  
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By Pat Hill
In the hands of Ginger Krabbenhoft and Laurie Haderlie, the Hayman Fire of June 2002 has become mystical, a source of rebirth that springs from the well of devastation.
Founders of Born of the Flames in a tiny shop in Cascade, the women have touched people from all over the world who find strength in the resiliency of the aspens as a symbol of recovery and hope.
Lamps, candle holders, walking sticks, vases, coasters and picture frames, the fire sparked creativity as the women crafted gifts from the aspens burned in the Hayman.
The fire destroyed 138,000 acres in eight days in Teller, Park and Douglas counties. Thirty-three of them were on Krabbenhoft’s property near Lake George.
Three months after the fire, the aspen started to come back, a result of the trees transferring moisture from the leaves and branches to the root system, which ensures rejuvenation.
“We made a choice to use aspen, specifically for the metaphor that sometimes you have to give up your past to save your future,” Haderlie said. “As the aspens survived the fire, we all have to survive things in our lives.”
For Krabbenhoft, the Hayman Fire tested her will.
“We (she and her husband, John) bought the place in September and the fire came through in June,” she said.
Crawling back from the depression that accompanies shattered dreams, Krabbenhoft noticed that when the bark peeled away from the burned aspens white wood remained. The discovery led to her recovery and her artistry, beginning with coasters made from the white wood of the aspen. She sold the coasters at the Woodland Park Farmers Market, where by chance, she met Haderlie.
“Thank God I met Laurie — she’s been my guardian angel,” Krabbenhoft said.
They opened the shop in 2006, and as their creativity with the lathe and sander evolved, the pieces took on new meaning, personally and for others.
“Born of the Flames made a conscious choice — we decided we could be like the pine trees: rot where we stand and cry ‘victim’ the rest of our days, or we could be like the aspen trees and reinvent our future,” Haderlie said.
“This is therapy for me because we’re talking about it all the time,” Krabbenhoft said. “People ask if we get tired of it but we actually live it — don’t we, Laurie?”
In presentations to area school children, in conjunction with the Catamount Institute’s science programs, Krabbenhoft and Haderlie emphasize three layers of the Hayman.
In addition to its historical significance, the fire opened up scientific information, about aspen, pine trees and a geologic phenomenon of a new rock formation.
“There’s only one place in the world where you can find this kind of rock, and it’s the Hayman burn area,” Haderlie said. “It’s smoky quartz melted together with crystal amazonite.”
The third layer, symbolized by the name of the shop, Born of the Flames, is the emotional value of the fire, the mystical realm. Krabbenhoft and Haderlie have hundreds of stories of people in emotional turmoil who find inspiration in the rejuvenation of the aspen.
Recently nominated for the Shine a Light award sponsored by the “Today Show” and American Express, Born of the Flames placed among the top 150 of more than 4,000 entrants.
With the nomination and wide-ranging effects of their artistry, Haderlie has a simple explanation.
“This is what happens when you burn the forest and give two ladies a saw and a hammer,” she said.
Krabbenhoft and Haderlie will be on Teller Life live at Tellernetcast.com at 10 a.m. Nov. 12.
Hayman Fire
Terry Barton, former U.S. Forest Service Department worker, started the fire and was sentenced to 12 years in the Colorado State Prison and 6 years in federal prison. In 2004, the arson charge was tossed out by the Colorado Court of Appeals because of the way the original judge handled the case. Judge Thomas Kennedy re-sentenced Barton to 15 years probation and 1,500 hours of community service. She was ordered to pay state restitution of $30 million, on top of the $14.6 million in restitution that is part of her federal sentence.
Founders of Born of the Flames in a tiny shop in Cascade, the women have touched people from all over the world who find strength in the resiliency of the aspens as a symbol of recovery and hope.
Lamps, candle holders, walking sticks, vases, coasters and picture frames, the fire sparked creativity as the women crafted gifts from the aspens burned in the Hayman.
The fire destroyed 138,000 acres in eight days in Teller, Park and Douglas counties. Thirty-three of them were on Krabbenhoft’s property near Lake George.
Three months after the fire, the aspen started to come back, a result of the trees transferring moisture from the leaves and branches to the root system, which ensures rejuvenation.
“We made a choice to use aspen, specifically for the metaphor that sometimes you have to give up your past to save your future,” Haderlie said. “As the aspens survived the fire, we all have to survive things in our lives.”
For Krabbenhoft, the Hayman Fire tested her will.
“We (she and her husband, John) bought the place in September and the fire came through in June,” she said.
Crawling back from the depression that accompanies shattered dreams, Krabbenhoft noticed that when the bark peeled away from the burned aspens white wood remained. The discovery led to her recovery and her artistry, beginning with coasters made from the white wood of the aspen. She sold the coasters at the Woodland Park Farmers Market, where by chance, she met Haderlie.
“Thank God I met Laurie — she’s been my guardian angel,” Krabbenhoft said.
They opened the shop in 2006, and as their creativity with the lathe and sander evolved, the pieces took on new meaning, personally and for others.
“Born of the Flames made a conscious choice — we decided we could be like the pine trees: rot where we stand and cry ‘victim’ the rest of our days, or we could be like the aspen trees and reinvent our future,” Haderlie said.
“This is therapy for me because we’re talking about it all the time,” Krabbenhoft said. “People ask if we get tired of it but we actually live it — don’t we, Laurie?”
In presentations to area school children, in conjunction with the Catamount Institute’s science programs, Krabbenhoft and Haderlie emphasize three layers of the Hayman.
In addition to its historical significance, the fire opened up scientific information, about aspen, pine trees and a geologic phenomenon of a new rock formation.
“There’s only one place in the world where you can find this kind of rock, and it’s the Hayman burn area,” Haderlie said. “It’s smoky quartz melted together with crystal amazonite.”
The third layer, symbolized by the name of the shop, Born of the Flames, is the emotional value of the fire, the mystical realm. Krabbenhoft and Haderlie have hundreds of stories of people in emotional turmoil who find inspiration in the rejuvenation of the aspen.
Recently nominated for the Shine a Light award sponsored by the “Today Show” and American Express, Born of the Flames placed among the top 150 of more than 4,000 entrants.
With the nomination and wide-ranging effects of their artistry, Haderlie has a simple explanation.
“This is what happens when you burn the forest and give two ladies a saw and a hammer,” she said.
Krabbenhoft and Haderlie will be on Teller Life live at Tellernetcast.com at 10 a.m. Nov. 12.
Hayman Fire
Terry Barton, former U.S. Forest Service Department worker, started the fire and was sentenced to 12 years in the Colorado State Prison and 6 years in federal prison. In 2004, the arson charge was tossed out by the Colorado Court of Appeals because of the way the original judge handled the case. Judge Thomas Kennedy re-sentenced Barton to 15 years probation and 1,500 hours of community service. She was ordered to pay state restitution of $30 million, on top of the $14.6 million in restitution that is part of her federal sentence.
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