Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Darren Milam
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Recently, I was on a business trip to Costa Rica. Not the worst location for a business meeting. We did have a chance to get out and take a short tour of the area, specifically near the city of Cartago. We traveled up to the top of one of Costa Rica’s many volcanoes. This one was the active volcano, Irazu. I say it’s active, but thankfully it’s not as active as another Costa Rican volcano – Poas (actively erupting – even while I was in country). Irazu sits at just over 11,000 feet and is typically covered with clouds, but when it does clear, at that height you are able to see both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans.
Unfortunately, on the day we visited, it was covered with clouds – for the most part. At one point, while I was walking around the crater, the visibility was less than 30 feet. The good news, eventually the clouds started to part and I was able to capture this image of this beautiful Gray Fox. It was a lucky moment to see this guy. At 11,000 feet, high up in the clouds, there are only a few animals that flourish at this altitude and temperatures. I was able to see a few hummingbirds but not much else. In this zone there are armadillos, owls, rabbits, and a few birds. This specific area is packed with volcanic rocks, ash and sand in and around the crater(s). Walk a few feet to the edge of the crater and you see the rim begin to come to life with a jungle-like forest.
It’s amazing how life continues to thrive, even in situations like this. Just think of what takes place when an eruption takes place – explosion of rocks, ash, lava, etc. Fast forward a few years, you have grass, trees, flowers, foxes – life continues. How is that possible? God, that’s how. Creation starts over when there is destruction. To me, that actually is a great example of the history of our planet. Take the flood for example – total destruction of Earth (at least the dry part) and then life started over. God can turn the switch on – the switch for life.
Seeing this fox, as well as the other flora and fauna, it was a great reminder of how God creates all things, including this beautiful creature. Thank you, God!