It’s easy to take for granted that the giant rock formations we encounter will be around “forever”. After all, they’ve probably been around for centuries, millenia, or longer. But they’re more fragile than you might think.

This photograph shows the famous sea stacks at Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park. If you Google it, you’ll found an endless list of this stunning location. But if you go there, you won’t find this seen anymore. The giant stack on the left collapsed.

There are many other examples like this. The Tettegouche arch collapsed, which was famous in my home state of Minnesota. The duckbill rock at Cape Kiwanda was destroyed by vandals. And there are surely many more examples.

If there’s a lesson in all of that, it’s probably to make the most of every moment. Don’t take anything for granted. The sky and waves change by the minute, the vegetation by the day, but your favorite might change next time you visit too. Which is probably what makes landscape photography so great, you’re saving a moment you might not ever experience again.