I was honored to be featured on the
Grampion Podcast
Follow Link to Watch
High-energy interview with
Jim Tracy
Nationally-known Leadership Speaker, Author, Podcaster & Pilot
I was honored to be featured on the
Central Oregon Daily News
Click the Link to Watch the 5-Minute TV Story
by Feature Reporter Eric Lindstrom
Believer
Storyteller
Former firefighter
Firebrands
Sparks drawing into the midnight sky. Pungent wood smoke and scored earth. The faint whine of a chainsaw cutting in the distance and the scrape of tools on dirt, roots, and rock... I remember those days.
(See back row, 4th from left.)
The Silver Fire in southern Oregon/California was my first big fire experience (same area as the big 2002 Biscuit Fire). The massive Yellowstone Fires of ‘88 kept us working for months. In ‘90, the deadly Dude Fire in Arizona was an intense reminder of nature’s power. That power struck another blow in 1994 when former crewmates were killed by the blowup on Storm King Mountain at Colorado’s South Canyon Fire.
Firefighting taught my independent self the value of community. Learning to care for the earth and each other began with the life-changing decision to join a hotshot crew, but the learning continues. I’ll be posting moments from life’s adventures and my enduring dance with difficulties.
About Kate
Old letters and smoke-filled memories turned into chapters that share my adventures as a hotshot in my memoir Dances With Fire. While working as a wildland firefighter in the late ‘80’s and early 90’s, I knew the circumstances of my summer job were extraordinary.
Back then, Google did not exist. If I had read a hotshot’s job description before taking the job, I would’ve dropped it like a hot potato. No thank you! But, taking it a day at a time, the good with the bad, the rewards of the work and the camaraderie kept me coming back.
After graduating from the University of Oregon, I taught high school English for 10 years. While sharing important literature with students, I realized the importance of story to inspire each other to push beyond our comfort zones. I wrote my own story of crossing the threshold into the unknown as an ordinary person faced with extraordinary circumstances.
We have an obligation to care for our planet and our people. When I’m outside, usually with a four-legged friend nearby, I learn things from nature when I pay attention. I’m curious about matters of the heart and challenges for the soul—and love when they’re framed in a good story.
Photo by Sarah Roegner Photography