I’ll never forget the first time I hiked with my fire crew toward a forest fire. I was 18 and the rookie on the Prineville Hotshot Crew. We were 20 people with a goal and a plan. The sights, sounds and feel of a forest fire had me awestruck as flames jumped to the top of a cluster of trees on its way up a hill. The following passage is from the book I’m trying to publish titled Dances With Fire about the summers I worked as a wildland firefighter.

Press play to hear my first forest fire experience. (7min.) Please keep in mind… I was young.

Walkin' After Midnight by Patsy Cline

Have you ever felt small and vulnerable when faced with Nature’s power? (Please share in the comments below)

Also, there’s great debate on the pronunciation of Stihl chainsaws. I always heard it said like “Still”. How do you say it?

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Notes:
This reading uses this sound from freesound: Fire_Forest_Inferno.aif by Dynamicell (https://freesound.org/people/Dynamicell/sounds/17548/) licensed under Attribution 3.0."

https://www.pbs.org/video/american-experience-big-burn
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5444731.pdf
http://www.1910fire.com/Fire%20Stories/Pulaski%20story/full.htm

Special thanks to Michael Hamberger for special effects.

Audio and Adrenaline

Walkin' After Midnight by Patsy Cline

Have you ever felt small and vulnerable when faced with Nature’s power? (Please share in the comments below)

Also, there’s great debate on the pronunciation of Stihl chainsaws. I always heard it said like “Still”. How do you say it?

Iguana Man

Wildfire in Maui