There’s seems to be this one certain subject that is sooooo complex and convoluted, and at times contentious, that essentially no one wants to touch it with a ten-foot-pole. Each time someone even grazes the topic people get hot under the collar and so, folks keep their distance as if it were a hornet’s nest. I’m … Continue reading Ten-Foot-Pole
Donkey Run
There are those days, those days when simply being alive is exhausting. Where you find yourself having a serious internal debate about expending the energy to brush your teeth, let alone doing anything physically active. Yes, it’s one of those days where a movie marathon on the couch seems like the best idea of your … Continue reading Donkey Run
Fire Culture
Happy Spring! Here's a re-posting of Fire Culture to get you into gear for the upcoming fire season. First of all, don’t be that guy. Don’t be last to lineout in the morning; get back to the rigs from a store stop, water up, suit up in your jump gear, get up the hill, or … Continue reading Fire Culture
Like a Phoenix
Dear Evolving Nomad Readers, Recently I was asked to be a guest author for the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center's Two More Chains article, Fall Issue. For those who are not Wildland Firefighters, the Two More Chains articles issued by the LLC offer a strong voice for the fire community. They consistently touch on subject matter … Continue reading Like a Phoenix
June 30th, 2013
I remember that day. Of course, I remember that day. Every wildland firefighter (current or former) has a flash-bulb memory to mark that point in time. I was rappelling the fire season of 2013 and my husband was on a hotshot crew. By some freak miracle, we actually had a day off together and met up with … Continue reading June 30th, 2013
Tornado Alley
The permanence is absolute and swift. There’s a snap of the fingers and everything is forever changed and yet nothing seems to be different at all. Am I going crazy? You look around and everything is familiar and normal except, someone is missing. It’s disorienting when people in your life disappear without warning. It’s as … Continue reading Tornado Alley
Protected: New Zealand Volunteer Program, A.K.A “The Hotshot Program”
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
The Shuffle
Every spring crews nationwide ready themselves for the fire season by way of physical training, medical scenarios and classroom time and every year that guy shows up. How is it statistically possible that we end up with that guy almost every year on every single crew? Even though we all know that guy, there … Continue reading The Shuffle
A Hike in Someone Else’s Boots
DISCLAIMER: There is a healthy amount of cussing strewn throughout this post, consider yourselves warned. The Technology Wizard Takes a Detail The fire season was here once again and I had taken a temporary detail away from my job on the Helicopter Rappel Crew to work at the Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) as … Continue reading A Hike in Someone Else’s Boots
Prove Yourself
My first season on a Hotshot Crew was tough. I felt like I was strivin’ for survivin’ in those first weeks. I showed up with some type II handcrew and engine experience but even still it felt like a big leap to the type I world. Our PT’s were intense, the fitness level … Continue reading Prove Yourself