North Star

I made it...

Through training and onto the crew. We leave tomorrow for our first fire. I am a sawyer, so my best friend for the summer is a 25 pound hunk of tempered steel (with some darn sharp teeth).

I'm excited, and nervous, and bundle of other emotions.

Gibson

Well, I am here. I am beginning to settle in to barrack life. It's different for sure. My fellow crew mates are all flowing into base steadily. So far the crew seems to consist of a great bunch of guys. Monday will be the start of training, and also include our PT test. I've been working out on my own since arrival; attempting to squeeze out a little more strength and stamina. My days right right now consist of eating, PT, eating, PT, and eating. Let me tell you, it's quite the existence. Ft. Wainwright itself is ginormous - many times larger than Sitka. I have a locker with all of my issued gear, and my name on it, so that's kind of exciting. As North Stars we are the low point on the totem poll around base, so we are hassled frequently. Everyone has to go through it though - I guess it just comes with the territory.

It is light 24 hours a day now, so that's taking some getting used to, but I am going to be so tired normally that it's not going to matter. Everyone take care, I'll continue to post as I have time. Peace.

Farewell (and Pancakes)

Today is my last day in Sitka, exactly four months since I left North Carolina. The sun is out, and the sound of a chainsaw reverberates through the open window of my house. I celebrated my final day by making a bunch of pancakes this morning. If there is one thing I have done a lot of since my arrival in Alaska, it's eat pancakes. I've become a Paul Bunyan of sorts, all I really lack is a blue ox.

I fly out on the 6:00 am flight tomorrow for Fairbanks. I'm excited to start the next leg of this adventure. I figure I'm as ready as I'm gonna be.

Also, hooray for Mrs. Butterworth. She really does make the rockin' world go 'round.

Turning the Page

Two more days until I leave town. I am doing a pretty good job procrastinating, so we'll see whether or not I'll be all packed up. Basically, I'm sending everything back home, except for some socks, underwear, flannel, and maybe a pair of pants. Today is my final day as a teacher. My class: Fashion Design. Yeah...

Young Life

Tuesday night was the final night of Young Life for the spring, and my last night with all of Sitka's Young Life folk. We held club down by the water; complete with a bonfire, egg-toss, and capture the flag. The scene was a glimpse of perfection I think; kids running to-and-fro laughing and smiling, whales and sea lions splashing off the shore, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and a sunset that only the Pacific can offer. It was quite the good time. I am very grateful to the Young Life community here in Sitka, the friendship and support I've recieved isn't something I'll quickly forget.

Fact of the Matter

Recently a lot of folks back home have questioned the existence of fire in Alaska. Well, I guess I'm just going to set the record straight once and for all. According to Alaska Fire Service, a division of the US Forest Service, over the past five years up to 7,500,000 acres have burned in Alaska each year. That would be about the same as all of North Carolina west of Morganton going up in flames. A lot of land if you think about it. The average daily temperature for Fairbanks in July is 73 degrees, only 10 degrees cooler than Asheville's average daily July temperature (83 degrees). The interior of Alaska is extremely dry and can become very hot in the summer (record high for Fairbanks is 99 degrees). The region also has an abundance of lightening strikes and is blessed with 24 hour sunshine. So, Alaska can go from freezer to inferno without much problem. Crazy I know.

My crew will oversee over 320,000,000 acres of potential burn land. That's an area equivalent to the entire South: from Cape Hatteras west to the Mississippi, and south from the Mason-Dixon down to the Gulf. If the season is light up here we'll in all likelihood be sent down south to fight fire in the western states.

Anyway, I hope this answers any lingering questions out there.

Winter's Ending

Well, today it's in the 70's, so I think I can officially say winter's coming to a close here in Alaska. The days are passing quickly and Fairbanks and firefighting don't seem far away. This is a picture I took earlier this week: one last glimpse of the arctic. Y'all take care now.


Everything we were is no more, and what we will become, will become what was.
-Donald Miller