Comin' Home

Tomorrow I leave this grand ol' northern land for a place my heart knows as home. It's hard to believe how time has passed. It seems as though it were yesterday I stood at gate 27, staring out the window at the plane that would begin my journey 5 time zones and over 3 thousand miles away. A journey filled with climbing mountains, boating the pacific, teaching kindergarten, doing lots of pull-ups, sit-ups, and push-ups, jumping out of helicopters, and battling flames. I've been fortunate enough to form friendships that I probably will always have. I've tasted the sweetness of success, felt the sharpness of failure, and embraced the wholeness of redemption. I now know that to be truly full you must come to the table empty.

It is 3378 miles as the crow flies from Fairbanks to Charlotte.

I'll see you soon.

As it was

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
-Robert Frost

Brooks Range

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. -Abraham Lincoln

Here are a few pics of the past three weeks. The crew's been on R&R for a couple days, but in about a hour I'll climb aboard a bush plane and head north to the same ol' fire on the south slope. Only another month and I'm comin' home. I can't wait for that. Peace y'all.

Blind River

When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work. ~Edward F. Croker

The "Burn Show"

Here is some footage from the past three days. I'd post more but I've got to go hit the sack right now...we're flying out at 0900 tomorrow for a fire in Tanana.

A Couple Clips

R&R

I'm back. Rest and Relaxation. It's been 18 days since my last day off; a stretch in which I've racked up more than 250 hours of paid work time. I have fought 2 fires (Old Man Fire in Chicken, AK and Brock Road Fire in North Pole, AK) and been immersed in the demands of wildfire fighting. I am mentally and physically worn down - beat up more like. I am loving it, but some days I hate it. I have never done anything more difficult in my life. After being out in the woods for so long it is a bit overwhelming to be back in the world.

Here are some photos. I must say though that any picture I take can't do the whole experience justice. Really the only time I remember to pull out my camera is when there is a lull in the action. I'll try to do better in the future. I hope everyone is doing well.

Urban Interface

1 a.m.

"The Saws"

The North Stars

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

Bear Lake

Yesterday the sun came out and a bunch of us climbed to a glacier-formed lake up in the mountains. It was a great adventure; one of the last I will have here in Sitka. I got really bad sunburn all over my arms and face; a consequence of the sun reflecting off the snow, or something like that. As you can see, winter never ends someplaces.

Wild Astuteness

"Don't just bang down the trail thinking about your girlfriend or stock portfolio. Go like another animal. All of a sudden you're part of an ancient system again: You stop, listen more often, scent the wind. And after four or five days, something happens. You're part of the original landscape, a far older, more faded world."

"If you're comfortable with yourself, go solo. Solitude is the deepest well I know, and it's your right to drink from it. Forget all the risk-free literature you read from the BLM or the Park Service or anybody else...And no GPS devices; the opportunity to get lost on today's planet is a privilege."

-Doug Peacock

Morning

I am sitting in a little cafe, about a block from the water, with 10 minutes to spare. My eyes dart from left to right across the placid screen of my laptop; my mind soaks up the news of the day - currently courtesy of The Asheville Citizen-Times. It's 8:15 in the morning. 12 ounces of the Longliner blend rest warmly in my mug. The sun shines brightly outside, the air is fresh and smells like spring. 3 little red-robins dance in the parking lot; each one steps with graceful ease and cloaked precaution. Class starts at 8:50; I'm teaching something-or-another at the high school. It's going to be a good day.

Dusk

I took this picture last night around 9:30. I was on my way home from an evening of babysitting and the night sky faded westward in an mesmerizing shade of blue. I stood awestruck by the water for a good long while. Creation is a beautiful thing.

Also, I got the call from the wildfire folks...I'm going to be fighting fire after all. I will officially be on the North Star crew out of Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks. I report on May 14th.

I've got to buy some boots, and a plane ticket.

Bare Essentials

There was the sharp scent of salt in the air as I walked into town today. It is the first time I have smelled the Pacific. I really don't know what I'm talking about when I say this, but all the same, I have this hunch that if you can smell the saltwater the air temperature must be getting warmer. The reason I say this is because yesterday it was nearly 50 degrees, and today I smelled salt. Makes sense right?

Let me tell you, I was excited about the sun being out yesterday - "blazing" it's rays proudly. After I got home from teaching I grabbed this green plastic lawn chair we have, stripped down to my skivvies, and plopped down in our front yard. Naturally, I still had my boots on, cause of all the snow, but, otherwise it was just me and Alaska. I would have taken a picture of the scene and posted it, but, other than Uncle Barney and maybe the boys at school, I don't think anyone would have appreciated it.

It really is getting warmer though. The past week has been much different from the past four months; three days in the 40's, with precipitation coming in the form of rain instead of snow. Swan Lake is beginning to thaw a bit. The snow around town is starting to thin. It still is Alaska, and in most places our recent weather would be considered appropriate for the thick of winter, but, spring (relatively speaking) is on it's way.

On a closing note, I received word that I am the first alternate for the firefighting job. Meaning that, unless someone drops and I get a call from the fire folks, I'll be here in Sitka for the summer. I am very happy about this though, as I'm really enjoying my time here. I got a job at this little garden center down the road - "Garden Ventures" - and will be one of two employees at the shop. My summer will be spent doing pretty much whatever; ranging from basic carpentry to sales to landscape instillation. I hope that everyone realizes the fantastic irony of this turn of events...I have come to Alaska to do no other than work at a garden center. Weird (at this point I want to go off on some spiel about destiny, but, I'll refrain).

I am happy

Day 90