I spent 20 days on the road with a
wildfire crew, eventually making our way to the Malheur National
Forest in Oregon. The Bald Sisters fire was 550 acres but costing
over a million dollars to fight due to the extensive use of air
tankers dropping fire retardant. The Murderers Creek and
Buck Fork fires
were pushing 66,000 acres
and nearing one hundred million dollars. Our concern were several
smaller fires that required a quick, initial attack. Most only
required mopping up but this was just as important to prevent them
from growing bigger. This sudden increase in physical effort was a
harbinger for strains, pulled muscles, and a knee that
was reaching the limits of its' usefulness.
Note
to self: next time bring a knee brace and plenty of painkillers.
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| Fellow Fish/Wildlife coworker - Roland "Sasquatch" Davis |
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| California Quail (Callipepla californica) |
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| Dropping in gear for over-nighter. |
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| Western Pennyroyal (Monardella odoratissima) |
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| Woodland Pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea). A parasite using it's symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungus to extract nutrients from pine roots. It's chlorophyll content is negligible therefore, it does not use photosynthesis to turn sunlight into chemical energy. |
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| Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium). Not a true grape but as a herb it is proported to cure digestive problems. |
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| Best restaurant in John Day, Oregon. |
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| The Crew. 11,000 feet. |
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| The Squad: Thomas Adams, Roland Davis, Mike Kuhnert, James Harbour and Robert Allen. |
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| 4,600 feet of hose. |
