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Mountain Outlaw magazine: Fire and the Human Tetherball
Published
9 years agoon
By Willie Blazer
My static line is hooked and I’m standing in the open door, taking in the roar of the plane, the smell of jet fuel. The fire is 1,500 feet below, on a knife ridge in the rugged mountains of northern Montana. I ready myself to jump.
As a rookie smokejumper out of the Missoula base, it’s my job to parachute into remote terrain where a wildfire is reported. When I hit the ground, I’m a wildland firefighter. I just have to get there.
Exiting the Twin Otter plane, I slice through 30-mph wind in a tight body position – chin down, elbows tucked in, knees and feet together. This is cannonball position.
Falling fast now and counting: 1,000 … 2,000 … 3,000 … 4,000 … I feel the shock of my canopy fully
inflated – no need to open my reserve chute. Check canopy. Damn, the suspension lines are twisted.I reach up to spread the risers apart and kick my feet in a bicycling motion. My lines untwist.
It’s quiet under a canopy at 1,000 feet, but no time to enjoy it. I have one minute until I hit the ground.
I see my jump buddy, veteran Missoula smokejumper Ran Crone, 200 feet below me and quickly realize the raging winds are pushing us in the wrong direction, toward a dreaded snag patch – think old telephone poles with spiked tops.
We’re at the mercy of the wind, and Ran’s heading for a gnarly, 80-foot-tall snag.
I see his parachute catch the top of the dead tree. His body starts whipping around the snag like a tetherball, and increasingly faster. I hope the tree won’t break on him, as I rapidly descend, preparing for a similar punishment.
Jumping from the aircraft isn’t the scary part – in smokejumping, it’s the landing.
BAM! Feet, ass, head and a couple flips crumple me against a small tree. My chute is hooked in a 20-foot snag but I’m safely on the ground. I dump my gear and radio the plane, then run a quarter-mile through the snag patch to find my buddy high up in the dead tree, completely wrapped in his suspension lines.
Ran says he’s OK, and we break up laughing. I radio the aircraft to drop the parachute with climbing spurs in case I need to shimmy up and cut him loose. But after 15 minutes, Ran manages to cut himself from his cocoon and rappel to the ground.
We go to work, gathering our packs, chainsaw and Pulaskis, and head a half-mile along the rocky ridge to the fire. We contain it in short order and prepare for the best part of smokejumping: “para-camping” with cowboy coffee and a can of Spam. We’ll think about our five-mile slog out with 100-pound packs in the morning.
This story was first published in the summer 2015 issue of Mountain Outlaw magazine.
__________
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
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15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
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Verge Theater
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during
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Area parents are encouraged to bring their young children to Symphony Storytime with a Bassoon which will be presented at the Bozeman Public Library’s Community Room during their regular Toddler and Preschool Storytime on Wednesday, March 20, at 10:15 a.m. The free program, presented by the Bozeman Symphony is especially for children ages 3 to 5. Children will be able to listen to Montana Shakespeare in the Parks actor Emma Rather, who will be joined by Bozeman Symphony Bassoonist Sam Macken. The goal of the program is to encourage a love of music, literacy, and discovery. Additional programs are scheduled at the Library on April 10 and June 12. For more information, visit www.bozemansymphony.org or call 406-585-9774.
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(Wednesday) 10:15 am - 10:45 am
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Bozeman Public Library
626 E. Main St, Bozeman, MT