Fantastic voyages … to Plains, MT
The view from 94Mike, looking down the Clark Fork river.
94Mike at the Plains Unit DNRC.
This Saturday finds me on the road again, this time in Plains, MT, working on 94Mike, one of the statewide helicopters. So far there have been no fires on my watch, although there were in the few days prior to my relieving the statewide manager from Kalispell. I should be here for the weekend and headed home on Sunday, although my luck and Murphy’s Law being one and the same that’s not guaranteed.
The helitack shack in Plains. Cozy isn’t it?
So today I sit in a broken-down old doublewide trailer that used to be a bunkhouse for the Plains DNRC engine crews, and long ago was declared unfit for use, except of course by the occasional wandering helitack crew that moves in. Helitack crews are kind of like hermit crabs at times, making even the most decrepit and uninhabitable space an air-conditioned oasis. In the absence of a building, crews will go to great lengths to construct shade tents, shelters, shanties, etc, in order to avoid the blazing sun and provide some space for the inevitable safety naps that are a helitack requirement on slow days.
The entrance door to the trailer at Plains bears signs of use in the past, with stickers from Missoula National helitack, Boise BLM helitack, the Grand Canyon flight crew, and the Alberta Rapattack program. There are manifests (lists of items loaded on the helicopter) in the desk drawer from the past 3 seasons, some from the Kaibab/Grand Canyon crew, some from a restricted medium (40Papa) that has been here for the past 2 seasons, and assorted copies from the 94Mike crew this year.
Also a sign of past helitack occupation is the beat-up fridge (with the obligatory I love Smokey sticker), several army cots, random excercise equipment and office furniture, and a couch of unknown origin that’s seen better times, probably in the early ’80s. So, to sum it up, it’s a pretty decent place for a bunch of wandering helitackers to call home for a few weeks, or in my case a few days.
The door to the helitack shack, showing signs of crews that have come before.
The inside of the helitack shack, with pilot Al staying mentally fit with a book.
Weight equipment, office furniture, a fridge, and a cot… How much more can you ask for?
Another look at 94Mike.
