chasingfire.com – A Blog…

Just this past Friday I was offered a GS-6 Squad Leader position on the Scott Valley Helitack crew on the Klamath NF in northern California. The position starts on the 1st of March, so it looks like my educational run is over, or at least postponed until further notice. I’m very excited about the new job, even though it does mean moving to a place I’ve never been to before. I’ve been trying to get similar jobs here in western Montana and north Idaho, but the competition is so fierce it would likely be a few years before I could be competitive for a similar spot here. While I’m bummed that I have to leave the SWLO Helitack bunch, I remain hopeful that one day I can make it back to Missoula for a permanent job, either with the DNRC or the USFS.

So, the next few months will be a frantic blur of finishing school, getting packed/moved, taking a few fire classes, and getting in some last moments with the family before spending the summer in CA.

So not really too much going on here in Mo-town. School and work, and other fun stuff. The fall has been great, but I think winter is nigh upon us at last. Gradually it’s getting wetter and colder, and while it hasn’t snowed in town yet, the mountains are pretty well covered up high.

87Mike flying on through the smoke

So I found this image on the Facebook page of fellow SWLO helitacker Jason Abul Jubein, and I thought I’d share it. I’m not sure when the picture was taken, but I think it was a member of the Missoula Rural FD flying in an NG Blackhawk who took it. In any event, it’s images like this that remind my why I like working in western Montana so much.

In other news, here’s a few more pics from the Swan in the fall. It’s grand to be in Montana in the fall. I’d find it hard to live somewhere without larch trees in the mountains.

Cheers.

Mom and Dad's house

Hemlock Basin

Daughter of the Sun