2. 2007

Chimney Complex Fire - Waha, ID

55,000 acres burned in Hell's Canyon, and they stuck Alaskans into the inferno.
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The holding crew keeps an eye out for fire on the wrong side of our line.
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The holding crew keeps an eye out for fire on the wrong side of our line.

IdahoFirefightingChimney Complex2007

  • What do we do with all the leftovers? Challenge Aaron Seaton to eat them, of course.
  • Given a time limit of only five minutes, Aaron didn't make much progress. He tried though.
  • Some unnamed pickups to our crew try to make their brand new yellows look a little more like they've been working.
  • Aaron Seaton stands ready one morning for a hike down to the bottom of Hell's Canyon from the very top of the ridgeline.
  • Gannette Glacier, twenty firefighters from Alaska carrying up to ninety pounds apiece and hiking from ridgetop to river in temperatures reaching 98 degrees. Oh yeah, we dug and burned a fireline on the way too.
  • Somewhere near the halfway mark we stopped for lunch. We started digging fireline here, and burning off of it to cut off the fire's advance on this flank.
  • The crew refills water and downs some food before moving on.
  • Andy Zola had the misfortune of being sick for the first week on this fire. He's not dead, but he may wish it.
  • Richard Harrop taking a break in the black.
  • Self portrait with a smokey Hell's Canyon behind me.
  • Cim Smyth offers words of encouragement to the tool team as they head out building fireline to the bottom of the canyon.
  • Dust flies as a solid line is produced.
  • We still have a long way to go.
  • The holding crew keeps an eye out for fire on the wrong side of our line.
  • Mal lays down fire with Cim running the burn operation. Winds were mostly in our favor and we didn't have much slopover.
  • Mal running the torch on the steep incline with the Snake River finally in sight far below.
  • At the end of the day Adam Webber is covered in soot, dirt, and a white crust of salt from his own sweat. Today is Adam's birthday.
  • Richard Harrop finishes up the last bit of burning for the evening.
  • The cool evening temperatures in the bottom of the canyon were a welcome relief for all of us as we ate our dinner. The next day we hiked our gear back out to the ridgeline.
  • Michael Mulcahy works a hotspot in the woods.
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