The Storm

The valley which I was now entering ran some 10 miles due west in a widening, glacial scoop toward the small town.  Its sides were ridged and thick with  pine.  At its widest, from ridge to ridge, the valley was almost three miles wide.  It was hardly grazing land, though many had made a living from it. There was too much sage and rock  The several  creeks formed the river which winds its way thru the town.  I could see a small ranch house at the foot of the meadow.  The meadow was just above the bend of a creek whose banks bristled with willow.  The ranch house was a small cabin beside a fifty foot round pen.  On the opposite side was a small barn for keeping tack and maybe even three or four horses for when the weather got bad.  My pack was getting heavy.  I had several provisions with me along with my pulaski which I never let out of my sight.  My initials were carved in the handle with an Old Timer knife my grandpa had given me back when I was struggling in junior high.  Our trek had began on the access trail leading to the Lake.  We were dropped with our gear, radios, and a mission.

The first hour was very hot, with the adrenaline very high.  Overhead a Cessena was checking the progress of the animal over the ridge.  It was growing like no one could believe.  Who would have ever thought such a beautiful day could end up so hellish in the end.  I couldn't help but think about the cause of this disaster.  Was it arson? Was it just a natural thing, like lightning?  Well, this was only the start of the inferno.  The area was dry creating unprecedented burning conditions. This fire behavior that we were headed into surprised even the most experienced firefighter.  Several crews would be able to get to one side of the fire by road in a few hours.  We, on the other hand, wanted to be the first to reach the inferno.  Our plan of attack was to circle in on it and fight it from the side.  We knew the ridge line would be a nightmare and hoped the bosses had already called for air strikes.  Late in the night we reached the side of the inferno.  After winds had died down and the temperature dropped,  the fire was reduced to the spots of glowing around us, many which looked like campfires.  Occasionally flames flared through a patch of small trees, only to lie back down again, as if rousing in their sleep.

The fires sleeping during the night were awakened the next morning to a high wind that quickly brought them into action.  The flames were pushing 200 feet tall!  The whole night we had just spent in the trees, looked like we hadn't done a thing.  Mother Nature was flexing, and we weren't prepared.  Gusts of up to 70 mph and sustained winds of 40 mph were just blowing trees down.  It looked like a orangish-red forest.  We tried the radio, only to find out all planes and helicopters were grounded.  The fire reached well above the tree tops.  I had never seen a fire so fierce as the one I was battling now.  It was a giant, waiting to just step down on us and crush us.  Our main priority was getting out and quick.  The bosses had no idea of this red flag day coming like it did.  We knew the area well, and decided the best place to head would be a small pond just below us.  I was going over everything in my head.  I wondered if we could make it.  No!  We couldn't!  No, we had to!  We could shake and bake if worst came to worst.  I didn't want to think of worst.  All of us were thinking of our families and loved ones.  I was glad, though, that I had been doing an extra hour workout everyday.  The heat could be felt from up to a half a mile away.  We were moving east from the fire.

We all made it to the lake just in time.  We got close to the water and deployed the fire shelters.  The radio was worthless now.  It felt like I was making my own lake of sweat.  It was the longest hour of my life, laying under that shelter wondering if I was going to die here with my crew.  I couldn't die.  I had a family to support.  They couldn't survive without me.  They needed me.  I told myself over and over that I was going to make it.  After I crawled out of that shelter, I had never felt as lucky in my life, as I did now.  Boy, I would never look at a fire again with out respect.  I wished I had my handy little 35mm camera with me.  The air was a blurry orange.  It looked as if the man above decided the sky was going to be orange instead of blue from now on.  We tried the radio once again, but no luck.  They would be worried about us, because last they new we were headed into the storm. I thought I heard the helo right after that.

Yellowstone is home to one of the most spectacular geothermal basin's in the world. Throughout the summer of 1988, the nation's oldest park was ablaze with massive forest fires. Very low snowpack and hardly any rain left the high country very dry. Fires swept across 40 percent \par of Yellowstone National Park during the summer. Fires burned 1.3 million acres in the Yellowstone area. Of the 1.3 million acres, 900,000 lay in the park. On June 23, a lone lightning bolt ignited the Shoshone fire. During that week, 2 more fires were spotted. The Shoshone fire burned 160 acres during the first 30 days. By the second week in July, the burned area in the park had doubled. On July 22, the Shoshone fire had grew to 1,000 acres. On July 23, the Shoshone fire had grew to an enormous 4,500 acres. By July 26 it was creeping up on the edge of Grant Village. Visitors were asked to leave. A few days later, the North Fork fire was headed to Old Faithful. Also on July 22, someone who was gathering firewood in Idaho accidentally started a fire within 200 yards of the western boundary. This fire became known as the North Fork fire. The fires sparked much debate over the "let it burn" policy. Yellowstone became the first National Park in the United States in 1872. The park is about 2.2 million acres of beautiful lush forest. On July 27, Interior Secretary Donald Hodel visited the park He later announced that the fire management policy would get a thorough review. Also on that day, incident commander, Larry Caplinger said, "We could be in for the beginning of the Siege of 1988." Fire fighting in this type of terrain is hard work. Fire Fighters slept on the ground. Pack horses and mules carried supplies. The Fan fire in the northwestern corner of the park was coming upon the northern park boundary. During the middle of August, the North Fork fire swept around Madison Junction and then jumped Firehole, Gibbon, and Madison rivers in one day. August 16, Yellowstone's Assistant Superintendent Ben Clary and Chief Ranger Dan Sholly were on a helicopter flight over the north end of the park when they spotted a new fire burning in the Absaroka-Beartooh Wilderness of the Gallatine National Forest. The helicopter landed and Clary and Sholly worked to savean outfitter's camp next to where the fire was burning. They radioed for help and smokejumpers were flown to the scene, but could not parachute due to high winds. Within days, the fire had covered 250 acres. By the end of the week it had grown to 2,000 acres becoming the Hellroaring fire. The Clover-Mist fire in the northeast corner of the park was edging up on Cooke City and Silver Gate. By August 19, the fires had spread to over 282,000 acres. On August 20, the fires took a turn for the worst. Winds gusted to 70 mph. Flames shot to 200 feet tall. All helicopters and planes were grounded. By midnight, the fires had grew 165,000 acres in a single day. August 20 became known as "Black Saturday". Embers were landing as far as a mile and a half ahead of the fires. Just south of Yellowstone, a power line blew over, sparking a new fire. It grew 4,000 acres in 2 hours. The fire became known as the Huck fire. The Storm Creek fire had made a 10 mile run that day. Fire fighters were being called in from all over. The first U.S. Army infantry troops arrived on August 22 to help out with exhausted efforts. Dry cold fronts passed through the area, usually preceded by 2 days of high winds. On September 5, the fire area exceeded 1 million acres. On September 6, guests at Old Faithfull Inn were asked to leave. On September 11, the first significant rain since July helped slow fires. Firefighters worked into late October, finally putting out the last fires.