Welcome to Awe, Nice! where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors.

This week, I'm airing another moment recounted by Steve Nicholson, a division supervisor on the Stoner Mesa fire, here in southwestern Colorado.

Steve was able to get away from fire work for a while and was spending time back home in Montana. It was a hot fall, with temperatures approaching 90, and the woods, he said, were really loud because everything was dry and crackly as you moved through. Steve was archery hunting and it made things challenging.

Often it's difficult to squeeze Awe, Nice recollections into segments that are under 10 minutes. It's like stuffing a sleeping bag into a stuff sack. So much good stuff. In this case, what I had to edit, was that Steve spent many more days hunting to no avail. He told me he often hikes 10 to 12 miles over a day, with vertical climbs as much as 2,000 feet. That's some serious dedication and enthusiasm, and as many hunters have told me, it's not all about what you end up putting in the freezer.

Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.

Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button here.

Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

Welcome to Awe, Nice! where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors.

This week, we have another interview with a wildland fire fighter. I met Jamie Carpenter on the Stoner Mesa fire this summer.

Jamie was on the Cal-Wood fire five years ago, during another history-making fire season, this time complicated by the pandemic. Ten million acres burned across the western US. Thousands of homes were lost and dozens of people died. The Cal-Wood fire was towards the end of a vveerry long season. It was relatively small, eventually contained at about 10,000 acres, but it was right in Boulder County. So, that's pretty scary. Also, it was going on when two of the biggest fires in Colorado history were raging. The Cameron Peak fire and the East Troublesome fire, both burned about 200,000 acres. That's over 600 square miles.

Jamie told me that typical days start with a 5:30 wake up, with breakfast and then meetings where they review the day's game plan, in which weather, fire behavior, and safety aspects are discussed. For planning, they use the PACE acronym which stands Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency. You'll hear it reference in Jamie's account.

As I witnessed at the Stoner fire, sometimes the terrain is just too gnarly to directly engage the fire. So, as you'll hear, Jamie and the crew were conducting a firing, burning a limited number of acres in order to create a perimeter, to contain the approaching blaze.

I asked Jamie how he got into wildland fire fighting and he said initially it was a good way to work outside and then have time off in the winter to ski. But then he added some thoughts.

Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.

Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button here.

Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.

Welcome to Awe, Nice! where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors.

I've been turning my attention to wildland firefighters, several of whom I met this summer on the Stoner Mesa fire, which burned over 10,000 acres north of Dolores. I work as a hand up there on a grazing allotment. One of the people I met was Steve Nicholson.

Here, Steve shares an anecdote from the 2012 fire season, which as listeners may know, was the 3rd worst in US history.

Though he wasn't positive, he thinks it unfolded on the Wenachtee Complex, multiple fires which burned 56,000 acres in central Washington in September of that year.

He was a senior member of a hotshot crew charged, on that day, with cold trailing. Cold trailing is following the black of the edge of the fire, identifying hot areas, literally laying hands on the ground for hot spots, and making sure the cold edge is solid and cannot rekindle. This involves cutting down trees, clearing brush, and lots of digging.

The terrain was precipitous and rugged.

For those unfamiliar with the terminology, a chute is a steep, narrow gully, often between two rocky walls.

Steve is now a division supervisor. He told me it's not uncommon to have close calls on hotshot crews, so after the incident, there weren't any real deep conversations. But, he said, it's not like someone would have walked away with a dislocated shoulder when the rock came down. It would have been a big deal.

Next week, Steve shares an elk-hunting moment, so make sure to tune in.

Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here.

Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button here.

Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.