A story of memory, ghosting, and fire: how we can change the place we call home, and how it too can change around us.
Another version of this story, along with many other works of art, can be found in the pages of Fire Season II
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You are listening to Season Four of
Introduction Voiceover:Future Ecologies.
Lincoln Kaye:Ironside Lookout’s a goner: burnt to ash in an
Lincoln Kaye:instantaneous explosion in last year’s River complex fire.
Lincoln Kaye:As a U.S. Forest Service wildfire spotter, Ironside’s
Lincoln Kaye:little glass cabin had been the subjective centre of my world
Lincoln Kaye:for 12 years. That adds up to roughly a sixth of the Lookout’s
Lincoln Kaye:eight decade lifespan and nearly the same percentage of my own
Lincoln Kaye:age to date. Tenanting the cabin — and, even more so, coming to
Lincoln Kaye:terms with its sudden extinction all these years later — has
Lincoln Kaye:taught me plenty about memory, ghosting and phase change.
Mendel Skulski:Welcome back. Mendel here, and today we have
Mendel Skulski:something a little different for you. My friend and neighbour,
Mendel Skulski:Lincoln Kaye, brings us a story about how we can change the
Mendel Skulski:place we call home, and how it too can change around us.
Introduction Voiceover:Broadcasting from the unceded, shared, and
Introduction Voiceover:asserted territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and
Introduction Voiceover:Tsleil-Waututh, This is Future Ecologies: exploring the shape
Introduction Voiceover:of our world through ecology, design and sound.
Lincoln Kaye:Now in physics, given a sharp enough jump in
Lincoln Kaye:temperature or pressure, a seemingly substantial solid – a
Lincoln Kaye:forest, building or a road – can bypass the intermediate states
Lincoln Kaye:of Phase Change, skipping liquefaction to “sublimate”, as
Lincoln Kaye:they call it, straight into a gas. Wildfires can do the trick,
Lincoln Kaye:much as they can force traumatized humans to elide the
Lincoln Kaye:five fabled stages of grief.
Lincoln Kaye:Such sublimations are triggered by a particular temp-to-pressure
Lincoln Kaye:quotient, called “specific latent heat,” which is unique to
Lincoln Kaye:each substance.
Lincoln Kaye:My own unique specific latent trigger is jingoism. When it
Lincoln Kaye:reaches a certain pitch, I just steam into a cloud of alienation
Lincoln Kaye:and drift off into exile. That's how the silent majoritarianism
Lincoln Kaye:of Nixon's 1970s and the dawning of Reagan's Morning in America
Lincoln Kaye:propelled me right out of my native USA into decades of
Lincoln Kaye:drifting around Asia.
Lincoln Kaye:And there, I married a Taiwanese artist, raised three children,
Lincoln Kaye:and covered half a dozen countries as a staff
Lincoln Kaye:correspondent for a slick news weekly magazine. But then, when
Lincoln Kaye:we were living in India around Y2K, the country erupted in
Lincoln Kaye:mutual Hindu Muslim pogroms, and that was another jingoistic
Lincoln Kaye:flection point for us.
Lincoln Kaye:We were ready to try exile from our exile and head back to my
supposed homeland:the US — specifically to northern most
supposed homeland:California. And homey enough it seemed too, at least at first.
supposed homeland:We settled into our one acre mountaintop homestead and busied
supposed homeland:ourselves adding garden terraces, a goat barn, and a
supposed homeland:paddock. Until 9/11 launched us all into the War on Terror
supposed homeland:quagmire, and local teens started coming back to Trinity
supposed homeland:County in body bags. By fall of 2004 when the W Bush war cabinet
supposed homeland:looked set for reelection, my specific latent heat kicked in
supposed homeland:again. Exile once more seemed a promising career option... but
supposed homeland:maybe internal exile this time rather than abroad.
supposed homeland:And in this brooding mood, I sublimated my way all the way up
supposed homeland:the tallest peak I could see from my deck: a 7000 foot
supposed homeland:Trinity Alp, looming over our county seat. I hardly expected
supposed homeland:to find anyone living at the trail end summit, but there in a
supposed homeland:regulation 14 by 14 foot glass-walled US Forest Service
supposed homeland:fire lookout cabin, I ran into a shy local housewife that I'd
supposed homeland:vaguely met before at the town library. Now though, she shed
supposed homeland:her personal identity and reincarnated simply as Weaver
supposed homeland:Bally, so named after the mountain itself. The same
supposed homeland:dashing nomenclature applied to all the other lookouts in the
forest:Bonanza King, Plumber Peak, Backbone, Hayfork Bally,
forest:Eagle Rock, Mad River, Horse Ridge, etc. Radio handles for
forest:mountain kings and queens with multi-thousand mile view pans of
forest:their own. And each of them wielded a BK two-way radio as
forest:scepter of office. Such dignities, Weaver Bally felt,
forest:more than amply compensated for the lookout's lowly GS-5 status
forest:at the bottom of the US Civil Service pay scale.
forest:"Amazing enough isn't it to be paid anything at all just to sit
forest:here and look at scenery all day" she confided. "After all,
forest:that's what I'd be doing at home anyway for free."
forest:"Pretty nice work if you can get it" I nodded.
forest:"See that peak over there?" She pointed out Ironside mountain,
forest:west-northwest about 35 miles away as the turkey vulture
forest:flies. "That cabin is about to go begging" she said. "I bet you
forest:could nail it, if you filed your online application real quick."
forest:"But," she cautioned, "lookout work is not for everyone. Many
forest:are called, but few are chosen."
forest:And just what she meant was brought home to me the very next
forest:day, when I drove the 63 twisty, semi-paved miles from my Trinity
forest:homestead up to Ironside for a look-see. The incumbent lookout
forest:there was already packing up to leave. She was fed up, and she
forest:scoffed when I reported Weaver Bally's comment about being paid
forest:to admire the view. "Scenery, she calls it?! Gets to seem more
forest:like just wallpaper before long, or maybe tiling on an unpadded
forest:isolation cell. It'll drive you crazy for loneliness after a
forest:while. Unless of course, you're made to go in for that sort of
forest:thing..." She eyed me suspiciously.
forest:Well, I guess I must be made that way. Right from the get go,
forest:Ironside's viewpan struck me as the most hypnotically dynamic
forest:wallpaper imaginable. A vista that would change color month by
forest:month. It could shroud itself in mists, or dazzle with frosts,
forest:blossom with ground fogs, festoon itself with rainbows,
forest:and sometimes crackle with lightning.
forest:As a US Forest Service fire lookout, my mission was to
forest:optically scan the full circuit of my 2000 square mile viewpan
forest:every quarter hour, and report any suspicious smokes, flares,
forest:Strange to think of that cabin as a goner now. It seemed so
forest:lightning strikes or thunder heads. I'd peg such anomalies
forest:according to their estimated distance and azimuth on a 360º
forest:compass, as measured from the very center of a century old
forest:gunsight-like contraption called an Osborn Fire Finder, mounted
forest:on a pedestal in the middle of my 196 square foot tiny house.
forest:eternal atop its rock spire perch, at the craggy mile-high
forest:end stump of 170 million year old batholith. Its very
forest:dimensions projected an air of for square permanence, and it's
forest:breadth-to-height-to-pediment proportions, the lookout
forest:happened to replicate the sacred Golden Ratio quotients of the
forest:Athenian Parthenon. I doubt though that that's what its
forest:make-work Civilian Conservation Corps contractors had in mind,
forest:back in the Great Depression of the early 1940s when they
forest:knocked the cabin together out of locally-milled Doug Fir
forest:lumber from the Shasta Trinity national forests.
forest:Still, Ironside persists in my mind as a temple of sorts.
forest:Although over 25 road miles from my nearest neighbor, I never
forest:felt entirely alone there. The mountain seemed haunted, not
forest:just by the spirits of prior lookouts, but also by the
presence of the Chimariko:its endemic Native American First
presence of the Chimariko:Nation — now federally derecognized and allegedly
presence of the Chimariko:extinct. Nevertheless, I'd still happen upon their moss-shagged
presence of the Chimariko:ceremonial rings on my walks through the forest. Then too
presence of the Chimariko:were the ghosts of three Chinese miners who died in a cataclysmic
presence of the Chimariko:1890 mudslide that still scars Underwood mountain across the
presence of the Chimariko:river. But by far the most charismatic mega-spook of the
presence of the Chimariko:mountain had to be the elusive Sasquatch or Bigfoot: a gigantic
presence of the Chimariko:proto-human akin to the Himalayan Yeti. On a plot map in
presence of the Chimariko:the downriver Sasquatch museum, Ironside turns out to be the
presence of the Chimariko:epicenter of reported Bigfoot sightings.
presence of the Chimariko:Tree ghosts stalked the very forest itself! Truncated stumps
presence of the Chimariko:of primordial firs and cedars loomed like colossal Easter
presence of the Chimariko:Island heads grimacing amidst the swarm of second and third
presence of the Chimariko:growth successor trees. And even some of these successors had
presence of the Chimariko:already grown 100 foot crowns, festooned with ectoplasmic
presence of the Chimariko:fringes of beard lichen that flailed restlessly in any wind.
presence of the Chimariko:Enough to set my mind toying with notions of transience and
presence of the Chimariko:timelessness.
presence of the Chimariko:These thoughts were just idle conceits that first season.
presence of the Chimariko:Before the real onrush of 21st century wildfires forced me to
presence of the Chimariko:engage more earnestly with notions of ephemerality and
presence of the Chimariko:ghost hood.
presence of the Chimariko:Luckily, for a green horn like me, we didn't see a lot of fires
presence of the Chimariko:late in the summer of 2004. And that left me with plenty of time
presence of the Chimariko:in between horizon scans to pour over Geologic Survey sector
presence of the Chimariko:maps. Learning to spot local landmarks, the better to situate
presence of the Chimariko:reportable fire traffic locales. On some clear days, I got to
presence of the Chimariko:play mirror tag with roving engine crews on distant peaks.
presence of the Chimariko:The field teams would angle a signal glass so as to bounce a
presence of the Chimariko:sunbeam straight at the lookout. I'd reciprocate with a mirror
presence of the Chimariko:flash of my own.
presence of the Chimariko:Quite a relief to point my mirror outward, rather than back
presence of the Chimariko:at myself. My interlude of internal exile came at a stage
presence of the Chimariko:when Ahloong, my bride of over 40 years, felt she could use
presence of the Chimariko:about 63 miles of daylight between us. We'd communicate by
presence of the Chimariko:flip phones, signal permitting, and reunite awkwardly on my
presence of the Chimariko:fortnightly weekends. But even so, I was starting to feel a bit
presence of the Chimariko:canceled and ghosted myself. Whenever I chanced a glance at
presence of the Chimariko:the silvered side of my signal glass, the face that greeted me
presence of the Chimariko:looked so spectral that I soon gave up shaving.
presence of the Chimariko:The resulting gray beard plus my solitary mountaintop aerie might
presence of the Chimariko:have lent me the superficial air of a hermit sage — at least in
presence of the Chimariko:the eyes of one runaway teen who lived alone in the flats below,
presence of the Chimariko:caretaking an isolated ranch. Now and then he'd crashed
presence of the Chimariko:straight up the slope through thickets of poison oak, in the
presence of the Chimariko:vain hope of ringing some life-affirming wisdom out of me.
presence of the Chimariko:Not that I had much to offer him beyond a sympathetic ear. All
presence of the Chimariko:the while nervously scanning the horizon for smokes.
presence of the Chimariko:What few actual smokes I did see were mostly crowded into the
presence of the Chimariko:60-odd degrees of my viewpan that encompassed the Hoopa
presence of the Chimariko:Indian Reservation way to my West-by-Northwest. That sector
presence of the Chimariko:of arc was notably different from the rest of the forest:
presence of the Chimariko:taller evergreen profiles, but an airier scrim of tree trunks
presence of the Chimariko:to filter the Western light. As viewed from Ironside, the rez
presence of the Chimariko:was always the glowing heart of every sunset. They must be doing
presence of the Chimariko:something right in there. But early on, I was advised
presence of the Chimariko:(nevermind by whom) not to be too hasty about radioing in
presence of the Chimariko:those fire starts. Odds were they were ad hoc controlled
presence of the Chimariko:burns — deliberately torched by the tribal firefighters
presence of the Chimariko:themselves according to immemorial Hoopa rites, rather
presence of the Chimariko:than official Forest Service protocols. Such fires were
presence of the Chimariko:technically arson, but so what? They were quickly quelled. The
presence of the Chimariko:Hoopa were the best fire crews around: much prized by the US
presence of the Chimariko:Forest Service on mutual aid firefights. And the ceremonies
presence of the Chimariko:were presided over by tribal elders. So the spirits were
presence of the Chimariko:propitiated, the forest curated, and everyone earned a little bit
presence of the Chimariko:of overtime. Win win all the way around.
presence of the Chimariko:So those first few seasons, I luxuriated in spectacular
presence of the Chimariko:sunrises and sunsets, the ebb and flow of diurnal shadow, and
presence of the Chimariko:the intricate clockwork of starscapes without any light
presence of the Chimariko:pollution. As never before, I honed a gut feel for the
presence of the Chimariko:procession of seasons and the Zodiac parade. Even asleep in
presence of the Chimariko:bed at night, if I happen to half open my eyes, I'd like us
presence of the Chimariko:not be rewarded with a spray of shooting stars. Just to live in
presence of the Chimariko:a lookout tower around the clock was a priceless privilege.
presence of the Chimariko:Well, not exactly priceless. California once had over 600
presence of the Chimariko:fire towers. Less than 200 of them still stand, and barely a
presence of the Chimariko:fifth of those are still staffed — a number that declines each
presence of the Chimariko:year, as human lookouts are supplanted by satellite and
presence of the Chimariko:aerial surveillance. Some of the unstaffed towers though, get
presence of the Chimariko:rented out by cash-strapped firefighting agencies as
presence of the Chimariko:upscaled honeymoon cottages and the like.
presence of the Chimariko:My own honeymoon years seemed long gone that season. But I
presence of the Chimariko:could at least console myself daily that I was augmenting my
presence of the Chimariko:meager wage with several hundred dollar's worth of beauty every
presence of the Chimariko:day. Other aesthetes after all, we're paying even bigger bucks
presence of the Chimariko:for far lesser views. Sighting westwards down the Trinity River
presence of the Chimariko:Gorge, I could see more and more multimillion dollar mansions
presence of the Chimariko:further overloading the fire hazardous and increasingly
presence of the Chimariko:yuppified urban-forest-interface. Various
presence of the Chimariko:movie stars and hedge fund magnates were mentioned as
presence of the Chimariko:possible tenants. So too were a few high-rolling pot lords who'd
presence of the Chimariko:begun clearing and terracing some of the more accessible
presence of the Chimariko:in-holding hillsides — to cash in on our incomparable Emerald
presence of the Chimariko:Triangle terroir for the burgeoning medical marijuana
presence of the Chimariko:industry. The lower Trinity gorge was starting to look like
presence of the Chimariko:a nouveau riche chateau country.
presence of the Chimariko:And there I sat, with the best vista of all — but not much of a
presence of the Chimariko:chateau to match it.
presence of the Chimariko:Living in such tight quarters, I had to quell my inner slob and
presence of the Chimariko:keep everything shipshape. The cabin's tidy domestic
presence of the Chimariko:arrangements came to take on the fixed predictability of cardinal
presence of the Chimariko:viewpan landmarks in their own right: kitchen corner to the
presence of the Chimariko:Southeast, with its propane stove and fridge; bed to the
presence of the Chimariko:Southwest; desk, due West; solar-powered laptop, printer,
presence of the Chimariko:two-way radio, and spotting scope, Northwest; chart library
presence of the Chimariko:and bookshelf, due North; wine cellar and glassware, Northeast.
presence of the Chimariko:Such a cozy layout could have turned me into a kind of hermit
crab:practically fused into my borrowed integument. To get out
crab:of my shell, mitigate my sedentary day job, and try to
crab:salvage my marriage, I started scouring the mountaintop for
crab:little love tokens I could bring back to Ahloong on my homestead
crab:weekends. When we were first courting back in the 1970s, I
crab:used to offer her bangles and nose gays. Now, I drove home
crab:with truckloads of neatly bucked and split firewood, and bales of
crab:sun dried cow pies. I was allowed to harvest dead and down
crab:tree trunks along the lookout road — a crucial feedstock for
crab:the woodstove that was our only winter heat source. And while
crab:Ironside manure was not quite manna from heaven, it was sure
crab:top-grade organic poop — dropped by free range cattle that roamed
crab:the mountaintop under Forest Service lease. A mother lode of
crab:premium compost for our homestead garden beds.
crab:As the fire season edged from spring to summer, the longer
crab:days allowed me more daylight hours for this sort of foraging
crab:before and after my 8am to 6pm lookout shift. Untethering from
crab:the Osborne firefighter gave me a whole new, more fluid and
crab:intimate sense of Ironside. Freed from the long view of
crab:azimuth and star charts, I could zoom in on the mountain in
detail:sighting along the 24 inch length of my chainsaw bar,
detail:or even closer at the level of lilacs and mushrooms that
detail:cropped up around the cow pies, or the mealy bug colonies that
detail:swarmed for cover whenever I flipped over a nice, plush
detail:manure patty. I came to be on nodding terms with my free range
detail:bovine benefactors, as well as the local tribes of mule deer,
detail:ants, butterflies and beetles. Rattlesnakes, basking around my
detail:front doorstep, eyed me companionably, as though to
detail:signal that, unprovoked, they were no likelier to sink teeth
detail:into me than I'd be to chomp into them. Occasionally, I'd
detail:startle a black bear in a forest clearing. With a dyspeptic
detail:grunt, he'd just plomp back down in the meadow and calmly resume
detail:his blackberry feast.
detail:Human fauna too put in occasional cameo appearances on
detail:the mountain top.
detail:At the confluence of two rivers, Ironside is sacred to three
detail:federally recognized Indian tribes, who'd each crop up once
detail:per summer to ceremoniously chant and drum and picnic.
detail:They'd generously invite me to share their bologna sandwiches
detail:and even to take a turn with the talking stick. Forest Service
detail:engine crews would periodically show up to to replenish the
detail:lookouts' water tanks. Day tripping families brought their
detail:children to load up on Smokey Bear swag and play with the
detail:firefinder. Triathletes would now and then huff up the lookout
detail:road on BMX bikes. Once a hang gliding daredevil came to case
detail:out Ironside as a potential launchpad, but chickened out at
detail:the last moment. Forest Service botanists, entomologists,
detail:zoologists, and archaeologists happily shared their fascinating
detail:lore, when they'd drop by looking for endemic species and
detail:conservation worthy artifacts.
detail:Most welcome visitor of all, though, was Ahloong — when she'd
detail:impulsively drive the 120 mile round trip to surprise me with
detail:an impromptu conjugal visit on Ironside's jolly, jouncing,
detail:government-issue spring mattress. An unexpected dividend
detail:of lookout life! Maybe there was something, after all, to her
detail:couples therapy prescription of "daylight".
detail:Four idyllic fire seasons into the job, in the hopey-changey
detail:year of 2008, my internal exile was starting to feel almost
detail:embarrassingly comfortable. In early June, I opened up the
detail:lookout in a mood of giddy anticipation: sashaying the
detail:circuit of the wraparound deck to whirl my sling psychrometer
detail:like a kid on day one of summer camp
detail:Day one that year started like all Ironside workdays: with a
detail:set of weather observations, wind speed and direction, fuel
detail:moisture, wet bulb, dry bulb, relative humidity and dew point.
detail:But when I phoned these stats in to Brenda, the forest
detail:meteorologist, she promptly squelched my optimism.
detail:"Scary stuff" she said, "Numbers like that you don't ordinarily
detail:see until August or September, and this on top of the past
detail:three years of below normal rainfall."
detail:"But didn't we just last month get drenched by our first decent
detail:rain of the year?" I asked.
detail:"Yeah, sure. But it only lasted a couple of days and that too,
detail:on the heels of record heat and winds. If the trend goes on,
detail:that little cloudburst would only make for a bit more
detail:underbrush that are just dry out into an extra load of ground
detail:fire Tinder. We could be in for a wild ride."
detail:Within a few weeks, her fears were borne out. Over a three day
detail:period, June 20 to 23rd, a series of thunderstorms rolled
detail:on shore into the forest — strafing the bone dry underbrush
detail:with 1000s of lightning bolts. And not just in my immediate
detail:At each storm's crescendo, all of us mountain kings and queens
detail:were under orders not to touch our Osbornes, our radios, or
detail:even the cabin floor. Rather, we were to cower on glass insulated
detail:stools or bedsteads. St. Elmo's fire flickered intermittently on
detail:Ironside's wooden catwalk railings. As soon as the
detail:lightning strikes eased up for a moment, and we could climb down
detail:viewpan either, but all up and down the coast: from the Bay
detail:from our pearches, we were kept busy reporting spot fires and
detail:Area deep into Oregon. Over 5000 recorded strikes in just 33
detail:smokes so thick and fast that the forest headquarter
detail:hours as I was later to learn.
detail:dispatchers had to slow us down — to keep us from treading on
detail:each other's transmissions. Struggling to distinguish
detail:between fire start smokes versus canyon-hugging raindogs, I
detail:finally grasped the real import of the phrase "fog of war".
detail:And then a new volley of lightning would hit. By the end
detail:of the three-day lightning siege, the spot fires were
detail:already starting to merge into far-reaching, intractable
detail:blazes, as local fire crews raced to outpace them.
detail:When a conflagration grows too big or persistent, the
detail:firefighters can no longer be directed from local ranger
detail:stations or division headquarters. It's then
detail:proclaimed an "incident" or "complex", and it gets its own
detail:Incident Command Center or ICC, comprising an interagency team
detail:of federal, state, tribal, and private fire crews, with
detail:logistical support from independent contractors.
detail:Within days, I found myself boxed in on all four sides by
detail:such complexes. These merged fires, as it turned out, raged
detail:on all summer long, right up until the onset of autumn rains
detail:— eventually consuming over 500 square miles of my viewpan.
detail:Ironside lookout soon bristled with antennae, as each ICC
detail:communications team rushed to install its own radio repeater.
detail:Battling triple digit heat, double digit winds, and single
detail:digit humidity, hand crews and bulldozers raced to scratch
detail:containment lines around the blazes. Smoke jumpers parachuted
detail:into remote road-inaccessible fire starts. Helicopters scooped
detail:giant bladders full of water, called Bambi buckets, out of the
detail:rivers and lakes to quell the flames. Bomber planes doused the
detail:fires with more water, and with bright orange chemical
detail:retardants. But then fresh firebrands would loft right over
detail:the containment lines, and updrafts would fan fire straight
detail:up the gullies and canyons of the rugged terrain.
detail:These faraway fire runs cast a lurid light in the lookout as I
detail:stared up at my ceiling through insomniac nights. From my bed,
detail:I'd watch whole trees go up in flames in a matter of seconds,
detail:like incandescent lollipops on distant mountains.
detail:And then, suddenly, not so distant after all. Pretty soon,
detail:the slop over from the nearby Lime complex got too close for
detail:comfort — racing from the Trinity riverbed right up the
detail:buttresses of Ironside mountain itself. My battalion commander
detail:boss ordered me out of the lookout on just 30 minutes
detail:notice. Amidst torching trees, I threaded my way down the
detail:hairpins of the lookout road and spent the night camped out on
detail:the floor of the Big Bar ranger station.
detail:And even though I did manage to get back up Ironside before too
detail:long, my return turned out to be pointless. Barely a day later, a
detail:thermal inversion smothered all of Northern California and
detail:Southern Oregon in choking smoke. With planes and copters
detail:grounded, my eye in the sky blinded, and my escape route
detail:blocked by intermittent road closures, I was trapped in the
detail:lookout. In the stifling 100 degree heat, I couldn't even
detail:open a window for fear of the corrosive air.
detail:It took nearly a week for the smoke to thin out enough for me
detail:to once more make out any of the landmark peaks out there in my
detail:viewpan. And when I did, the spectacle was appalling. Whole
detail:ridges burnt black. By now, through earlier foraging forays
detail:on Ironside, I'd acquired an intimate sense of what I'd come
detail:to think of as "my own mountain": an exquisitely
detail:balanced symbiotic system, a self perpetuating universe of
detail:intertwined life. But surely, each of these charred slopes a
detail:dozen miles away must have been, just a month ago, an equally
detail:exquisite and uniquely detailed mandala in its own right — and
detail:now snuffed by some lightning strikes and gales of wind. Awe,
detail:sorrow, and an almost religious sense of dread. Holy smokes
detail:indeed.
detail:But my mood of reverence solemnity soon gave way to a
detail:kind of humdrum habitude as the public-private fire industrial
detail:complex dug in for the long haul. For each duly designated
detail:incident, an inter-agency ICC has sprung up practically
detail:overnight. A mini city of tents and trailers, each with its own
detail:streets, helipad, assembly hall, ER hospital, publicity agency,
detail:print shop, mess hall, bath house mechanic shop, even a
detail:prison wing for convict labor.
detail:Commuting fortnightly between lookout and my homestead, I'd
detail:drop by the Iron-Alps complex ICC to pick up the latest press
detail:release, and maybe help myself to some of the boundless and
detail:ubiquitous free doughnuts. The place was always bustling in the
detail:morning as firefighters clocked in on regular shifts and marched
detail:off to the blaze like assembly line workers to a factory floor.
detail:Every two weeks would see a complete top to bottom turnover
detail:of incident staff, so as to keep all units fresh. That way,
detail:underpaid seasonal fire crews from all over the country would
detail:get a chance to rack up a lot of extra overtime and reconnect
detail:with old buddies from bygone incidents. Savvy engine captains
detail:who knew how to play the system could look forward each year to
detail:an exciting season of nationwide or even international fire
detail:tourism.
detail:Incidents were cropping up all over the US, stretching
detail:resources way too thin. My Ironside viewpan, with its
detail:rugged terrain and sparse settlement, was relatively low
detail:priority compared to the populous urban-forest interfaces
detail:of Southern California and the Central Valley. Still tens of
detail:thousands of firefighters and millions of dollars of ordnance
detail:cycled through the Iron-Alps complex over an unprecedentedly
detail:long fire season. Some hand crews were flown in on charter
detail:jets. Others drove in with their engines all the way from the
detail:East Coast. Eventually, some units were even called up from
detail:Australia and New Zealand, where the winter slack season
detail:coincides with our summer fire storms.
detail:In the name of privatisation, independent contractors also
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:running all ancillary services
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:from kitchens, to showers, to helicopters. Radio traffic
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:crackled with a babel of regional accents, including
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:strains of almost unintelligible 'strayan. Hawker stalls cropped
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:up around the ICC perimeters selling souvenirs, which lent
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:the little tent city something of a carnival air. Emblazoned on
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:T-shirts in gaudy manga hues, hastily commissioned tableaux
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:commemorated particulars of the Iron-Alps Complex: muscle bound
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:tree fallers squaring off against flaming snags,
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:helicopter escadrilles, hand crews rappelling down sheer
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:cliffs, yada yada yada... Seasoned firefighters boasted
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:closets full of such merch from past fires. I shelled out for an
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:overpriced T-shirt celebrating the 2008 "Summer of Smoke", with
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:a picture of a pack mule in a gas mask.
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:But the circus atmosphere gave way to a more somber tone
enjoyed a feeding frenzy:
:towards the end of July, as fireline accidents claimed the
lives of two firefighters:a teenage newbie and a veteran
lives of two firefighters:Engine Captain. And then on August 3, just at the close of
lives of two firefighters:my lookout shift, radio traffic suddenly went eerily quiet. It
lives of two firefighters:was only days later, when the dispatcher declared a solemn
lives of two firefighters:minute of morning that I finally learned what had happened: a
lives of two firefighters:charter helicopter with a contract crew of firefighters
lives of two firefighters:had lost altitude and crashed into a tree in route back to the
lives of two firefighters:ICC, killing 13.
lives of two firefighters:In that rare minute of radio silence, I took stock of how
lives of two firefighters:drastically the fires had transformed my viewpan: on the
lives of two firefighters:one hand, where black fire scars ran right up the Ironside flank
lives of two firefighters:to within 100 feet of the lookout, new sprouts were
lives of two firefighters:already showing spring green between the scorched trunks of
lives of two firefighters:twisted Manzanitas. Yet at the same time, down below on Hoboken
lives of two firefighters:flat, the Oak trees were already taking on their fall hues —
lives of two firefighters:fully a month and a half earlier than usual. Presumably due to
lives of two firefighters:the merciless dryness and the sun-blotting smoke poll. Early
lives of two firefighters:onset autumn.
lives of two firefighters:In this seasonal limbo, the 2008 fire season or Ironside lasted
lives of two firefighters:all the way to Halloween. Unprecedentedly long at that
lives of two firefighters:time, though such a duration would become routine in
lives of two firefighters:succeeding years. Still, I stuck it out at the lookout for
lives of two firefighters:several seasons more. Amassing my own modest collection of
commemorative T-shirts:the Backbone and Coffin fires, the
commemorative T-shirts:2011 Ruth fire, the Flat and Reading fires of 2012. But by
commemorative T-shirts:the 2015 season, I could no longer bring myself to buy such
commemorative T-shirts:souvenirs. Those dayglo T-shirt tints seemed all wrong. To my
commemorative T-shirts:eye that year's River and Humboldt route complexes
commemorative T-shirts:drained, rather than enhanced, the world's color.
commemorative T-shirts:Before those mega fires, the season started off vividly
commemorative T-shirts:enough. For openers, the Forest Service sent up a contract labor
commemorative T-shirts:crew of chainsaw wizards, to clear overhanging limbs away
commemorative T-shirts:from the shoulders of the lookout road. Latinos, mostly,
commemorative T-shirts:and understandably reticent about their visa status when
commemorative T-shirts:they turn up at the lookout after their work shift. They
commemorative T-shirts:weren't coming up there for the pleasure of my company. Rather
commemorative T-shirts:because the Ironside summit was the only place around where they
commemorative T-shirts:could get cell coverage to phone home.
commemorative T-shirts:Still, they were cheerful enough, and courteous, and the
commemorative T-shirts:nightly conclaves took on something of a party air with
commemorative T-shirts:singing and joking. I came to look forward to the Sundays when
commemorative T-shirts:they cook up a kettle full of menudo on the lookout stove. But
commemorative T-shirts:these fiesta colors started to fade, after a midseason
commemorative T-shirts:lightning bust ignited fires that would soon merge into a
commemorative T-shirts:month-long inferno.
commemorative T-shirts:Those initial fires first presented themselves to me as an
commemorative T-shirts:encroaching haze over JimJam ridge to the east, and Ziegler
commemorative T-shirts:point to the west, respectively. By the time the two incidents
commemorative T-shirts:were ready to converge right at Ironside, the sky was already
commemorative T-shirts:blanched bone white. This go round at least, my evacuation
commemorative T-shirts:wasn't quite so frantic. There was still time for an engine
commemorative T-shirts:crew to come up and wrap the cabin in protective
commemorative T-shirts:heat-deflecting mylar, in case the flames should crest the
commemorative T-shirts:mountain and sweep right over the lookout. The scene was
surreal:metallized plastic film covered "my" perfect little
surreal:Parthenon of a cabin. The mylar mirrored the blank sky so
surreal:perfectly as to render the building almost invisible,
surreal:except for the firefighters in their bright yellow,
surreal:fire-resistant Nomex uniforms — hanging mid air, as though
surreal:suspended in the mirrored clouds, as they swarmed over the
surreal:walls and roof to cinch down the shiny sheeting.
surreal:And for my part, I was issued a personal fire shelter of the
same shiny sheeting:a "shake and bake" in Forest Service
same shiny sheeting:slang. In this cozy little cocoon, I could bundle up prone
same shiny sheeting:on the ground with my face buried in a wet rag, as a last
same shiny sheeting:ditch safety measure if trapped in the path of an onrushing
same shiny sheeting:blaze. And with that, I was dispatched to my new temporary
same shiny sheeting:posting for as long as the lookout stayed closed: Trail
same shiny sheeting:Boss at one of the access points for far flung fire crews working
same shiny sheeting:the front lines of the firefight.
same shiny sheeting:Poised at the very end of the forests' remotest vehicle access
same shiny sheeting:roads, such trailheads serve as supply depots, communication
same shiny sheeting:nodes, and logistic hubs. At my trailhead, truck runs from the
same shiny sheeting:ICC (some two or three hours away) would bring in everything
same shiny sheeting:from saw gas to Mars bars. From there, every day, sometimes
same shiny sheeting:twice a day, trains of pack mules would then thread their
same shiny sheeting:way over 20-odd miles of torturous terrain, to bring
same shiny sheeting:food, fuel, gear, and meds to the frontline crews. And as
same shiny sheeting:trail boss, I got to sign in for these consignments, and keep an
same shiny sheeting:eye on the growing piles of miscellaneous materiel. But my
same shiny sheeting:main job was to act as concierge to a trio of muletteers: a
same shiny sheeting:taciturn patriarch, a middle-aged varmint, and a
same shiny sheeting:breezy teen. These "packers", as they were called in Forest
same shiny sheeting:Service jargon, were a crucial last link in the supply chain to
same shiny sheeting:the forward fired bases. They commanded top dollar too.
same shiny sheeting:Calculating the value added at every step of the way. I worked
same shiny sheeting:out that each bottle of Gatorade cost about $50 By the time it
same shiny sheeting:reached the firebase. Nevertheless, the packers'
same shiny sheeting:horsemanship, jack droving, hoof trimming, sawbuck saddle
same shiny sheeting:balancing, and veterinary field medicine know-how were all
same shiny sheeting:indispensable — so much so that the Forest Service has to
same shiny sheeting:cossett them, in defiance of regulation, with special
rations:coolers full of steaks ,and cases of beer. These were
rations:invoiced respectively on the ICC manifests as "meals ready to
rations:eat" or MREs, and "packer oil". It was up to me, as trail boss,
rations:to have the packer oil well cooled in a nearby stream, and
rations:the MREs grilled to a turn when the muletteers returned for
rations:their supper around a charcoal pit.
rations:In the ongoing smoky miasma, these campfires were ghostly,
rations:sepia-toned occasions — like scenes from an early Western
rations:talkie. True to that genre, dialogue was terse: in the
rations:"Yep... Nope..." Gary Cooper mode. But even so, the nights
rations:were long, and the topics far ranging. In attitude, all three
rations:packer generations at the trailhead were as nostalgically
rations:retrograde as their 19th century roadeo skill sets. They bemoaned
the loss of harvestable timber:
:so uselessly conserved in forest
the loss of harvestable timber:
:lands, only to go up in smoke at last in lightning fires like
the loss of harvestable timber:
:these. And they scorned the human "scum", as they called
the loss of harvestable timber:
:them, that they glimpsed along the trail — spitting choice
the loss of harvestable timber:
:ethnic slurs for cartel workers from upland clandestine pot
the loss of harvestable timber:
:farms, as well as even some hermetic PTSD war vets, all
the loss of harvestable timber:
:fleeing the fires alongside the cougars, weasels, elk, deer,
the loss of harvestable timber:
:bears, and skunks, escaping down to the riverbeds.
the loss of harvestable timber:
:It was from these packers too, that I first took stock of
the loss of harvestable timber:
:Donald Trump's launch into that year's Republican presidential
the loss of harvestable timber:
:primary fray. I guess I tuned it out as just too implausible when
the loss of harvestable timber:
:he descended his golden escalator, less than a month
the loss of harvestable timber:
:earlier. But now, by firelight, I heard glowing recaps of
the loss of harvestable timber:
:Trump's take on Mexican "rapists" and Asian "cheaters".
the loss of harvestable timber:
:Could this be the savior of the (ironically migrant powered)
the loss of harvestable timber:
:feudal order of the California ranch lands that these packers
the loss of harvestable timber:
:called home? Could Trump, they dared hope, really make America
the loss of harvestable timber:
:great again, along the lines of the 19th century Wild West
the loss of harvestable timber:
:Frontier? I didn't stay around to find out.
the loss of harvestable timber:
:This kind of American Greatness left me queasy when I thought of
the loss of harvestable timber:
:my Ironside menudo fiestas, my Hmong neighbors at the
the loss of harvestable timber:
:homestead, and my Muslim colleagues in my pre-lookout
the loss of harvestable timber:
:days as a foreign correspondent. Now in this battered forest,
the loss of harvestable timber:
:surrounded by wasteful mounds of surplus ordnance, it dawned on
the loss of harvestable timber:
:me that internal exile might no longer be enough. 2015 was my
the loss of harvestable timber:
:last full season at the lookout.
the loss of harvestable timber:
:Our eldest daughter, unnerved by our rustication was pressing us
the loss of harvestable timber:
:to migrate up to Canada to join her in Vancouver. Lest, in my
the loss of harvestable timber:
:mountain top solitude, I'd somehow managed to behead myself
the loss of harvestable timber:
:with a chainsaw and leave Ahloong a widow. By late
the loss of harvestable timber:
:October, with the River fire officially declared contained,
the loss of harvestable timber:
:we took the plunge and moved North. Our youngest daughter
the loss of harvestable timber:
:stood ready to take over the homestead, there to deliver her
the loss of harvestable timber:
:first son in a home birth a couple of years later. Her Hmong
the loss of harvestable timber:
:neighbors were wonderfully supportive, even embroidering
the loss of harvestable timber:
:beautiful papoose pouches for the baby. With the legalization
the loss of harvestable timber:
:of recreational marijuana, Hmong had bought up more and more
the loss of harvestable timber:
:property on our homestead hill — reconvening from their
the loss of harvestable timber:
:hard-pressed and far-flung diaspora to resume their
immemorial livelihood:raising drugs in mountains. No need
immemorial livelihood:anymore for clandestine plantations on forest lands,
immemorial livelihood:they could now overtly set themselves up in the Emerald
immemorial livelihood:triangle as artisanal small holders. Wonderful, hard working
immemorial livelihood:farmers they turned out to be too, with fine Asian family
immemorial livelihood:values. Their children promptly emerged as valedictorians and
immemorial livelihood:Prom queens in the local schools. But the Hmong influx
immemorial livelihood:quickly tripled the cannabis micro farms on our hill. Such
immemorial livelihood:startups can't always afford to be overly eco-conscious.
immemorial livelihood:Irrigation sprinklers soon drained the water table, as most
immemorial livelihood:of the remaining Oak and evergreen forests gave way to
immemorial livelihood:terraced slopes, and soils doused with weed killers and
immemorial livelihood:rodenticides.
immemorial livelihood:And meanwhile, the droughts worsened, the fire seasons
immemorial livelihood:lengthened, and the incidents swelled to magnitudes that would
immemorial livelihood:have seemed unimaginable back in my Ironside tenure: a total of
immemorial livelihood:nearly 1500 square miles in 2020; at least 1000 square miles
immemorial livelihood:just last year. And the fires encroached ever closer to both
immemorial livelihood:the homestead, and the lookout.
immemorial livelihood:By last year, with biblical pillars of flame and smoke
immemorial livelihood:lingering for weeks on the horizon, our garden beds coated
immemorial livelihood:with ash, the air unbreathable and the well run dry, our
immemorial livelihood:daughter and family evacuated to the coast and decided to stay
immemorial livelihood:there.
immemorial livelihood:On August 16, the Ironside cabin went up in a blaze. An amateur
immemorial livelihood:astronomy buddy of ours from Burnt Ranch below, trained his
immemorial livelihood:telescope on the mountain top and phoned us in Canada to
immemorial livelihood:describe the instantaneous explosion of the propane tank
immemorial livelihood:that proved the final coup de gras.
immemorial livelihood:With Ironside gone, it's now time to ruefully let go of our
homestead:to to stage it for sale, we've got to bland the
homestead:place out — purging it of all of our accumulated eccentricities,
homestead:so it looks as generically exurban as possible. Not much we
homestead:can do about our already installed farragoes of ad hoc
home improvement:the undulating 108 foot straw-bale garden
home improvement:fence, the wonky solarium-cum-potting shed, the
home improvement:koi pond, the goat barn, the rampart of stacked firewood. But
home improvement:at least we could get rid of the mounds of salvage junk we'd
home improvement:piled up for further, now never to be realized, whimsies is of
home improvement:so-called vernacular architecture.
home improvement:Early in the fall, rainy season, when burn permits are issued, we
home improvement:paid one last call on Trinity County to clear out all our
home improvement:salvaged and now redundant treasures. We took our time
home improvement:driving down to treat ourselves to a romantic getaway. Much
home improvement:needed after a year of pandemic curbs and family tensions. There
home improvement:was an elegaic, septuagenarian feel to this umpteenth honeymoon
home improvement:of ours. Our marriage is still as avid as ever for daylight,
home improvement:but now as a light to be shared and leisurely cherished in the
home improvement:autumnally gathering dusk.
home improvement:Once we reached the homestead though, we quit lollygagging and
home improvement:set ourselves to scouring the grounds for disposable flotsam.
home improvement:After multiple dump runs to the county transfer site, whatever
was left had to go up in smoke:
:yard trimmings, clapped out
was left had to go up in smoke:
:furniture, salvaged door and window frames from that long
was left had to go up in smoke:
:abandoned greenhouse project. Under brooding skies, we fed
was left had to go up in smoke:
:blaze after blaze for most of a week. Ennervating work, but also
was left had to go up in smoke:
:exhilarating in its way. We became, for once, proactive
was left had to go up in smoke:
:agents of combustion, if only on a bonfire scale, after so many
was left had to go up in smoke:
:years at the receiving end of mega burns beyond our control.
was left had to go up in smoke:
:We stood by with garden hoses and sand buckets at the ready,
was left had to go up in smoke:
:close enough to toast our eyelids. Oddly cathartic to feed
was left had to go up in smoke:
:the flames. Item by item, everything we tossed onto the
was left had to go up in smoke:
:pile was fleetingly recognizable, evoking an
was left had to go up in smoke:
:evanescent memory of how it came into our lives, before it's
was left had to go up in smoke:
:turned into undifferentiated embers and ash. Last to go, was
was left had to go up in smoke:
:our piano. Took me all day with a screwdriver, monkey wrench,
was left had to go up in smoke:
:splitting maul, and handsaw, to strip it down to its strung
was left had to go up in smoke:
:steel frame. It burnt an eerie green. Varnish? Copper cladding
was left had to go up in smoke:
:on the harp frame? I'd half expected a last climactic twang
was left had to go up in smoke:
:of the melting strings, but instead, they just sagged.
was left had to go up in smoke:
:No matter. It had been over a decade since any music had come
was left had to go up in smoke:
:out of that instrument anyway. We never knew where it had
was left had to go up in smoke:
:lived, whether in a whore house, or a choir loft, or a genteel
was left had to go up in smoke:
:parlor, in the 100-odd years since it first came up here,
was left had to go up in smoke:
:presumably by mule train. But by the time we found it, abandoned
was left had to go up in smoke:
:on a backwoods roadside with a "free" sign propped on its
was left had to go up in smoke:
:keyboard, that piano was unplayable, held together solely
was left had to go up in smoke:
:by the rust. In our basement, it came to house a dynasty of
Western jumping mice:a mouse pup nursery at the treble end,
Western jumping mice:and a well used murine latrine down in the bass registers. A
Western jumping mice:pity, admittedly, to torch this ancestral family mansion. But
Western jumping mice:why beat oneself up about it? Ahloong and I had surprised
Western jumping mice:ourselves with our equanimity about incinerating this mouse
Western jumping mice:house, just as we had with our shrug off of the news of
Western jumping mice:Ironside lookout's demise. We felt ourselves wrapped in a kind
of emotional mylar:blankly reflective.
of emotional mylar:Wasn't each event, after all, just one more unsentimental
of emotional mylar:iteration of phase change? Taking the long view, longer
of emotional mylar:than any lookout azimuth, isn't the whole of creation just a
deep time ramification:from ethereal big bang stardust; to
deep time ramification:galactic sunlight; to the panoply of elements and
deep time ramification:compounds; the solid state logs and cabinetry and glass and
deep time ramification:metal hardware of the lookout; the tight-wound copper of harp
deep time ramification:strings; or the shaking, baking flesh and blood of all of us
deep time ramification:transient tenants; And now, the gaseous burst of the lookout's
deep time ramification:climactic blowout; and the flickering green of this piano
deep time ramification:pyre — mere phase change, all of it.
deep time ramification:And wouldn't the same karmic shrug apply equally to the
deep time ramification:gathering pace of multi-thousand acre conflagrations from one
deep time ramification:fire season to the next — just phase change on a grander scale,
deep time ramification:is all. Or so we convinced ourselves, as our piano sighed
deep time ramification:its last. Was that nihilism or realism? Or just a figment of
deep time ramification:our sheer physical and mental exhaustion after a week of burn
deep time ramification:piles?
deep time ramification:Raking up the flames in the gathering dusk, we felt
deep time ramification:ourselves as auxiliary agents of entropy — sort of the opposite
deep time ramification:of Maxwell's devils. Not that this made us exactly any sort of
deep time ramification:angels, either. More like... ghosts. All the more so, as the
deep time ramification:twilight drizzle was just now phase changing into frost, soggy
deep time ramification:snow was starting to stick on our garden fence and orchard,
deep time ramification:just limning the shingles and tree branches — lending an
deep time ramification:almost ectoplasmic air to the whole homestead. And hadn't we
deep time ramification:just finished a week of parsing our little acre in detail:
deep time ramification:laminating decades of layered memories from every cranny
deep time ramification:before consigning their tangible tokens to the flames. So that
deep time ramification:now all those memories were, in a sense, disembodied: existing
deep time ramification:only in the charged and waning daylight between the two of us.
deep time ramification:And we ourselves would be disembodied soon enough. Kind of
deep time ramification:a privilege, though, to experience even a fleeting
deep time ramification:intimation of ghosthood without having to actually die quite
deep time ramification:yet. And if individual humans can do that, can whole forests,
deep time ramification:or species, or planetary epochs haunts themselves with a karmic
deep time ramification:shrug? Heedlessly and ceaselessly anyway, phase change
deep time ramification:goes on.
Mendel Skulski:This episode was written and read by Lincoln
Mendel Skulski:Kaye, and was produced by me, Mendel Skulski, with help from
Mendel Skulski:Adam Huggins.
Mendel Skulski:Another version of this story can be found, along with many
Mendel Skulski:others, in the pages of Fire Season II, out now at
Mendel Skulski:fireseason.org.
Mendel Skulski:Music in this episode was produced by Tomoko Sauvage,
Mendel Skulski:Benjamin Kilchhofer, Modern Biology, Christina Vantzou,
Mendel Skulski:Michael Harrison, John Also Bennett, Kanahuaxtli, and
Mendel Skulski:Thumbug
Mendel Skulski:Future ecologies is an independent production, and is
Mendel Skulski:supported by our community of listeners on Patreon. You can
Mendel Skulski:join them for as little as $1 each month, at
Mendel Skulski:patreon.com/futureecologies. We really appreciate it.
Mendel Skulski:Special thanks to Hsu Mei-Lang, to Brandon Hocura at Séance
Mendel Skulski:Centre records, to the Sitka Foundation for supporting our
Mendel Skulski:4th Season, and to Liz, Amory, and all the Fire Season
Mendel Skulski:contributors for 2 beautiful publications.
Mendel Skulski:Okay, that's it for this one. Thanks for listening.