Wilderness Survival Books discussion

Has anyone read Murry Taylor's Jumping Fire? I recently finished it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hey Bill. I can't say that I have, but here's a link for anyone wanting to check it out.

Bill,
I haven't read it, but back in the day I did a little bit of firefighting. I wasn't a smoke jumper but a couple of the guys on the crew went on to be smoke jumpers. Both great guys who knew fighting fire. They were on the Storm King Mountain Fire in Colorado. A great follow up book for you would be, Fire on the Mountain.

Yes. I have read that one, actually. I fought fire, too, when I was in my twenties, down in Central California. I actually went back out this summer during my break, just to see what it was like again. Where were you located?

I was located in western Montana, Bitterroot National Forest. Fought fires and worked saw crew in the summers paying my way through college. I've had both Jumping Fire and Fire on the Mountain sitting on my bookshelf for over ten years. Can't bring myself to read them. Too many memories of glory days when I was young and had the world by the tail. I'd probably end up moping around all the time wishing I was chasing smoke. How was going back out again? I've got some wear and tear on the body, bad neck, but I would love to be on the fireline again. Well, for a day or two....

It was great to be back. What I liked most was the people. Firefighters have a certain way about them that I miss. As far as the work, I could keep up during the day just fine, but after sitting for an hour or so on the ride back to base camp, getting out of the rig was tough as hell. The young guys would be bouncing around, and I had to focus just to get one leg in front of the other. So moving isn't the problem, it's the sitting still that gets you.