A Bo Jon Littlehorse, P.I. Novel
Sequoia Trail
Second edition
By
Danny E. Allen
Copyright Danny Allen 2010
One
Trees on fire…
…The water-held helicopter let-loose of hundred of gallons of water onto the forest-flames... Which plumed high-above the pines... The radio-signals, from the ground-crew called a ‘thanks’ and yelled-for more. The emblazoned-woodland had gotten eaten-up over 40 square-miles and was burning trees like toothpicks. Albert Simmons, had never known such vegetation to ash-in 240-hours. He and five Oregon-based Elitists fire-fighting-forces brought-in as main-counter insurgent. He and his comrades; Joe Sinkle, David Garr, Sam Thetis and the two-brothers; borne-on as the cubs of the group'...Tom and Gene Mc Thenis, and the rest, fought-together around-the-clock for three-days. Sam had an anniversary coming-up soon. ‘Divide the line, men... We need to stake-and-run.' Joe, was Albert’s second-hand man he knew all Albert(Al), knew… As the ten-day-old burning hit in the upstate peninsula.
It was late-Fall, when the air was ‘rigid’. And everything was still-moist, flashed and sparked… Joe was tiring, as his-Commander moved with speed. Al glanced-at Joe, then at the rest of the crew, who-were black, with soot. He yelled-orders, while his men reacted-in sequence… He ran-up ahead of them, as they carried-out fire-fighting, against-the-odds. The copters, were conveying-back and forth. Al was out, ahead of the flames. His-crew were struggling-behind, but still following their-Chief. He sat on a ridge-awaiting his-men decided-it was time to do something, out-of-the-ordinary…
'Sam!' Yelled David. With Joe not far-behind, trying to breathe through the smoke...
'Where is Al?' Sam did not know where Al was. But he knew, he wouldn’t leave them.
David, was an experienced-fighter, he was taught what to do, and what not to do… The fire, kept-up the invisible honor-line, each pitching and plowing dirt putting-up break-lines and moving-on. The group were well-skilled; the best, coming from the countryside of Washington and taught every aspect of every-contention… Gene, was the ‘tooler’ of the group. Of the rest of the crowd, he was the least-liked. He had a drinking-habit, a broken family life, occasional-bouts of anger and periods of depression. He lived-up in the mountains, where he stayed-in solitude. With long-times alone and at peace, he was getting back-on his-feet…
…None of his struggles put him out of doing his-duties… He was both, given the job and proven-worthy. For that reason, for his rural-lifestyle; had given him wilderness-‘smarts’... Though he had to work as a team, he proved himself, fully-competent under all circumstances... …He at 27, was still considered, a ‘cub’. His brother, who was 8-years younger, joined the crew after he did… He enjoyed-adventure, and was preparing to join the Marines. But he had unsettled-business with his-brother, whom he cared-for, and wanted him to retake hold of his-life… Tom was more of a ‘buck’ but he had taken himself very-serious. Which was one of the reasons his brother and the rest of the crew thought it was a well-worthy occupation for him… He was now-inhaling smoke as he had taken the ‘lit’ cigarette-end of the job...as they called-it. His youthful-energies and simple ‘wild’-instincts often gave him the ‘brunt’, followed-by his older-brother. Gene could see the shadow-of-flames behind him, and the spray-of sunlight ahead, where safety lay.
David was forestry-commissioned, he was under direct-command by the department of U.S.F.S… A strategic-tactician, he was the one given the ‘order’ to be parachuted-in. David, was responsible for his party and to keep abreast of his sector of the fire-zone. Although he was not a demanding-officer, giving others the operational-lead as he saw fit, and qualified as one of the abilities in his-position. He was keeping-watch, as the next water-copter way-layed its load. He was planting himself near the heat-zone but he knew exactly, the risks…
He was planning to join forces with Tom and Gene then signed Sam and Joe to converge at a stretch-point; then head to the next-rise to regroup. Joe was smelling of methane and soot, he’d watched the flames curl in the lower-valley which meant it was turning, into the wind. Joe ran toward the natural-path where the men were moving quickly, up the valley he could hear a radio receiver meaning the coordinator was sending calls. Even though it was cool and moist, the trees’ natural-burning effect to sow seeds of burning pine-combs, was getting-louder.
Which meant the fire wasn’t too hot and smoke was getting-thicker. He yelled-for the four-men down the shunt and ran on to set his-company. The trees burned steadily, as the fierce-view from atop became the plumes of furnacing-fodder. Time-was running-out, the team was now heading to their boss’s beckon. David had regrouped his men, they then headed-up the brush-trail, as he looked on further he saw the pitch-point where the trees were beginning to catch. He heard Joe’s voice he could hear the McThenis boys deeply-breathing trying to keep up, he knew they were the last-action taken, before bugging-out.
He looked-back to see just where they were and arm-fetched them as he headed out onto the preclearing site of the next stop. With a typical forest-fire the flames were acres in its-path that meant a 2,600 acre flash; to a million-acre disaster. They were at its ‘heart’ that was their-job; the ‘flash-pan‘; and responsible-for not getting into the fire. So every instance was critical and an exact-act. David, knew this, as the rest-of the crew...
Sequoia Trail-A Bo Jon Littlehorse P.I. Novel. Second Edition Page 1