http://www.azfamily.com/story/29684294/nasa-using-space-equipment-to-test-new-fire-shelters
After speaking to family members, friends, and media outlets (see link above) about the purpose of our adventures, we figured it was time to get back to it. This time, we ventured by aircraft...to beautiful ALASKA!
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| Tate, Choice, and Morghen |
Even though we arrived at 10:30 PM, we were still there in time to see the sunset. The daylight in Alaska lasts from 5:00 AM - 10:30 PM this time of year.
We traveled to this vast and picturesque state to visit two different donors. The first of which was a smokejumper named Gordon. Home for Gordon is Wyoming, work for Gordon is generally in Idaho, however this summer he was assigned to work out of Fairbanks, Alaska. As you can imagine, locating and scheduling a good time to meet up with Gordon was quite tricky. We quickly eliminated the option of seeing him in Wyoming or Idaho due to scheduling conflicts. Alaska, on the other hand, seemed to line up perfectly. We were set to see Gordon at Ft. Wainwright on Tuesday. After going through rigorous security checkpoints, we proved ourselves eligible to enter this military base as visitors to the smokejumpers base.
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Tate, Choice and Juliann |
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Tate Choice and Juliann |
As has become customary for the Ashcraft Clan, we had no problem making ourselves right at home in their facility...
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| Choice |
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| Ryder |
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| Shiloh |
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| Tate |
We were welcomed to the smokejumper's base by Ezra. Although kind and contagiously joyful, Ezra delivered us some rather sad news. Gordon had gone back to Idaho just one day earlier. BUMMER. We would have loved to meet Gordon, thank him for his generosity, and leave him with a few small thank you's we'd brought for him. Ezra then explained that he was heading off to Boise the next day and would be happy to deliver our small tokens of appreciation to Gordon. THAT was excellent news. :-)
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| Ezra |
We were fascinated with the culture of the smokejumpers. Many things looked and smelled very familiar from our time in the hotshot station. Yet, they had several elements to their work that are uniquely theirs. With the peak in our interest, they were kind enough to give us a tour throughout their facility and explain to us a day in the life of an Alaskan Smokejumper. Jake was our tour guide...
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| Jake, Ryder, Shiloh, Choice, Juliann and Tate |
He began by showing us their lockers and flight gear. They wear the exact same clothing as the hotshots while they are on the fire line, however, they have specialized flight suits and helmets they wear while en route. Jake informed us that they only have two minutes from the time they are notified of a fire assignment to be dressed and on the aircraft. That is precision if you ask me.
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| Ryder, Shiloh, and Jake |
They refer to their aircrafts as "ships". We were delighted to have the chance to check out the ships and learn how they're used with regard to firefighting.
I learned so many fascinating things about the smokejumpers' operation today. For example, they have up to 8 jumpers that will go on a ship to a fire. The largest have 8 while the smaller fires can have as few as 2. Andrew explained the smokejumpers as the elite of the elite; the cream of the crop in the wild land firefighting world; a little bit of crazy and a whole lot of extremely awesome!
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| Juliann, Tate, Choice and Shiloh |
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| Jake, Ryder, Choice Shiloh and Juliann |
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| Choice |
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| Jake, Tate, Juliann, Shiloh, Ryder, and Choice |
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| Jake, Tate, Juliann, Shiloh, Ryder, and Choice |
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| Tate, Juliann, Ryder, Shiloh, Morghen, and Choice |
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| Tate, Juliann, Ryder, Shiloh, Morghen, and Choice |
After checking out the aircraft, Jake walked us through more of the base and explained in further detail the mechanics of what they do. If you can, imagine all that the hotshots put into their packs and buggies when heading out on a fire. Then, remember that these smokejumpers are dropped into the fire from an airplane. The question then becomes...what of their supplies? Well, they are dropped in just as the jumpers are, by aircraft. They have 34 foot parachutes from WW1, salvaged for over 100 years, that they use for this purpose. The first jumper is designated as the Incident Commander of that particular fire. (This is another unique element of the smokejumpers...they are all equally qualified). The first jumper exits the aircraft, then five seconds later, the second jumper, and so on and so forth until all jumpers have exited the ship. Once all jumpers are down, the cargo is dropped for them to locate and use as their resources for fighting this fire. Jake chuckled as he remembered many times that the cargo supplies have landed in less than optimal places and they've had to retrieve them prior to being able to fight the fire. He had an incredibly positive attitude.
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| Ryder, Jake, Choice Juliann, and Tate |
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| Juliann, Tate, Jake, Ryder, and Shiloh |
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| Juliann, Choice, Ryder, Jake, Shiloh, and Tate |
Even some of the tools used by the Alaskan Smokejumpers are native to their location and their field of expertise. The tool shown below is one such tool. It is a tool they use for beating the fire. it works particularly well on the tundra fires that occur in the Alaskan terrain.
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| Tate, Shiloh, and Jake |
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| Choice, Juliann, Ryder, and Jake |
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| Choice, Juliann, Ryder, and Jake |
From there we went back to where the real nitty-gritty of the smokejumpers work takes place.
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| Tate, Juliann, Choice, Ryder, Shiloh, and Jake |
Jake introduced us to "Whitey"...their training dummy. Whitey is dressed head to toe in the gear worn by a smokejumper when boarding the ship. While the kids gawked over Whitey's name and well manicured mustache, I was in awe of the small amount of space their suits provide for bringing personal affects with them. A pocket on the bottom of each pant leg is the extent of the space provided. Naturally, they have to determine what is the most important use of that space. For Jake, he reserves it for extra socks and underwear, and his phone that always finds its way into his suit pocket after he sends a quick message to his wife prior to boarding the ship.
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| Ryder, Tate, Whitey (dummy), Shiloh, Jake Choice, and Juliann |
Approximately 60 smokejumpers work out of the base at Ft. Wainwright. We had the opportunity to cross paths with 10 or 11 of them today. A few of them spent the majority of their time at a long folding table where they used precision and immense care to repack the parachutes. These parachutes range from 24 to 34 feet. There are several variations of parachutes with differing purposes. The ones we watched them fold today are the chutes used for their cargo.
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Tate, and Choice |
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| Juliann, Choice, Jake, Shiloh, Ryder, Tate, and Heath |
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| Juliann, Choice, Jake, Shiloh, Ryder, Tate, and Heath |
At the conclusion of a fire, the jumpers have to pack out everything they used on that assignment, including their parachutes. The process these parachutes go through from that point to being ready for reuse is incredibly detailed. The room pictured below is where the parachutes are hung to dry in the event of a water landing. (They also use this space for working out).
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| Juliann, Choice, and Tate |
Once they are dry, the parachutes are moved to this extremely tall room, where they are hung and inspected for any rips, snags, or imperfections.
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| Alaskan Smokejumpers |
If a chute is found in need of repair, it is sent to my FAVORITE part of their facility...the sewing stations. I say that not as a woman who sews (because I do not) but as a woman who loves the idea of these burly men sitting behind a sewing machine and learning to care for these things themselves.
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| Mr. Lund |
Mr. Lund is one of the more experienced and seasoned members of the team. He volunteers his time and talents to assist the active jumpers in maintaining these parachutes. He was stitching up one of the chutes while we were there and sharing with us that it was a chute preserved from WW1. It was evident that he took great pride in his work.
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| Choice, Juliann, Shiloh, Tate, Ryder, Jake, and Mr. Lund |
The kids, Tate in particular, were really fascinated by Mr. Lund and his sewing skills.
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| Mr. Lund and Tate |
Jake emphasized to us how important it is for the smokejumpers to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. They are a fully functioning unit within their base. They handle their operation from start to finish in house. Truly inspiring! Their station was neat and tidy, each of them cook and sew, and they were all gentlemen. I advised my three boys that it would be perfectly fine with me if they grew up to be smokejumpers.
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| Shiloh, Jake, Ryder, Whitey (dummy), Choice, Juliann, and Tate |
These men are inspiring and truly dedicated to strenuous work. I was sad that we weren't able to meet Gordon today. I hope Ezra is able to touch base with him and let him know how much his donation has meant to our family. God bless you Gordon, Ezra, Jake, and all the smokejumpers who put their lives on the line each and every day. You guys are amazing!
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