Today I fell my first tree. It was a huge 75-85 foot pine that the teacher estimated weighed over 600 lbs at least. It was much more difficult than the instructors made it look, using a chainsaw precisely is very difficult when it weighs so much. I sized up the tree, decided where I wanted to put it, and made my first cut. It was at that point that I realized based on the way the tree was leaning it would fall slightly more to the right, so I adjusted accordingly and made my 45 degree pie cut (I have the piece as a souvineer). Then I came around the backside and made my cut a few inches above my pie cut, causing the tree to topple over exactly where I had aimed it. I had some trouble initially with my 45 degree angle cut because I overshot it slightly, and adjusting it afterwards was very difficult because holding the chainsaw in that manner was very tiring on my arm and difficult to wield. However, it was FREAKING AWESOME! And I can't wait to do it again...
The whole process of sizing up the tree, noting where it leans, where the branches are distributed, where you can put it down, how it's going to fall, etc is really cool. It's was kind of like an art form because it's not exact, but up to some interpretation.
Don't worry, the tree had to come down in order to save other trees, so you hippies don't have to worry, I was cutting it down for the good of the others! Also, it looked sweet.
-J
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Er, Things, Stuff, Otherwise
Hello all. I have been remiss in updating this (yet again) because I am both very busy and very tired on a regular basis. Also, typing things is boring and I have many books to read. I apologize, but here's a post so get excited.
I'm now pretty much a chainsaw professional. After two days in a classroom learning about them and a day in the field cutting down bushes (trees tomorrow) the federal government is finally cool with letting me chop on stuff. I can now:
Cut down big ass trees (in theory)
Cut down small ass trees (in practice)
Cut down bushes (in all likelihood)
Cut things that are already on the ground (harder than it sounds)
NOT cut my legs (again, in theory)
Repair a busted chain
Sharpen a chain
Perform maintenence on a chainsaw
Start a chainsaw
Turn off a chainsaw
Yeah that's pretty much it. It sounds impressive but it mostly consists of, "put the chain break on all the time when you're not chopping stuff" and "don't cut rocks or the dirt." What I have realized however is that big ass 450 cc chainsaws are quite heavy and the blade is about 2/3 my height. Also, you hold all the weight with your left arm, leading sawyers (the guy with the chainsaw on the fireline) to get bizzarre huge left arms and small right ones like the guy from "Lady in the Water".
On another note I bought a nice Fender acoustic guitar this past weekend so I wouldn't have to go without music and so that I could learn to play while I'm here. Figured it'd be a good skill to have, as playing the piano to pick up the ladies only works when there's a piano present. Plus it'd be good for team morale or something, I don't know. Send me your song suggestions in the form of a comment and I might learn it and play it when I end up seeing you next. Or just give me some good songs to learn that aren't "Wonderwall" or "Hey There Delilah" or other "I want to get laid with the least amount of work possible" songs. Thanks!
-J
P.S. The zoo was fun last week too.
I'm now pretty much a chainsaw professional. After two days in a classroom learning about them and a day in the field cutting down bushes (trees tomorrow) the federal government is finally cool with letting me chop on stuff. I can now:
Cut down big ass trees (in theory)
Cut down small ass trees (in practice)
Cut down bushes (in all likelihood)
Cut things that are already on the ground (harder than it sounds)
NOT cut my legs (again, in theory)
Repair a busted chain
Sharpen a chain
Perform maintenence on a chainsaw
Start a chainsaw
Turn off a chainsaw
Yeah that's pretty much it. It sounds impressive but it mostly consists of, "put the chain break on all the time when you're not chopping stuff" and "don't cut rocks or the dirt." What I have realized however is that big ass 450 cc chainsaws are quite heavy and the blade is about 2/3 my height. Also, you hold all the weight with your left arm, leading sawyers (the guy with the chainsaw on the fireline) to get bizzarre huge left arms and small right ones like the guy from "Lady in the Water".
On another note I bought a nice Fender acoustic guitar this past weekend so I wouldn't have to go without music and so that I could learn to play while I'm here. Figured it'd be a good skill to have, as playing the piano to pick up the ladies only works when there's a piano present. Plus it'd be good for team morale or something, I don't know. Send me your song suggestions in the form of a comment and I might learn it and play it when I end up seeing you next. Or just give me some good songs to learn that aren't "Wonderwall" or "Hey There Delilah" or other "I want to get laid with the least amount of work possible" songs. Thanks!
-J
P.S. The zoo was fun last week too.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Joey The Firefighter
I am now a certified Type 2 Wildland Firefighter. Boom.
This week I went through training to get certification and it was a blast. We learned all about fire activity, weather and it's effects on fire, topography as well as tactics and strategies for fighting the good fight. We also spent a day in the field, cutting line and practicing various methods of fire line construction as well as practicing with our fire shelters. It was completely exhausting but a blast. The instructors were very cool and down to earth but when we actually got in the field they drilled in a militaristic manner. We hiked up and down a mountain all day and I exhausted myself by volunteering for the lead polaski (basically an axe with a hoe on the other side), breaking ground for the line. I also carried a 35-40 lb backpack all day while working that didn't really fit like it should which didn't help with my tiredness.
At the end of the day after lunch we went back down the mountain and started cutting line again as a part of a realistic simulation. We made good time and ended up attaching two sections of line that were quite a distance apart. This was the third time we'd cut line that day and swinging the heaviest tool on the line was starting to wear me down considerably. During this we kept getting radio updates from our spotter and the IC (Incident Commander) about the behavior of the fire and the weather. The conditions worsened as we worked and a few spot fires were flaring up below us (a bad sign, as fire travels uphill quickly and we were in the path of it). We were advised to make our way up to a safer location. We did this, and moved almost completely back up the mountain for the 3rd time at a quick pace. It was at this point that the spotter told us that air support had subdued the fire enough for us to continue working, so we went back down the hill once more to continue building line. 10 to 15 minutes later they radioed that air support was no longer going to be able to contain the fire, and that it was moving quickly up the mountain. We hustled again up the mountain.
It was at this point that I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. I was exhausted and dehydrated as I had pushed myself extremely hard in order to test my limits. Suddenly, our crew boss (an ex-military man) yelled "EVERYONE, PACKS OFF, GET TO THE SAFETY ZONE, MOVE MOVE MOVE!" The 'fire' was running up the hill behind us and we had to run the last 150 yards up the 45 degree slop after dropping our packs (one girl from another team had an asthma attack while hiking up the last time and had to receive oxygen, many people couldn't run the final portion and a few people are considering transferring teams if possible). At the top of the hill we were instructed to deploy our emergency shelters as we had trained.
Let me take the time to tell you what these things look like. The real things look basically like a giant baked potato or burrito wrapper. It's tin foil with a layer of protective material inside to help absorb heat. The training ones basically look like a body bag without a zipper. The only thing I could really think of when dropping down into this thing was "I'm laying down to die in an organized place so they can find my body more easily later." The other thing that was going through my mind was "I can't feel my legs (from running up the mountain) and I just might puke."
As we deployed our shelters the trainers turned on the sirens of nearby trucks, revved the engines, yelled like crazy and ran around shaking our shelters to try to simulate the amount of noise you would hear during a burnover (when the fire hits your shelter and goes past you). It was a pretty cool experience and they did an excellent job simulating it because the combination of exhaustion, dehydration, intensity and noise definitely rattled me.
It was definitely the coolest thing I've done in Americorps and one of the cooler things I've ever done. I can't remember the last time I was so exhausted mentally and physically. It was great.
Next up is a week at the Sacramento Zoo. Then CHAINSAW TRAINING!
Oh and if you didn't already know, for my next spike I'm going to a little place called Vashon Island, Washington to live in a camp by Puget Sound on a beach surrounded by 400 acres of woods. I'll be sure to update everyone as to what I'll be doing there next time, but for now, stay awesome readers.
-J
This week I went through training to get certification and it was a blast. We learned all about fire activity, weather and it's effects on fire, topography as well as tactics and strategies for fighting the good fight. We also spent a day in the field, cutting line and practicing various methods of fire line construction as well as practicing with our fire shelters. It was completely exhausting but a blast. The instructors were very cool and down to earth but when we actually got in the field they drilled in a militaristic manner. We hiked up and down a mountain all day and I exhausted myself by volunteering for the lead polaski (basically an axe with a hoe on the other side), breaking ground for the line. I also carried a 35-40 lb backpack all day while working that didn't really fit like it should which didn't help with my tiredness.
At the end of the day after lunch we went back down the mountain and started cutting line again as a part of a realistic simulation. We made good time and ended up attaching two sections of line that were quite a distance apart. This was the third time we'd cut line that day and swinging the heaviest tool on the line was starting to wear me down considerably. During this we kept getting radio updates from our spotter and the IC (Incident Commander) about the behavior of the fire and the weather. The conditions worsened as we worked and a few spot fires were flaring up below us (a bad sign, as fire travels uphill quickly and we were in the path of it). We were advised to make our way up to a safer location. We did this, and moved almost completely back up the mountain for the 3rd time at a quick pace. It was at this point that the spotter told us that air support had subdued the fire enough for us to continue working, so we went back down the hill once more to continue building line. 10 to 15 minutes later they radioed that air support was no longer going to be able to contain the fire, and that it was moving quickly up the mountain. We hustled again up the mountain.
It was at this point that I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. I was exhausted and dehydrated as I had pushed myself extremely hard in order to test my limits. Suddenly, our crew boss (an ex-military man) yelled "EVERYONE, PACKS OFF, GET TO THE SAFETY ZONE, MOVE MOVE MOVE!" The 'fire' was running up the hill behind us and we had to run the last 150 yards up the 45 degree slop after dropping our packs (one girl from another team had an asthma attack while hiking up the last time and had to receive oxygen, many people couldn't run the final portion and a few people are considering transferring teams if possible). At the top of the hill we were instructed to deploy our emergency shelters as we had trained.
Let me take the time to tell you what these things look like. The real things look basically like a giant baked potato or burrito wrapper. It's tin foil with a layer of protective material inside to help absorb heat. The training ones basically look like a body bag without a zipper. The only thing I could really think of when dropping down into this thing was "I'm laying down to die in an organized place so they can find my body more easily later." The other thing that was going through my mind was "I can't feel my legs (from running up the mountain) and I just might puke."
As we deployed our shelters the trainers turned on the sirens of nearby trucks, revved the engines, yelled like crazy and ran around shaking our shelters to try to simulate the amount of noise you would hear during a burnover (when the fire hits your shelter and goes past you). It was a pretty cool experience and they did an excellent job simulating it because the combination of exhaustion, dehydration, intensity and noise definitely rattled me.
It was definitely the coolest thing I've done in Americorps and one of the cooler things I've ever done. I can't remember the last time I was so exhausted mentally and physically. It was great.
Next up is a week at the Sacramento Zoo. Then CHAINSAW TRAINING!
Oh and if you didn't already know, for my next spike I'm going to a little place called Vashon Island, Washington to live in a camp by Puget Sound on a beach surrounded by 400 acres of woods. I'll be sure to update everyone as to what I'll be doing there next time, but for now, stay awesome readers.
-J
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The Familiar Future
First I want to thank everybody for their hospitality, generosity and love during my brief but relaxing time in Tulsa. Especially my parents who were kind enough to not only fly me back, but support my shiftless video-gaming extravaganza with heat, power, food (amazing food by the way) and a bed to sleep in, thanks folks! Also Kevin, Cameron, Amber, Naomi, Summer, Tyler, Granddad, Grandma Cheryl, Grandma Beth and everyone else I saw or interacted with over the break. Thanks for playing video games, making cookies, watching movies, going to hockey games, sitting and talking about life or just plain hanging out with me, you guys are the reason I can work 12 hours a day here in Americorps.
That being said, this is a new beginning for the blog. I have been lax in updating it due to my computer-less situation in Salt Lake City. However that will change at least for the next month as I train for wildland firefighting in Sacramento.
I returned to the Sacramento campus around 1 am local time and didn’t actually get to bed until around 3. Work with the Sacramento Zoo started at 7:30 the next morning so I woke up at 6 in order to eat breakfast and make the 30 minute commute. I was tired :( as was everyone else, but that didn’t stop us from working hard.
We were split into two groups, one of which did animal care, the other worked with maintenance. I was in the latter of the two. Our first project was digging a two foot wide by one foot deep trench around a section inside the flamingo exhibit in order to create a nesting ground for them to mate. This was arduous labor that involved pick axing the solid ground and then shoveling the loose dirt. It was not unlike the work we are expecting to do with wildland firefighting creating fire lines.
After that we cut down and pulled cattails out of the pond to create an area where visitors could more easily see the flamingos. This was done with rain boots in 2 feet of mud and muck and freezing cold water, chopping solid hunks of cattail roots from the mud to keep them from growing back. Needless to say it was awesome.
That night we got a surprise when we were issued our WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING BOOTS! Top of the line 260$ handmade fireproof boots. They are tight.
On day two myself and Finley created a fence for the Bongo exhibit so they wouldn’t destroy newly planted trees, and half the group worked on the tortoise exhibit clearing stones and preparing the soil for sod as well as transporting 4 tons of boulders to the pen to fence in the tortoises. Then we had PT, which I have decided to increase in intensity to better prepare us for the physical labor that awaits us after training. We ran 45 minutes straight with 100 yard sprints every ½ mile. All in all we averaged about 6 miles.
Today Finley and I: dug a 200 foot trench and laid ground wire, dug fence posts in the Bongo exhibit and put up part of the fence for the trees, planted various plants in the “pregnant tiger room”, watched an anteater physical (they discovered it was pregnant) and toured more of the zoo. The other part of the maintenance team moved boulders, laid sod and planted bushes for the tortoise exhibit which is now done and ready for shell-mania. PT was 2 20 minute ab routines that were extremely intense.
Tomorrow:
SILVER TWO IS ISSUED ALL WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT!
Read more about it next time!
I will update this with some of my own feelings and perspective on the project later, (Sac Zoo is the coolest place to work ever) but I thought I’d give you a general rundown of our days today and fill in the observational part later.
Stay classy, and comment or I’ll never call you again.
-J
That being said, this is a new beginning for the blog. I have been lax in updating it due to my computer-less situation in Salt Lake City. However that will change at least for the next month as I train for wildland firefighting in Sacramento.
I returned to the Sacramento campus around 1 am local time and didn’t actually get to bed until around 3. Work with the Sacramento Zoo started at 7:30 the next morning so I woke up at 6 in order to eat breakfast and make the 30 minute commute. I was tired :( as was everyone else, but that didn’t stop us from working hard.
We were split into two groups, one of which did animal care, the other worked with maintenance. I was in the latter of the two. Our first project was digging a two foot wide by one foot deep trench around a section inside the flamingo exhibit in order to create a nesting ground for them to mate. This was arduous labor that involved pick axing the solid ground and then shoveling the loose dirt. It was not unlike the work we are expecting to do with wildland firefighting creating fire lines.
After that we cut down and pulled cattails out of the pond to create an area where visitors could more easily see the flamingos. This was done with rain boots in 2 feet of mud and muck and freezing cold water, chopping solid hunks of cattail roots from the mud to keep them from growing back. Needless to say it was awesome.
That night we got a surprise when we were issued our WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING BOOTS! Top of the line 260$ handmade fireproof boots. They are tight.
On day two myself and Finley created a fence for the Bongo exhibit so they wouldn’t destroy newly planted trees, and half the group worked on the tortoise exhibit clearing stones and preparing the soil for sod as well as transporting 4 tons of boulders to the pen to fence in the tortoises. Then we had PT, which I have decided to increase in intensity to better prepare us for the physical labor that awaits us after training. We ran 45 minutes straight with 100 yard sprints every ½ mile. All in all we averaged about 6 miles.
Today Finley and I: dug a 200 foot trench and laid ground wire, dug fence posts in the Bongo exhibit and put up part of the fence for the trees, planted various plants in the “pregnant tiger room”, watched an anteater physical (they discovered it was pregnant) and toured more of the zoo. The other part of the maintenance team moved boulders, laid sod and planted bushes for the tortoise exhibit which is now done and ready for shell-mania. PT was 2 20 minute ab routines that were extremely intense.
Tomorrow:
SILVER TWO IS ISSUED ALL WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT!
Read more about it next time!
I will update this with some of my own feelings and perspective on the project later, (Sac Zoo is the coolest place to work ever) but I thought I’d give you a general rundown of our days today and fill in the observational part later.
Stay classy, and comment or I’ll never call you again.
-J
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