December 29

5C Overcast. Our warm weather yesterday broke records.
I think about a week ago I made some mention of the possibility of the spring bulbs showing up. I checked yesterday and they are up to 2'' out of the ground!
I had hoped that head cold would give me immunity but instead it has had a reincarnation and I am back to a pitiful nose dribbling, stuffed up head state.  :(

Yep, bullheaded. John. John.

 Chapter 11

We did have a few fires that summer, nothing really spectacular although there was one between the airport and town that could have been bad but due to it’s proximity to both town and the airport we got on it very quickly and as it started on airport property we had some good assistance from airport personnel.

Thanks to a crew of natives we dispatched to a fire out near Clarke Lake both John and I got a new perspective on the use of chainsaws.

I had rounded up about ten of the residents from the reserve across the river from the airport, I was sending John out with them so I left him to get together what he felt would be needed. We would be using a Bell Long Ranger helicopter to move everything including our crew. When I explained to the crew foreman where the fire was he told me they would need at least five chain saws. This was rather unusual to have at least half of a crew using saws but I knew they were experienced in muskeg and black spruce fires and when he confirmed that they could bring their own saws I agreed. We would be taking the other conventional tools anyway.

Everything went without any hitches, I sent John and the foreman with tools and one emergency ration kit in the first load and then cargo netted the remaining tools and supplies in the second load with two men. The remainder when in two more loads.

The puzzle of the chain saws was quickly solved. The men spread themselves out in a typical pincer move at the foot of the fire and working in pairs they cut down into the muskeg in two parallel lines averaging about twenty inches apart then every two or three feet they put in another cut that bisected the parallel lines a third man then followed along behind and broke out and lifted to one side the rectangles. The trench that was left was still lined with a mix of moss, twigs and small rotting trees but within a short time the perma frost layer that was down below started to melt and in under an hour the trench became a watery ditch.

Old and worn blades and chains were used for the trenching and when they hit standing trees a slasher was sent ahead to cut a trail.

That fire they held to about twenty acres and after the second day we reduced the crew to two men and left them there for another week to patrol and grub out any hot spots.