Hahaaa, I honestly don't mean to open up this entry in such dramatic fashion! I ask Scott every week for a new fire word and last week, without hesitating, he said survival. I even had the audacity to ask what it means!
Well, survive he has! He hasn't given me too much insight as to the ins and outs of that hellacious first week, save the sound of his voice. That was the hardest part. All last week, whenever he called, his speech sounded labored and he could hardly stand to be on the phone longer than a few minutes. "Just calling to say I love you and that I am alive...sort of". That was the extent of our conversation. I began to wonder if he would ever sound normal again, the usual happy go lucky tone and excitement for life completely absent. Often, when he is out on fires, a simple phone call home is all it takes to get him to feel a little better. This sudden turn makes me a bit uneasy, thinking what else I could try to get him to laugh or at least muster a smile.
The hardest day of the week was last Friday, the pack test. What the rookies were told to do was to carry a 110 lb pack 3 miles, only those 3 miles gained a total of 2500 ft of elevation. Oy! Scott told me after he was glad that they didn't time the day, he was stopping so frequently against any tree or rock that could offer a brief respite from the climb. He did it though! They all did, and after they could all stumble home and lick their wounds for the weekend.
As tough as it is, hearing about his perseverance and his focus through this ridiculously difficult ordeal makes me think of the old myths we grew up hearing or learning about in school. Whether they be Norse tales, Herculean legends, or old Irish folk tales, it seems that the heroes and heroines all had a mountain to climb, a battle to face, and what made them so spectacular and god-like was their ability to keep going, to triumph. I loved reading those stories and still do for they make me feel that even in everyday life I can be capable of achieving great things. I may not be slaying dragons or walking through fire but that determination and courage comes from the same well regardless of the task at hand. Scott is living proof.
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| Davis Lake, Scott exploring the nearby areas |
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| A river near Winthrop, at dusk |
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