CHAPTER 1
South Fork of the Salmon Wild and Free
An On-line Book by Jerry Dixon
Opinions expressed herein are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
notes Chapter 1: Crystal River JULY, 1972. Tall yellowpines march up the flanks of the steep river breaks. Pilot Peak lookout stands as a sentinel against a radiant blue sky across the deep gorge of the South Fork of the Salmon River. That was my first impression of the South Fork, and it's an impression that has stayed with me ever since. So too was the impression of fire. I was smokejumper, and we had parachuted into the canyon to extinguish a burning tree. With our work now complete, and the tree smoldering as a harmless warming fire, I was able to enjoy a view of the South Fork country and reflect upon the close call getting there. Earlier when I exited the Twin Otter I had tried a "spread eagle" instead of the standard exit and badly twisted my parachute. Spinning like a top, I wound in one direction and then unwound the other way. I had only untwisted a few hundred feet off the ground just in time to steer between the towering yellowpines before landing on the steep river breaks. While untwisting I had gotten above Carl's chute which caused his to take my air and mine partially collapsed. When this happens near the ground, smokejumpers have broken their backs. I fell into his chute and actually slid down his canopy and off the edge until mine inflated again. | |
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