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​I just thought I’d just share a note of thanks since I have very few photos from my time with the crew. I’m fairly certain I had a flip phone back then & maybe a disposable Kodak camera?…

 

I applied to Lewis & Clark IHC because the B-D crew I’d worked on for 1.5 months told me I needed to go to a shot crew. They said, “You're really fit. If you enjoy travel & camping & fire, you’ll have fun.” They left out any & all other relevant details. Since I didn’t know what else to question, I eagerly applied to shot crews the following season. 

 

So in 2007, I hoped in my truck & drove north to Great Falls where Papa Noel had offered me a job. I had absolutely no idea what I’d signed up for or what I was really getting into. Needless to say, I quickly learned. Papa Noel was The Boss. Smith was the Enforcer. Squadies & seniors decided the dynamic of each module. I attribute any & all OCD tendencies I developed in my 3 years there to working for Brooks & Mikovitz. 

 

My Lewis & Clark IHC experience set the bar high for what I expected in the future. By far, the best job I ever had in fire is that of being the deepest torch on a burn on LC IHC. No quals, GS level or job title in fire ever compared to that. 

 

Today, it’s been almost 20 years since I first wore the crew logo. When I went out to do ranch chores this morning, my daughter wore my old LC IHC crew beanie, complete with ember holes melted in it. Although my husband still works in fire management & would like to discourage our kids from pursuing fire as a career as we did, I think back to the words of a fellow senior on the crew, “hotshotting is a great job (to have) while you figure it out.” That, it was.

 

I saw a lot of fire, a lot of beautiful & rugged country & experienced what a solid team really is. The stories I have from my time there are one of a kind & I’m thankful for my Lewis & Clark experience & the leadership & crew members that made it what it was. Even though I can’t make it to Great Falls for the reunion, I’m glad it’s happening & proud to be able to say hey, Lewis & Clark IHC was my crew!