Fire On the Mountain
FIRE ON A MONTANA MOUNTAIN Jay Bates
The call came in while we were out marking timber
Fire on the mountain, near Wolf Creek . A night to remember
We loaded in the Jeep with pulaskis and shovels
Not a minute to spare, we sped on like avenging angels
Out of the dark loomed an entire mountain glowing red with burning trees
We started up the mountain, a ragtag crew of twenty three
Halfway up we stopped to rest in the eerie red glow
And old Rodger told his tale of a young man, long ago
He had been on a smoke jumping crew in 1949 out of Mizzo
Fire, at the Gates of the Mountains, not far from where we were, we knew
At the last minute he was called back to pack chutes and off flew the plane carrying the rest of the crew
That night they jumped into history and legend as ten died the next day when the fire built and roared anew
At the end of the summer Rodger quit smoke jumping as he had known young men that died
And although he continued to battle fire, he didn’t like it, and knew the bravado of young men, he must abide
As a nearby tree torched with a roar, we were brought back to reality and knew we were in for a hot time
We callow young men of varying degrees and old Rodger were there to build and hold the line
To hold back the greedy flames and save Montana, one more time.
Oh you young men and women now sent out on fire, please heed the words of old Rodger
For no number of trees is worth another funeral pyre
Of callow young fellows on a monstrous Montana fire