In June of 2013, on summer break from my first year of college, I started a job as a wildland firefighter with the Highlands 20, an initial attack handcrew, based out of the Sinlahekin Valley in North Central Washington. I had never before thought of fighting wildfire, but my bank account was in dire straits and, truth be told, so was my ego. However, I didn't start that summer looking for personal growth, I started it with nineteen other men, each of us looking for a seasonal gig that paid well. I was already a man and thought that I knew quite a bit about myself, about the world at large. But as that summer, and that fire season progressed; I found out that I still had so much to learn; I was both a rookie to wildland firefighting and a rookie in life. Through the trials of day-to-day life on the fireline, living and fighting wildfire with my fire crew, through the adrenaline, the danger, the laughter, the smoke, the blisters, I came to understand that it was far more than a paycheck that I was earning. I was learning, for the first time in a long while, who I really was and what I was made of. I was proving my worth to the fire crew. I was proving my worth to myself. This book evolved out of experiences from my four summers of fighting wildfire as well as to a promise I made to my fellow Highlands 20 crewmembers. I promised them that I would write a book about wildland fire fighting. At the time I had no idea what that would entail. But I knew what it would not. It would not be a book about hero-izing the exploits of wildland firefighters. No, bullshitting the reader with portrayals of wildland firefighters as faultless demigods with the morals of saints, the work ethic of Navy SEALs, and the looks of A-list Hollywood actors was never my intention. I make no claim to have been a perfect wildland firefighter, or to have never felt fear when putting my life on the line in battles with Nature. I know for a fact that there are many other fire crews that saw more action and were in far greater danger than the Highlands 20 or I ever were. This book is by no means the definitive book about wildland firefighting. That book would be impossible to write, as every person who fought wildfire has their own experiences that vary greatly from my own. What I have found is that are no two fire seasons alike. And that my time spent on the fireline was a perfect balance of danger and laughter, of bravery and childlike awe, of crassness and brotherhood, of selflessness and evolution.State of Fire is neither an ultimate description of wildland firefighting nor a book of fire-filled heroism, so you might be asking then, what is its purpose? This is a book about wildland firefighting and the indelible marks it leaves on a person's soul. This book is about finding commonality by going through hardship with strangers, who soon become closer than family. It's about what can be learned from camaraderie, and what happens when you separate men from society and normalcy for months at a time. It's about love and loss, and the rebirth of one's self through the testing of mental, emotional, and physical strength. It is about coming to terms with one's limitations, and why challenges of every shade should not be shunned, but embraced. It is about finding meaning and worth, where once there was none. And most importantly, why these lessons were not only significant for me, but for everyone who picks up this book. This book represents - my path to, of, and away from wildland firefighting. It should be noted that State of Fire is a collection of nine essays. Each essay deals with a different aspect of wildland firefighting. Therefore it does not have to be read in chronological order, as each essay is independent of the next. To honor all wildland firefighters, especially those who have lost their lives on the job, I will be donating 10% of all books sold to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation (wffoundation.org).

Describes the experiences of a newcomer to the Yukon when he attempts to hike through the snow to reach a mining claim.

Publisher Description

From prehistory to the present-day conservation movement, Pyne explores the efforts of successive American cultures to master wildfire and to use it to shape the landscape.

National Bestseller CNBC and Strategy + Business Best Business Book of the Year It’s the biggest revolution you’ve never heard of, and it’s hiding in plain sight. Over the past decade, Silicon Valley executives like Eric Schmidt and Elon Musk, Special Operators like the Navy SEALs and the Green Berets, and maverick scientists like Sasha Shulgin and Amy Cuddy have turned everything we thought we knew about high performance upside down. Instead of grit, better habits, or 10,000 hours, these trailblazers have found a surprising short cut. They're harnessing rare and controversial states of consciousness to solve critical challenges and outperform the competition. New York Times bestselling author Steven Kotler and high performance expert Jamie Wheal spent four years investigating the leading edges of this revolution—from the home of SEAL Team Six to the Googleplex, the Burning Man festival, Richard Branson’s Necker Island, Red Bull’s training center, Nike’s innovation team, and the United Nations’ Headquarters. And what they learned was stunning: In their own ways, with differing languages, techniques, and applications, every one of these groups has been quietly seeking the same thing: the boost in information and inspiration that altered states provide. Today, this revolution is spreading to the mainstream, fueling a trillion dollar underground economy and forcing us to rethink how we can all lead richer, more productive, more satisfying lives. Driven by four accelerating forces—psychology, neurobiology, technology and pharmacology—we are gaining access to and insights about some of the most contested and misunderstood terrain in history. Stealing Fire is a provocative examination of what’s actually possible; a guidebook for anyone who wants to radically upgrade their life.

"Frightening...Firestorm comes alive when Struzik discusses the work of offbeat scientists." —New York Times Book Review "Comprehensive and compelling." —Booklist "A powerful message." —Kirkus "Should be required reading." —Library Journal For two months in the spring of 2016, the world watched as wildfire ravaged the Canadian town of Fort McMurray. Firefighters named the fire “the Beast.” It acted like a mythical animal, alive with destructive energy, and they hoped never to see anything like it again. Yet it’s not a stretch to imagine we will all soon live in a world in which fires like the Beast are commonplace. A glance at international headlines shows a remarkable increase in higher temperatures, stronger winds, and drier lands– a trifecta for igniting wildfires like we’ve rarely seen before. This change is particularly noticeable in the northern forests of the United States and Canada. These forests require fire to maintain healthy ecosystems, but as the human population grows, and as changes in climate, animal and insect species, and disease cause further destabilization, wildfires have turned into a potentially uncontrollable threat to human lives and livelihoods. Our understanding of the role fire plays in healthy forests has come a long way in the past century. Despite this, we are not prepared to deal with an escalation of fire during periods of intense drought and shorter winters, earlier springs, potentially more lightning strikes and hotter summers. There is too much fuel on the ground, too many people and assets to protect, and no plan in place to deal with these challenges. In Firestorm, journalist Edward Struzik visits scorched earth from Alaska to Maine, and introduces the scientists, firefighters, and resource managers making the case for a radically different approach to managing wildfire in the 21st century. Wildfires can no longer be treated as avoidable events because the risk and dangers are becoming too great and costly. Struzik weaves a heart-pumping narrative of science, economics, politics, and human determination and points to the ways that we, and the wilder inhabitants of the forests around our cities and towns, might yet flourish in an age of growing megafires.

Item contains cartoons, letters, articles, essays, etc resulting from the debate (or outcry) following the purchase of Barnett Newman's "Voice of fire" by National Gallery of Canada. Also includes papers from a symposium organised by the National Gallery of Canada.