Fire Shelters, Lassie, and Other Stuff

[slowp]

I did not know they had them back then. Nor the facemask. Lassie makes it through a fire shelter deployment!

 

[Bill G]

Damn smokers

 

[catbuster]

This made me look up how early shelters were around. Apparently the Australians started researching them in 1958 and MTDC in Missoula started working with them in 1959. USFS bought 6,000 in 1967. I dunno when this episode is from, but maybe? The old ones were A-frame style.

EDIT: Apparently the early prototypes did look a lot like those. See here.

Source (NWCG)

 

[slowp]

This made me look up how early shelters were around. Apparently the Australians started researching them in 1958 and MTDC in Missoula started working with them in 1959. USFS bought 6,000 in 1967. I dunno when this episode is from, but maybe? The old ones were A-frame style.

EDIT: Apparently the early prototypes did look a lot like those. See here.

Source (NWCG)

It looks like, from the cars and stuff and my memory, that this is an early 1960s show. I do like that it looks like more room for a dog in those teepee style shelters. Note the fold down face shield worn on the way to find Jimmie? Tommy? Joe? and the way the timber types change in the shots of the fire.

I was looking for an episode shot in the hills around Leavenworth, WA but have not found it. It was a big deal for the area. Lassie was a popular TV show.

 

[nedsim]

I worked in the woods across the river from Hood River the summer of 1974. The start of Broughton's flume, which was supposedly the last working log flume in the US, was walking distance from where we lived and I was told an episode of Lassie featured her riding the flume. After seeing how fast the water ran, I was skeptical. Shouldn't have been.

 

[Bill G]

 

[slowp]

I worked in the woods across the river from Hood River the summer of 1974. The start of Broughton's flume, which was supposedly the last working log flume in the US, was walking distance from where we lived and I was told an episode of Lassie featured her riding the flume. After seeing how fast the water ran, I was skeptical. Shouldn't have been.

Dogs can be pretty cool about stuff. I took my retriever out on a bay frequently in my kayak. She sat in the front and if the wind came up, got water in the face. Had to teach her not to get all excited about seals popping up. She did "alert" once and got me to notice that we were heading towards a log that was a bit large. That gave me time to paddle out of the way.

I'm thinking the Leavenworth episode was the typical plot line that Lassie gets separated from Ranger Corey and wanders in the woods running into all sorts of critters. I'll look again eventually.

 

[slowp]

Hmmm, still no Leavenworth Lassie but I did find this one filmed at the Wind River Nursery, Carson, WA. The nursery is no longer run by the FS but it was a huge operation back in the day. The deer do not look scruffy enough to be locals. Ranger Corey discusses balloon logging a bit, but it is never shown. I'm thinking wind and the cost of it all made it a short lived method. Correct me if wrong.

 

[northmanlogging]

Hmmm, still no Leavenworth Lassie but I did find this one filmed at the Wind River Nursery, Carson, WA. The nursery is no longer run by the FS but it was a huge operation back in the day. The deer do not look scruffy enough to be locals. Ranger Corey discusses balloon logging a bit, but it is never shown. I'm thinking wind and the cost of it all made it a short lived method. Correct me if wrong.

last I checked the balloon logging was still in the DNR and FS rule books.... but not sure it ever got past the lets see if this works point... it could be a game changer for extra long leads, but... jacks, and what not make that nearly pointless

 

[slowp]

last I checked the balloon logging was still in the DNR and FS rule books.... but not sure it ever got past the lets see if this works point... it could be a game changer for extra long leads, but... jacks, and what not make that nearly pointless

We were told that yes, it had been done on the Peninsula. It worked until the wind came up. It was spendy. It didn't become common and had to have nice big logs to yard in order to make any money. We know what happened to that. Then there was the deadly helistat, which was deadly and a weird idea to begin with.

 

[Bill G]

That was a completely ignorant idea

 

[slowp]

$40,000,000 and if flew for what 100'
geebus F chrust... just looking at the damn thing a toddler can tell you where it was going to fail... vibrations? yeah no... how about janky aluminum scaffolding holding up a couple few 1000# of high hoarse powah torque...

Who signed off of this hair brained idea anyway?

It gets, or got, brief mention at logging engineering training. It's one of those family like things that nobody wants to talk about. Heads are shaken.

To me, it represents/foretold the budget and shape of the future FS from that time. Deflating and crashing. Unable to manage forests properly or maintain roads, trails and campgrounds. Downsizing and budget slashing. When those two things are popular, work suffers.

 

[northmanlogging]

I just no bid a deck sale, 24ccf of mostly junk hemlock, they wanted over $4K as a minimum bid, I figure thats like maybe 1.5 loads if you squint, and since I'm only gettting about $1500-2000 for a load of hemlock... BEFORE TRUCKING, yeah nah
I asked sale admin about it and he insisted that it was all thought out and they even got numbers from the local mills etc...
which sure ok, a year ago those numbers might of made sense, but that before you let a bunch of wannabee timber fallers hack away at them for 2 weeks and bucked everything to some made up east coast lengths... so anyway... I'm not going to bid on it

 

[northmanlogging]

been a couple of sales lately that would normally be in my ability range, but the side work, and timber value just doesn't match up, maybe $50k in timber but they want $200k in road work to be done just to get near it... somebody has lost the thread on how this is supposed to work.

 

[JRM]

Who signed off of this hair brained idea anyanyway?

Navy/USFS.

And people want the Gov to take over health care

 

[Bill G]

Navy/USFS.

And people want the Gov to take over health care

Think about the pilots that were assigned to that. You have to wonder what was going through their minds. The accident was in 1986 so there is a good chance some are still around.

Here is another video

 

[slowp]

Navy/USFS.

And people want the Gov to take over health care

It was engineering or non engineering gone amok. I'm surprised anyone volunteered to pilot one of the chopped up helicopters. Apparently, those guys thought it would work?

Now be a good little boy and return to the hate thread and quit trying to turn this into one.

 

[slowp]

Think about the pilots that were assigned to that. You have to wonder what was going through their minds. The accident was in 1986 so there is a good chance some are still around.

Here is another video

None of the pilots were forced to fly it. It wasn't the military.

 

[Bill G]

None of the pilots were forced to fly it. It wasn't the military.

I highly doubt they were working for free so yes they were assigned to the task. Leave it to you to be argumentative when there is no argument to be had.

 

[JRM]

Now be a good little boy and return to the hate thread and quit trying to turn this into one.

Yes sir!!!!