--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Langry, W. E. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 28 number: 8 published: 1925-06 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "W. E. Langry, “Racing with Fire,” *Improvement Era 28, no. 8 (June 1925)*: 747–749." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2808unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2808unse start_page: 747 end_page: 749 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1925-06) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2808unse publication_year: 1925 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1925, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Racing with Fire RACING WITH FIRE By W. E. Langry, Forest Ranger The car being ready and packed with bedding, camp equipment, food supplies, fishing tackle and gun, Mr. Wilson drove to the front gate and called out, "All aboard." Mrs. Wilson and her twelve-year- old daughter Dorothy, dressed for a mountain trip, came out and got into the car. They were glad to leave the little town of Nelsen with its sweltering July heat, dusty streets and sun-parched fields to enter the canyon of Lion Creek enroute for a vacation in the high forested mountains lying eastward. The cooling breezes of the canyon refreshed the party and stimu- lated them to an appreciation of the changing scenes along the way. Above the boulder-strewn, sagebrush-covered foothills, the more nar- rowed canyon is bordered by broken rims, dotted with juniper and pinion trees and made increasingly verdant by oakbrush, grass and wild flowers. Farther up waterfalls are frequent and the slopes are covered with spruce and fir trees. Finally the deep canyon opens into a high mountain valley into which several small streams flow draining the higher mountains beyond. On a small grassy flat near the largest of these streams the party pitched camp. Mr. Wilson could scarcely stop long enough to kindle the camp fire for his wife. He grabbed his fishing tackle and, followed by Dorothy, went down the creek to fish. Dorothy's shrieks of delight echoing through the timber hinted strongly of the success of their fishing, so Mrs. Wilson was not greatly surprised when the anglers returned to camp with a fine mess of rainbow trout. Surely Dad," remarked Mrs. Wilson, "you are not going to cook all of those trout for dinner?" as her husband dropped the last fish into the hot pan. "Indeed I am," he replied. "Our down- town appetites will give way to the real thing in the mountains. No normal person patronizes nature's mountain health offerings unre- warded by a vigorous appetite. Right now I am as hungry as a wolf." After a highly enjoyable meal the party made ready to continue farther into the mountains but were halted by Dorothy while she poured a pan of water onto the camp fire. She had read two posters near the camp. One was, "Play Safe With Fire," the other, "Put Out Your Camp Fire." Crossing the creek the party drove slowly southward along a long road through a dense spruce forest. Mr. Wilson, being a lumber dealer, looked closely at the trees admiring them for the great volume and fine quality of lumber they might produce. Mrs. Wilson, an 748 IMPROVEMENT ERA artist, was thrilled with the wonderful scenery, while Dorothy delighted in the songs of the birds, the whistle of the woodchuck and the fragrance of the wild flowers. Several stops were made to see fleeing deer. Emerging from the forest and crossing a grassy ridge they came to Glacier Lake which is nestled at the west base of a high mountain peak, shut in by stone cliffs on the east and south and drained on the west by a small creek which also is shut from the south by the rim. Camp was pitched and the family settled down to enjoy their vacation. The next morning while fishing Mr. Wilson noted that the west wind which had been blowing all night had changed and was coming from the north-west and immediately the atmosphere became darkened and great clouds of smoke floated over the lake and up the steep moun- tainside. He hurried to a high point nearby where he could see that a fire was raging in the forest through which they had passed the after- noon before. Rushing to the car their outfit was soon loaded and a mad run made to get through the forest before the fire might cross their path. The big Buick car was put to its test. Over the grassy ridge it sped fairly jumping from bump to bump, Mr. Wilson steering resolutely while the wife and daughter, watching only the massive smoke below, clung desperately on to avoid being hurled from the car. They reached the forest only to be met by a blinding cloud of smoke which made it difficult to follow the road. Smoke came heavier and heavier until the driver was forced to stop. The stricken pause was broken by a local change in the wind which turned the smoke revealing a large fire immediately in front of the car. The attempt to back up the hill failed as the car slipped off the grade and stuck against a stump where it was abondoned by its occupants who fled on foot before the on-coming flames. Together they climbed up the ridge through the blinding, chocking smoke headed for the lake. What with fire behind and at their right and impassable rims before and at their left there was no retreat beyond the lake. Nor were they alone, for birds, deer, coyotes, grouse and numerous other denizens of the forest were going the same way, all answering a common instinct. Near the lake a band of sheep were encountered trotting with noses to the ground following their bewildered leaders' aimless retreat. Standing near the lake the Wilsons heard a human call. It was from the Mexican shepherd trying to direct his flock from the fire. Fainter and fainter grew the call from the direction of the fire until it could be heard no more. He had lost control of the sheep but continued to follow to head them back. The only relief to be had from smoke when the wind blew directly toward the stranded family was to lie close to the ground at the lake shore. Here they spent the day, the fire coming steadily nearer. Wild animals of the forest were likewise hugging the lake. A coyote and a fawn were seen together apparently unconcerned in each others presence. Flames reached the north bank of the lake. RACING WITH FIRE 749 i A human call rang out — the Wilsons answered in chorus. Two fire wardens had scaled the cliffs from the east for the rescue. There was no time to lose. Neither was there a chance to flee from the place as was expected by the family upon the arrival of the wardens. Every- body got busy bringing in timbers which were chopped with the warden's ax and fashioned into a crude raft held together by ties of belts, coats, shirts and other pieces of clothing. The raft was scarcely completed when the flames had completely encircled the lake. The whole party went on the raft to the middle of the lake where they spent the night. Much of the time it was necessary for them to keep in the water because of the excess heat from the fire. When morning came, the fire had died down sufficiently to allow the party to leave through the north-east corner of the burned area. They saw blackened ground, charred logs and snags and burned carcasses of animals where on the day before there had been a beautiful landscape, valuable forest timber and interesting animal life. But the climax was felt in the finding of the burned body of the faithful Mexican shepherd lying in the midst of his fallen flock. The warden, being questioned, reluctantly related the story of how the origin of the fire had been traced to the Wilson campfire. The pan of water poured onto the fire by Dorothy failed to kill all of the coals and the brisk wind of that evening had fanned them into flames which reached the nearby leaves and twigs and spread into the forest. Seated in the camp of the firefighters where the family had been taken, Mr. Wilson saw the charred body of the shepherd brought in. Sickened by the sight he turned away gazing at a distance until his eyes, tiring, rested on one of the tents of the camp. There he read the red-letter warning, "Play Safe With Fire." Its meaning was too clear. Fish Lake National Forest, Salina, Utah The Smoker The smoker puffs away at ease But never appetites appease, He will in joy or pleasure tend Whoever he may more offend, However you may want to glare You'd only get the stony stare, He smokes and smokes as if in spite Whatever you may think is right, He does not care if got in bad For all the knocks he may have had, Although when told it dulls his brain He has not courage to refrain, Nor ever will his smoke relay Until there comes a time to pay, And when at last the time he's old, Alas! what wretched story told! James D. Todd