Page 71 of Falling for the Firefighter
Jackson Hart, who's been silent until now, shakes his head. "I know that formation. Sixty-foot vertical climb through a rock chimney barely wide enough for a man's shoulders. In perfect conditions, it's challenging. In smoke?"
"It's their only chance."
I key the radio, my decision made.
"Alpha Leader, this is Base Command. I have an extraction route, but it's extreme risk."
"Go ahead, Base Command."
"North-northwest from your position, approximately four hundred yards through burned timber. Look for a narrow canyon entrance—it appears as a shadow cut into the rock face."
Static crackles as Mac processes the information. When his voice returns, it's strained.
"Found it. Looks like a dead end."
"The canyon extends two hundred yards into the mountain, then terminates at a vertical wall. But there's a chimney formation—a natural shaft carved by water erosion. Sixty feet straight up through solid rock."
A pause. When Mac speaks again, his voice carries the weight of command decision balanced on a knife's edge.
"How narrow is this chimney?"
I close my eyes, remembering the formation from my exploration three years ago. The terror of being trapped in that vertical shaft, shoulders scraping rock on both sides, sixty feet of darkness above.
"Shoulder width. Maybe less in places. It's a one-person climb. If someone gets stuck halfway up..."
"Game over for everyone behind them."Mac finishes grimly."How sure are you about the exit?"
The question that could doom or save twelve lives.
"I've climbed it. It opens onto a ledge system above Hidden Lake—a small alpine lake about forty feet below the chimney exit. You'll need to rappel down to the water, then swim across to the north shore where the fire hasn't spread. Evacuation can pick you up from there." I pause, needing him to understand. "Once you enter that canyon, there's no other way out. If the chimney proves impassable..."
"We cook."His voice is flat, matter-of-fact."Understood. Moving to canyon entrance now."
I watch the clock on the wall, tracking their progress in my mind. Four hundred yards through burning forest to reach the canyon mouth. Then two hundred yards into the blind canyon. Then, a sixty-foot vertical climb while superheated air rises beneath them.
The radio crackles with updates as they move through the hellscape. Mac's voice, professional despite the chaos:"Alpha Leader moving to canyon entrance. Visibility near zero. Ground temperature extreme."
Long minutes pass. I track their progress on the map, imagining them stumbling through superheated air and falling ash toward what might be salvation or a death trap.
"Base Command, Alpha Leader at canyon entrance. Confirm—this terminates at a rock wall?"
"Affirmative. The chimney entrance is at the back wall, northeast corner. Look for a vertical crack in the granite."
"Moving into the canyon now."
The radio goes quiet except for static. I stare at the map, knowing they're now committed to a route with no alternatives.If the chimney is blocked, if someone gets trapped in the narrow shaft, if the exit is compromised...
"Alpha Leader, status?"
Static.
"Alpha Leader, respond."
More static, then a burst of noise that might be voices or might be wind through stone.
Minutes crawl by. Even if they survive the climb, they might emerge to find the world above them consumed by flame.
Scout begins pacing, her agitation mirroring my own as the radio remains silent. She moves between the windows and the command table, occasionally returning to press against me before resuming her restless circuit.
