Pulaski

OldDogDan · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2014 8:16 pm

All you trail gnomes know a Pulaski from a McLeod. But you may not know that the Pulaski is named for one of the most famous forest service firefighter heroes, the other being Wag Dodge. Two amazing stories of desperation, ingenuity, and miraculous survival. Or near heroism. The Dodge story falls short because his men did not understand what he was doing, and perished. But what he did was legendary and has saved many since.

Mudd · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2014 8:41 pm

DWill · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2014 9:07 pm

OldDogDan wrote:

All you trail gnomes know a Pulaski from a McLeod. But you may not know that the Pulaski is named for one of the most famous forest service firefighter heroes, the other being Wag Dodge. Two amazing stories of desperation, ingenuity, and miraculous survival. Or near heroism. The Dodge story falls short because his men did not understand what he was doing, and perished. But what he did was legendary and has saved many since.

I've both hiked recreationally and worked in Mann Gulch. Last summer I took my son there while was home visiting my family for a few weeks. It a sobering feeling walking up that gulch, even more so since it recently burned again.

OldDogDan · **Posted:** Thu May 15, 2014 9:49 pm

DWill wrote:

OldDogDan wrote:

All you trail gnomes know a Pulaski from a McLeod. But you may not know that the Pulaski is named for one of the most famous forest service firefighter heroes, the other being Wag Dodge. Two amazing stories of desperation, ingenuity, and miraculous survival. Or near heroism. The Dodge story falls short because his men did not understand what he was doing, and perished. But what he did was legendary and has saved many since.

I've both hiked recreationally and worked in Mann Gulch. Last summer I took my son there while was home visiting my family for a few weeks. It a sobering feeling walking up that gulch, even more so since it recently burned again.

DWill, what work were you doing there? Have you read "Young Men and Fire"? Yes, I imagine being there would be sobering. Have you been up to the crosses? I think the impact of thirteen crosses spread out on a hillside must be necessarily much greater than that of the single bronze plaque at our local historic tragedy, Inaja.

DWill · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2014 4:08 pm

OldDogDan wrote:

DWill wrote:

OldDogDan wrote:

All you trail gnomes know a Pulaski from a McLeod. But you may not know that the Pulaski is named for one of the most famous forest service firefighter heroes, the other being Wag Dodge. Two amazing stories of desperation, ingenuity, and miraculous survival. Or near heroism. The Dodge story falls short because his men did not understand what he was doing, and perished. But what he did was legendary and has saved many since.

I've both hiked recreationally and worked in Mann Gulch. Last summer I took my son there while was home visiting my family for a few weeks. It a sobering feeling walking up that gulch, even more so since it recently burned again.

DWill, what work were you doing there? Have you read "Young Men and Fire"? Yes, I imagine being there would be sobering. Have you been up to the crosses? I think the impact of thirteen crosses spread out on a hillside must be necessarily much greater than that of the single bronze plaque at our local historic tragedy, Inaja.

In high school I worked BLM and Forest Service trail crews during the summer (junior and senior year). In college I worked on BLM fire crews for 3 summers though not in that area; two of those years I worked out of Dillon but we lived and worked in Ennis.

We did trail work for a few weeks out of what then was a camp ground (it was burned out a few years ago) in Gates Of The Mountains. We worked the trails all through Mann Gulch, Meriwether Canyon and along the river. The crosses were burned in the fire that burned through the area a few years ago. Don't know if those crosses and plaques have been replaced or not they were not very early last summer.

If I get a chance I'll hike through there when I'm home next month. It's not easy to get to. You have to boat there either through the gates or boat up river from Holter Lake.

Yes I read that book and a whole lot more on that fire. My minor in college was fire science; I did a study and a term paper on that fire.

OldDogDan · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2014 7:37 pm

Thanks DWill. I've never been there but I feel like I know it well through MacLean's book. I never did that kind of work but was always interested by it. I read several related things too, like the one about Storm King. Last night i saw this nice set of photos and excellent narrative a guy posted a year ago. He said the original concrete crosses were damaged and have been augmented with granite spires, and Navone got a Star of David.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/12150532@N04/8872737511/

DWill · **Posted:** Fri May 16, 2014 8:32 pm

OldDogDan wrote:

Thanks DWill. I've never been there but I feel like I know it well through MacLean's book. I never did that kind of work but was always interested by it. I read several related things too, like the one about Storm King. Last night i saw this nice set of photos and excellent narrative a guy posted a year ago. He said the original concrete crosses were damaged and have been augmented with granite spires, and Navone got a Star of David.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/12150532@N04/8872737511/

Yeah there are done granite markers. If you ever get a chance to go you should.

It'll strike you how hard it must have been to get up from the bottom. It's pretty steep and those guys tried to straight up for the most part.

It takes pretty much all day, like I said its a challenge just to get there but the trip through The Gates Of The Mountains is worth the visit in itself.

Pulaski

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