P is for Patrol Cabin
When Patch had gotten on the radio to warn them that weather was headed her way, Windlifter was sent back to base. When Patch announced that the National Weather Service had just put out a Severe Thunderstorm Watch, Blade went into overdrive trying to get the fire penned in before the storms hit and made the situation worse. For a moment, it looked like the Air Attack Team was going to win that race…but just for a moment…
"Chief…" The team's jump plane held an unusually high level of concern.
"What is it Cabbie?" Blade tried not to snap as he pulled a sliver of focus away from containing the fire in front of them.
"I think it is time to get everyone on the ground." The C-119's voice was rock steady as always but was also wound tight with stress. "I haven't seen a storm this bad outside of a hurricane."
For the first time, Blade looked up from the fire and saw the storm towering above the horizon. The clouds were turning a sickly color of green, which forecasted nasty situation was brewing.
"That is it. I am calling it." Cabbie announced before switching channels to the park-wide emergency channel. "Pan, Pan, Pan. The Piston Peak Air Attack Team has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning Piston Peak National Park and the surrounding area. This line of storms is moving from North to Northeast. This storm is producing high winds and large hailstones. All vehicles should seek immediate shelter. I say again; all vehicles should seek immediate shelter. Pan, Pan, Pan. The Piston Peak Air Attack Team had issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Piston Peak National Park and the surrounding area. This line of storms is moving…"
As Cabbie continued to do his duty as a designated SKYWARN Severe Weather Spotter to notify the park about the approaching danger, the Chief turned his attention to the team. Dipper was the easiest member to deal with. After having her dump her load of retardant on the leading edge of the fire, he sent her fleeing due east. With her tanks empty and her engines at full throttle, she should be able to outrun the storm, land at a nearby airport, and then return once the weather was clear. The smokejumper situation a bit more complicated, but Dynamite had already pulled out the park's map and created a safe route to cover for her team. With the smokejumpers on their way, Blade turned to head back to base.
"You are not going to outrun this storm, sir." Cabbie slipped back into the Air Attack channel as Patch took up the responsibility of getting the word out to the rangers, park staff, and visitors. "I suggest that you divert to the Wheel Slip Patrol Cabin located two nautical miles away at your 3 o'clock position."
"Wilco, diverting to Wheel Slip Patrol Cabin. Fire Chief, out." Blade acknowledged Cabbie's instruction and cleared the radio channel allowing the jump plane to vector the rest of the team to safety. The C-119 spoke with clipped experience, rattling out commands even as he pushed his engines to navigate a path around the worst of the storm.
It was time to trust his team and get himself to safety. The rumble of thunder that was beginning to vibrate in the air only emphasized that point because while Cabbie could keep flying after taking a couple of bolts of lightning, Blade knew that he probably wouldn't survive the experience. He barely made it to the patrol cabin with the first wind driven raindrops started to prick his sides.
Glancing around the rustic structure, Blade found the Wheel Slip Patrol Cabin to be little more than four walls, a wood stove, and a roof…but that is all it needed to be. The cabin wasn't meant to be luxurious or even regularly used for camping. Instead, it was meant as basic housing for rangers working in the backcountry and as a shelter of last resort for park guests caught in severe weather. As the wind shook the windows, and the rain poured onto the roof, it was clear that this little structure was up to its task.
…But it appeared that Blade wasn't the only vehicle that needed the cabin's shelter. There was a series of headlights that the Chief could see trying to make their way through the downpour. There was someone out there trying to find the cabin, but the storm was making visibility difficult. As much as Blade wanted to go out and help, he knew that a helicopter was worthless in this type of weather, but after a moment, he realized that there was something he could do.
He flicked on his running lights to give the vehicles a beacon to drive towards, and the vehicles trapped in the rain instantly realigned their vector. The first vehicle Blade could make out was Dynamite. The little ATV was muddy, but clearly doing her best to find a safe path for her team through the storm. Drip, Pinecone, and Blackout were following close behind their captain, while Avalanche brought up the rear making sure that no one fell behind.
Wordlessly, Blade moved deeper into the cabin giving his smokejumpers enough space to squeeze in. It was a tight fit…so tight that two of Blades rotor blades were touching the back wall, and three of the smaller vehicles were pressed up against his skin. Still, after some jostling, they all managed to fit.
"WELL, THAT WAS EXCITING." Avalanche drawled, as though their mad dash across the forests and the storm raging at his bumper was a perfectly normal experience.
"I vote that the girls get the power washer first." Pinecone sighed, as she resisted the urge to shake free some of the mud coating her undercarriage.
Dynamite opened her mouth, when a particularly severe gust of wind slammed against the building. Everyone was stunned into scilence, and for a moment, it felt like the entire cabin might come down around them. But the howling outside quieted as quickly as it had come.
"Microburst." Blackout whispered.
"Po-ho-no…" Drip replied, his eyes wide.
"It will be…" Dynamite tried to break the tension in the room but was interrupted by the sound of something far harder than rain hitting the roof. Even if the banging sound hadn't drown out any possibility of speech, the way that the roof was flexing under the strain of the storm would have stunned them to silence.
It took a few long seconds for Blade to peel his gaze from the ceiling to look out the still open door. When he did, it was easy to see the cause of the noise. The rain had been replaced by a curtain of hail…and the hailstones were at least the size of golf balls.
The sight made Blade really hoped Dipper and Cabbie had been able to outrun this storm, because that size of hail could easily punch a hole in a wing…or worse. But there was no way for the Chief to get in contact with the rest of the Air Attack Team. A radio signal simply couldn't penetrate this much interference. All he could do was wait with the smokejumpers and hope that storm blew over before the patrol cabin's roof damaged.
As the storm raged on, Blade could feel the smokejumpers pressing closer to him as though the helicopter could stand in for Cabbie's sheltering wings. It was not until the hail transitioned back to rain, then the rain lessoned allowing the first slivers of sunlight to peek through the darkened sky did the little ground pounders relax.
"Well…" Dynamite looked out at the now ice-covered landscape, "let's not do that again."
"AGREED!" Blade was pretty sure that all of the smokejumpers had spoken up, but Avalanche drowned them all out. Now that they weren't all fearing for their lives, the little cabin was starting to feel fairly cramped and when Pinecone accidently scratched Blade's tail boom it was clearly time to get moving.
"Patch, is there any additional bands of thunderstorms headed our way?" Blade called over the Air Attack Base's radio channel.
"Thank goodness!" The relief was palpable in Patch's voice. "We are clear for now, but have a series of squalls that are expected to in the park in about 45 minute. What is your current location?"
"I successfully made it to the Wheel Slip Patrol Cabin where I sheltered with the smokejumpers."
"Understood." The dispatcher breathed. "Are all of the smokejumpers with you and accounted for?"
"That would be an affirmative." Blade replied before trying to get more information about Cabbie and Dipper. "Did the rest of the team get to safety?"
"Yes, it was rather hairy for a bit but Windlifter barely made it to base in time. Lil' Dipper was able to land at Bishop and is planning on flying back once the weather has settled down."
"And Cabbie?"
Patch sighed. "Cabbie is about 15 minutes out from base. The idiot actually threaded between cells in the storm."
Blade groaned. While Cabbie was certainly an experienced flyer, the Chief wasn't particularly thrilled to hear that his jump plane had been in the air during a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. It was a stupid move, and the two aircraft were going to have to have a 'chat' later. Still, it was a relief to know that all his people were safe.
"Thank you for letting me know. Please expect me to return to base in the next 30 minutes."
"Wilco…and thank you for checking in. Maru and I were starting to get worried. Air Attack Base out."
With that done, Blade turned his attention to Dynamite and her crew. "Well, you heard the report." He stared them, and when they didn't move, he cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, I do need to get to the door."
The smokejumpers didn't need to be told twice. They poured out of the enclosed space and out into the storm thrashed landscape. Once you could get a clear look of the surroundings, it was easy to see just how bad the storm had been. The trail was a muddy mess with trees that were snapped and broken. Glancing back at the patrol cabin, it was easy to see the beating the structure and Blade shuttered to think about what would have happened if he and his team would have weathered this storm in the open.
"Well, boys." Dynamite glanced levelly at her smokejumpers, taking the situation in stride. "It looks like we are going to have our work cut out for us. I think we will stay parked hear until the next line of thunderstorms makes its way through and then we are going to see if we can get this trail patched up." The captain turned to Blade. "When you get to base could you arrange for a supply dump? I suspect this particular job is going to involve a lot of hot coffee."
"I will do that." Blade bobbed on his tires, then once the smokejumpers had retreated back into the cabin, he took to the sky and turned his nose towards home.
Term- Patrol Cabin- Patrol Cabins are structures that help provide shelter to rangers and hikers when they are traveling in the backcountry. These cabins often had hidden stashes of food or fuel that the rangers could use if they got waylaid by bad weather or to help visitors who got into travel. Most Patrol Cabins rustic, one or two-room structures that are heated using a wood stove. They may or may not have basic furniture such as bunk beds (without mattresses), a table, and chairs. In short, Patrol Cabins not particularly comfortable places to stay, but they will keep the weather off.