T is for Truck Trail
When you lived on an Air Attack Base, privacy was an illusion yourself. Luckily growing up in a household of 14 people had taught Dynamite to excel at putting up with the little indignities of having to share space with others. It had also taught her that if you don't want to have to fight for a hot shower, you have to be the first one moving in the morning, and even the long days on the fire line had yet to break her of that habit.
Most mornings she woke before the first hints of dawn started to tint the sky. Above her, the sky stretched between the mountain peaks a carpet of stars. Even without a moon, the pinpricks of light in the heavens provided just enough light for her to navigate so she didn't turn on her headlights. Instead, she rolled across the tarmac and to the entrance of a well warn truck trail.
This particular trail was as rough as they came. Ungroomed and barely maintained, it was more of a fire break than a tool for transport. It was also closed to the public, which made it perfect for what Dynamite needed it for. Quietly bringing her engines to a purr, she took a deep breath and latched herself forward.
Traveling down the trail at a high rate of speed, the Smokejumper captain allowed herself to be lost in the movement. She poured her focus into the moment, letting her tires remember the location of every bump and pothole, safely navigating the obstacle with the grace of a professional racer.
As she moved, the world began to wake up around her. The horizon turned from blue to purple and then blossomed into pink as the sun began to pull itself into the sky. The gliders started to call, and the canyon wind was setting the treetops gently swaying.
Dynamite's exhausted came out as puffs of white cold mountain air as she slowed, getting ready to turn around and head back to base. As the crunch of her own tires quieted, she heard the sound of something moving in the woods. She gently tapped on her breaks and came to a complete stop just in time to see a large deere crossing the truck tail in front of her. The buck looked at her for a few long moments, before flicking his side mirrors and bounded back into the forest.
The ATV took a moment to let the pleasure of the moment sink in. Then she kicked her engines back into gear and turned around. The trip back to base was both quick and uneventful. Now that the trail was fully lit, Dynamite pushed her engines to allow her to tear down the dirt track. Relaxing into the turns and letting her suspension take the jolts of the uneven ground, she was easily able to exceed 50 miles per hour when she busted out of the forest and back onto solid tarmac.
Like the forest, the Air Attack Base was also waking. Blade's hanger door was open, which meant that the Chief was probably already out on his morning patrol. Cabbie and Patch were sitting by the C-119's hanger sipping coffee and listening to that day's weather report. The strains of a familiar Chicano rock album were coming from the main hanger, which meant that Blackout was already working on breakfast…which meant it was time for Dynamite to get to work. Reeving her engine, the smokejumper captain threw the doors to the smokejumper's hanger wide open.
"Alright, you lazy lumps, time to get your afts moving!"
Term- Truck Trail- An unimproved road in the park used for protection or servicing of the backcountry. The vast majority of Truck Trails are designed to be fire breaks or fire access roads. These roads tend to have a very uneven grade, require 4X4 drive to access, and are generally closed to the public.