Weston updates

Wes is doing great & still going strong, however, he's wearing a little thin & ready to be home again, this makes me happy, it's true, he misses me! Hopefully he'll be coming back Wednesday!  That flew by, right? uhhhh.....

I miss climbing in bed without him. I think it's the worst part!

Here's an excerpt from the Chieftain today:

Strong winds tested fire lines Thursday as crews worked feverishly along rugged terrain from the air and the ground.

Winds and heat ramped up in the afternoon as 844 firefighters made considerable progress in constructing direct fire lines and securing the areas near structures on the south side of the fire.

"They (firefighters) were dealing with winds between 15 to 20 miles per hour in the morning hours and by the afternoon the winds picked up to about 35 miles per hour," Souder said.

Souder said the Track Fire has one of the largest contingent of firefighters on the line in the entire country.

"They are continuing to hold the line on the north end of the fire using bulldozers and hand crews," Souder said.

Souder said firefighters are taking on long shifts and are very tired at day's end.

"Some are camping overnight near the lines to make sure that they hold," she said.

All available helicopters and air tankers were utilized on the most active areas of the fire.

Large smoke plumes billowed into the blue sky because of the high afternoon winds. Residents in Trinidad said the smell of smoke was heavy.

"We had a pretty active fire today," Souder said.

No additional structures were lost and there have been no major injuries.

"We actually had a bee sting and one firefighter treated for dehydration," Souder said.

Strong winds are expected again today and possibly through Saturday.

"We are going to continue to forge ahead in spite of the predicted red flag conditions," Souder said.

So, I guess if we're noting that someone got stung by a bee....they're doin okay on safety! 

Lots of wind & crazy terrain, though!  Wes has been working in Sugarite Canyon!  He didn't like it, because his job was the back of the line today, he likes being at the front of the line with all the action, but everyone has to take turns on the exciting jobs, thank goodness!  Wes is carrying a 45 pound pack. & a 45 pound water jug a lot of the times. Yeah. 90 Pounds.  & the chainsaw...115. Uh, yeah. 

I don't know if ya'll read all of these updates, but this blog gets printed for our family journal, & I know we'll appreciate having all of this documented!