6/24/2010

Yesterday entailed more cold trailing along the fire’s edge, then putting in line along a ridge. Putting in the line was a whole crew effort, with saws going and swampers swamping. My squad alternated swamping materials and digging the actual line, based on where we were needed, and how close we were getting to the sawyers. And at the end of the day I got a shower! My legs were covered in a Capri pants of dirt! It was so disgusting, I had to scrub my body so abrasively and watch the water run off my like mud. Even after the dirt was gone I kept scrubbing dirt spots until I realized that the majority of my legs are covered in bruises! But not I feel human again and do not look like a “gargoyle” as Alex remarked. I believe today is day 10 of the deployment (I may be wrong) so the end is in sight! I’m excited to be able to get more than 7 hours of sleep, and to shower with girly smelling soap not men’s 2-in-1, and to wear clothes I haven’t been living in for 2 weeks, and to sleep in a bed, and to read books, and have a fully charged cell phone, and actually have time to talk on it!