Forests, Fires, and Wild Things

by Bob Gray

Bob Gray, who was in the Forest Service from 1942 to 1976, has written down some 200 true accounts, many quite humorous and most informative of events that happened. The book gives a personal look at problems the ranger deals with from forest fires to administration, amusing incidents, unusual characters, and a few tragedies. Covers Shasta-Trinity National Forest and forest fires throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. He will slip in something comical most anywhere; he's like that in person too. 'Rattlesnakes were plentiful. Of course, one or two of them are plenty.' or 'We had got lost after mopping up a fire out in the Lava Beds. It was so dark we couldn't find the truck, finally giving up about eleven o'clock, we bedded down cold and hungry. Daylight came, and there right beside us, no more than fifty feet away, was our truck!'

Genres: Memoir

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1985

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book if you want a first hand account of fighting wildland fires from the mid-40's through the mid 70's. I found it fascinating because, until now, so much of his information was theory from a textbook or accident investigation report. While so much has changed, I would recommend the book for anyone who is interested in the history of forest management and wildland firefighting. It's an easy read, light hearted, yet informative.

I would also recommend the book for anyone interested in the Shasta Trinity National Forest. I had just hiked up Black Butte the day I was reading about the lookout that had been there until 1974 (as pictured on the cover). I had my map out as I was reading and was creating a list of places to explore.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of stories of the author's career in the Forest Service, spanning across 4 decades (40s-70s), primarily in California but occasionally tackling some fires up in the Pacific Northwest. Plenty of humor, but the right gravitas when it comes down to the danger of fighting wildfires. Also, it gives a look into how the Forest Service evolved over the decades, especially with regards to technology and vehicles.