First day of work today, and the burn crew looks like a good group. Two burn bosses and four crew like me, all guys and most in a similar place in life. We started the day with a mountain of paperwork before moving on to the most-annoying two-hour computer ATV training. This was followed by some pretty simple ATV riding and the beginning of some fire training. By this point it was 3:30 and it was too nice to stay inside, so they hauled out the 40-pound vests (MUCH more comfortable than packs) and announced the pack test. The test was rather anticlimactic, a fast walk down a nice trail along the train yard. As it turned out, I matched pace perfectly with one of my co-workers, so we chatted throughout and finished in 39:58. One guy, in great shape, finished in about 38 minutes, and the bosses and the rest of the crew rolled in at about 42.
Michele was waiting with a letter from OSU when I got home, a very simple letter saying that I am accepted. So it is finally official!
