Another Step Complete

As I entered the “Strip Shack” yesterday afternoon, I thought to myself only one more day I had to put with the humiliation. Actually, on my 7th day of going through this I no longer view it as degrading, it is just a necessary evil of my situation. It is good to know I only have one more of these to put up with. I went through the unlock and quickly got into the shower before the water was turned off.

In the evening I decided to stay in the dorm because I had more writing to do (it sure seems that I do a great deal of it!) I sent a message over to my friend letting him know I wasn’t coming out. I did lay low last night and stayed on my bunk writing the entire evening. If these days are any indication of what fire camp is going to be like then this is a good thing because the days go by so fast. I wrote the blog and also wrote a letter to a dear friend. The dear friend sends me incredibly insightful letters and each time I receive one I feel honored that he is my friend. The evening went very fast and it was time for bed.

After breakfast I saw the coach and decided to go over and talk to him. I was going to do this tomorrow but the timing seemed right this morning. I needed to ask him if I could come back as an Instructor. There are many unknowns such as how long it will take to get to fire camp; also, as I complete the FTP training, I am subject to reassignment which could lead to a job which I wouldn’t care for very much such as a kitchen worker or dorm porter. I would rather do something I enjoy such as the Instructor rather than be assigned to a “nothing” job. I approached the new coach and asked if I could come back. He was extremely nice and he said, “I don’t see why not,” and also spoke of a different position involving recreation. I told him I was up for anything involving exercise. He mentioned typing and computer skills and I told him my skills are very good, but I am not eligible to work on a computer due to the matter of my crimes. This didn’t seem to bother him in the least and said that my working on a computer isn’t a problem if he is there with me. It appears I can come back as an Instructor or something close to that. I will go tomorrow to start the paperwork and hopefully I will be able to start the beginning of next week. I was very pleased with the conversation and this new coach was almost “too nice.”

The FTP classes were being announced and thankfully mine was not cancelled. I exited through the gate and had 2 more gates to get through before it was truly official. We were checked through the first gate and the all important second gate leading to the fire fighting training center was looming large. The gate clicked opened and we all proceeded through it towards the CCV. It was now official because we all made it outside the gate for the all important 8th day of training which is graduation day! I could hear a collective sigh of relief as the last man in our class came through the gate. Everyone (especially me) was happy!!

All of us in the class thought we were going to have a very easy last day. However, the Swamper had other ideas. This was his last class to go hiking and oh boy did we hike! He played it very coy on the previous hikes calling them walks which in my opinion were just walks – not hikes. The Swamper took us on a hike which was aptly named “Breathless” and everyone in the class was out of breath. This was a very challenging hike which became more challenging when some of my classmates decided to run their mouths. As soon as the Swamper heard their snide comments he had the entire class hike back down to the bottom and start all over again. We were about a quarter of the way up before we went back down. Again, these classmates could not hold their tongues and shot off their mouths after we were halfway up so the Swamper had us go back down once again. At this point some tempers were flaring between classmates. I tried to keep the peace and cooler heads did prevail. During the other hikes, we had to stay in “hook line order” and couldn’t pass the person in front of us. On this hike we were allowed to pass anyone in front since many of my classmates were having a hard time. I could feel my breathing but I kept putting one foot in front of the other as I reached the top. I will do alright on these hikes and will be able to do the laborious work. Actually, I look forward to long hikes especially if it involves going up some steep terrain.

When the class reached the top, the Swamper wasn’t done with us yet. He took us down two more trails – “Blair’s Witch” and “Dirty Bird” (although I didn’t notice any dirty birds). After the hike, we ate lunch on a beautiful vista overlooking the entire valley where I thought of my family as I took in the view and savored every minute. Life is much too short not to enjoy and time moves so quickly which is why I now enjoy every moment so much more than ever before.

The ride back to the center took about 45 minutes which wasn’t nearly long enough since it was my last day of “freedom” until I am transferred to fire camp. Our final assignment was to wash the CCV, gloves, and chin straps. When our task was complete, we stood in line as the Captain handed out our certificates for fire camp. After 4 ½ months I have finally completed all the necessary training requirements for fire camp and can be transferred at any time. It has been a long road and I still have a way to go but I am well on my way.

I walked back inside the prison gates a very happy man. The “Strip Shack” loomed ahead but I didn’t care; it was the last time. I entered – stripped, was searched, dressed and was on my way back to the yard. I found out there was a new shower schedule where the hours were cut from 6 to 4 hours a day. “Bird Baths” are prohibited and disciplinary actions will be taken. I haven’t broken any rules since I arrived in prison 8 months ago and I am not about to start. A few hours being dirty is doable and as long as I wash up before going to dinner I will be fine. I can say one thing for certain; the transfer to fire camp can’t come soon enough.