Higgins Ridge

On Aug. 4, 1961, the U.S. Forest Service
sent 20 of its most elite firefighters –
smoke jumpers – to parachute into the
Idaho wilderness to put out a wildfire
burning on a mountain ridge. What
looked like a routine fire from the air
became a different story on the ground,
as wind fueled the blaze into a blow up.
The smoke jumpers, many in their first
season on the job, pivoted from battling
the fire to fighting for their lives as
the fire surrounded them. While they
instinctively wanted to run to safety, they
remembered the fate of 13 fire fighters
who unsuccessfully tried to out run a
fire in Montana’s Mann Gulch 12 years
earlier. With that tragedy in mind, the
1961 smoke jumpers decided to shelter
in place. Skilled back country pilot Rod
Snider set out to find them in a Bell
helicopter, but flying conditions were
treacherous due to the wind, and visibility
was poor due to the smoke. Now in his
90s, Snider revisits the unimaginable saga
seared into his memory, revealing a story
about bravery and brotherhood.