The gripping tale of a young man looking for both a summer job and an adventure and finding it—and so much more—as a hotshot forest firefighter

In 1966, the first type-1 hotshot fire crew was established in Washington state. When Pat McGinnis joined the notorious crew The Bushmen, he had no idea it would turn into more than a summer job. It would be an experience filled with near misses and tragedies, and the ultimate lessons and humility that life teaches to those who survive. His captivating memoir chronicles the highs and lows of life as a hotshot forest firefighter—along with the dangers, grit, dedication, camaraderie, and hard work of The Bushmen. History records the Bushmen crew as being vulgar rogues whose calling cards were drinking, carousing, and raising hell. They played hard and worked even harder. And as the story delves deeper into the misguided steps of an eighteen-year-old boy who would turn to drinking and an irresponsible lifestyle filled with bad decisions, McGinnis’s uncertain future unfolds. Pat McGinnis became a member of The Bushmen in the summer of 1974. In 1977, his final summer with the crew, they were called to fight a fire in the Sequoia National Forest in California. The Bonita Flat Fire didn’t make national headlines, but it was a fire that McGinnis was sure would be his last…

Patrick McGinnis was head sawyer and team leader of The Bushmen fire crew when he left the Forest Service after the summer of 1977. He received his MBA from City University of Seattle in 2006. Now semi-retired, Mr. McGinnis works as a certified driving examiner, instructor, and teacher. He lives in Redmond, Washington.