pass the test. Smokejumper training included an excruciating physical test, parachuting classes, and
the vicious “hell week,” where rookies had to dig fire lines for days at a time with no rest, and carry
their 85-pound packs through the woods for miles. At their base in Missoula, Montana, the
smokejumpers also embarked on a rigorous three-week training program at the beginning of each
fire season. The regimen conditioned the men, while teaching them to work together, react quickly,
and follow orders…
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