Chapter 10
Two hours later they were jumping a fire in the Bitterroot Mountains in Western Montana.
“I thought I was done with these damned mountains,” Evan complained to Ox as they double-checked each other’s gear before the jump. “This is Zulies territory.”
“Yeah, I bet they’re just having themselves nothing but fun up in the Alaska Range right at the moment; that Anchorage fire’s a monster. Though I’m with you, bro. The Bitterroots suck.”
They were as steep as the Hindu Kush, which meant missing a drop zone could land you in the next valley a several-hour hike away. Except the Bitterroots were covered with a towering conifer forest that was crackling dry with the heat and the drought that had been throttling the Northwest all year. Once on the ground, cutting a line across the steep
