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.

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