In this volume, Jerry Mathes II takes readers along into the heart of wildfires from the forests of Idaho to the deserts of the Mexican border - and directly into the lives of men and women who face the terror, beauty, and hardship of life on the fire line. His story testifies to their extraordinary camaraderie, forged by thunderstorms that scatter lightning and hail, high summer heat and shivering nights in which bears prowl through wilderness camps, and quiet days of reflection, waiting for what may come next.