About
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My name is Eric Wright. I was born and raised in Blue Springs, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. During high school, I was in Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle. I also worked two summers at Philmont Scout Ranch, a 140,000 acre high adventure base with over 300 miles of trails that scouts from all over the country spend weeks at a time backpacking. One year, I staffed a back country cabin that provided the scouts programs and meals. The other year, I was on a conservation trail crew that maintained the trails and un-staffed camp sites.
After I graduated high school, I attended the University of Missouri and studied agricultural journalism two years before deciding I had enough of school and joined the Army. I served as an infantryman in both the 2nd Ranger Battalion and 3rd Brigade 1st Armored Division where I was promoted to Sergeant. After four years and two tours to Afghanistan, I decided I was ready to get out and try school again. This time I used my G.I. Bill and attended the University of Montana. Moving west was a choice I primarily made to be nearer to the vast expanse of wilderness here to get lost in. I like to camp, hike, and fish, and I like to read and write about it. At UM, I studied creative writing and English teaching. In 2016, I graduated, with honors, with my B.A. in Secondary English Education. That same year, I accepted my first job offer teaching at a small school on the Blackfeet Reservation in northwest Montana. At times, the teaching assignment was a challenge, one that I readily undertook, but even more than that, it was a great learning opportunity, affording me the unique opportunities to experience Blackfeet culture and explore that wild part of country. During my second year teaching, I found out I would have a daughter, which necessitated another life change. So, I took a job firefighting with the U.S. Forest Service to earn more money and adopt a schedule that would work better for child care. Also, with my scouting and military background, firefighting had always appealed to me. My first season, I worked for a Type 2 fire module composed of 12 members. We were based out of remote duty station in the Salmon Challis of Idaho and spent several extended rolls building trails, monitoring fires, and generally sleeping out under the stars in the forests and wildernesses of that area. My daughter was born soon after the season, and I enjoyed the next 6 months becoming acquainted with my new role as a father--one that I consider the most important I ever will or ever have had. The following season, I knew I wanted to earn more money, and also I wanted to continue to test myself. I'd come to a point in my life, where I would not be satisfied if I didn't work for the best in my occupation. For Forest Service Firefighting, that meant getting on a Type 1 Hotshot crew---a national resource. They are tasked with containing fires of the largest and most complex nature, and the next season, I was proud to get hired onto the Logan Hotshots, out of Logan, Utah. The season went well, not in the least because of the remarkable folks I found myself surrounded by, and I sincerely enjoyed their comradery and the challenge of the assignments. What was most difficult, however, was being 7 hours away from home. In light of this, I went through another rigorous interview and application process, and the season after Logan, I landed a job with the Lolo Hotshots. Lolo IHC is based out of Missoula, Montana where I feel fortunate to everyday be near my daughter and have access to all the beautiful locations and culture it affords. I created this website to document some of my life and thoughts. You can find journal updates, as well as fictional and non-fictional short stories and my responses to the work I happen to read. If you'd like you can fill in the email form below, and I will notify you whenever I update. There are also new and featured posts listed at the bottom of this page. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you enjoy. |
Contact
Email: [email protected]