# @mysteryranch on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfWBP5JuTs
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/18297145-mysteryranch-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/f08b2a400b.jpg
- **Posted:** 2021-01-26T01:28:17.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** MYSTERY RANCH (@mysteryranch) — https://gondola.cc/mysteryranch

## Caption

BACKBONE CONTRIBUTOR - SAM STRAIN

Here's a little about Sam: As a second career, Sam left his political job in Chicago and joined a Hotshot crew at age 29. He’s currently employed with an R3 Hotshot Crew. He enjoys living in and traveling in his 1985 Toyota Motorhome and fishing trips with his parents.

Sam gave us some insight on the burning questions one asks themselves when working in fire. 

The internal questions about your decision to create a life around fighting forest fires start on day one of work and never end from that point on. The voice inside asking the questions gets louder with each hard assignment; as the years go by, the questions become repetitive, but new ones continue to creep into your brain.

The questions range from mundane and repetitive like "Can my body do this anymore?" to urgent and existential like "Is fire ruining my life?" to the dark and scary, like "Can I get out of this place, is this the end?"

I can't think of many careers where you ask yourself so many questions so frequently and often without any real answers.

Maybe, that's our attraction to the gig, the never-ending self-assessments, or the fact that we are spending our time doing something that is so hard we must continuously question its necessity in our lives.

To read more about Sam's Backbone contribution, head to the link in our bio ^^
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#builtforthemission #backboneseries #fire #wildlandfire #theanchorpointpodcast #mysteryranch #crew #wildlandfirefighter #wildfire #firefighters #fueledbynature #firetechnician #lifeontheline #1039 #forestrytech #operator #leaders #leadfromthefront

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 1,534
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 9

## Tags

wildlandfire, backboneseries, firefighters, wildlandfirefighter, operator, forestrytech, fire, mysteryranch, builtforthemission, lifeontheline, leaders, crew, wildfire, firetechnician, theanchorpointpodcast, leadfromthefront, fueledbynature, 1039

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