Martha Schoppe is a smokejumper, one of a select group of firefighters that parachute to the location of the wildfires they’re tasked with controlling. Out of the 400 smokejumpers across the country, only nine are female. Martha joins Payson to talk about the extreme physical and mental demands of her work, much of which takes place before they even reach the fire. From sewing their own gear to jumping from 3,000 feet into perilous terrain to hiking with 140 pound packs in all kinds of weather, smokejumpers have earned their reputation as being one of the most specialized and experienced tiers of firefighters. Martha talks about some of her most uncomfortable landings, why fighting fires in Alaska can sometimes be extremely wet, and the physical stamina required to work for 18 hours at a time on a fire that lasts for weeks. She also talks about some of the common misconceptions about wildfires, and what it was like leading an inmate crew.
In the six months of the year that Martha isn’t smokejumping, she’s pursuing other types of physical extremes. Not only is she a competitive CrossFit athlete, but she also runs 300+ mile ultramarathons (sometimes while pulling a sled in negative degree temperatures), ice climbs, and does Jiu Jitsu. In spite of all of this, however, her greatest claim to fame may be her multiple trophies in arm wrestling. She and Payson talk about all of this and more in this episode of The Adventure Stache.
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