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The morning after my birthday, sitting in my living room, I heard the faint double chop of what could only be a Chinook. I walked out to the front porch and watched as a single Chinook would come in over the mountain, dip down below the trees, then reappear moments later. Every 10 minutes, the same thing. After an hour I decided I needed to go find where she was scooping up the water from. I checked Google maps and could 2 small lakes in that area. Being only about a 5 minute drive, I grabbed my Sony and 600mm lens and went hunting. The first location was the one, a small crowed had formed around the neighborhood pond this CH-47 crew had decided was the best water source. I think this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life; having a Chinook just yards away, repeatedly approaching, hovering, and departing for over an hour is indescribable. That sound and downwash are unmatched. The fire was just a few miles up the mountain, in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina.