How a Cowboy Rides When the Range is on Fire

British Columbia's wildfires this summer forced the evacuation of a ranch owned by Rhonda MacDonald, and rounding up her 150 free-roaming cattle across a hundred-thousand-acre stretch of Crown rangeland meant calling in help from horseback riders after she posted a plea on Facebook. Rancher Wayne MacDonald briefed the riders beforehand, sketching the mountain's ridges and escape routes from memory and noting there was only one road in and out. Longreads is featuring this account of the rescue.

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