Overcoming Adversity: The Journey To Mental Health And Healing With Jay Walker

Welcome to the The Anchor Point Podcast, episode 117 with Jay Walker, a wildland firefighter from Wells, NV. Jay has served on multiple wildland firefighting crews, including Ruby Mountain Hotshots, Jackson Hotshots, and Elko District Engine Modules. He is currently the acting superintendent of Ely Helitack, based out of Panaca, Nevada.  

 

In 2020, Jay experienced a severe rollover accident in a UTV resulting in the loss of his hand. After multiple surgeries, hardships, and financial challenges, he experienced something arguably worse than the pain of the accident itself - the mental health challenges. 

 

In this episode, we dive into Jay's personal journey to discovering a distinct approach to prioritizing his mental health and recovery. It is an incredibly uplifting account that highlights his unwavering determination, how he overcame his demons, and his desire to support others in their own paths. Jay serves as a true inspiration and the epitome of the indomitable human will. His enthusiasm for fire remains undiminished, and he continues his firefighting endeavors using a unique set of prosthetics despite the unfortunate loss of his hand. 

 

Tune in to the original wildland firefighting and wildland firefighter culture podcast, "The Anchor Point Podcast," to learn more about the awesome and ever-evolving world of wildland firefighting. To find out more, visit our website at: anchorpointpodcast.com. Or, check out our LinkTree to find all the episodes you'll want to binge in the back of the buggy! 

 

Y'all know the drill: 

Stay safe, stay savage... Peace!



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Creators & Guests

Guest

Jay Walker

Jay Walker is a wildland firefighter from Wells, NV. Jay has served on multiple wildland firefighting crews, including Ruby Mountain Hotshots, Jackson Hotshots, and Elko District Engine Modules. He is currently the acting superintendent of Ely Helitack, based out of Panaca, Nevada.

What is The Anchor Point Podcast?

Discover the premier and original podcast dedicated to wildland firefighting, the vibrant culture surrounding wildland firefighters, firefighter mental health and physical performance, and the wilderness - The Anchor Point Podcast... Join our global community as we delve into the captivating stories of Wildland Firefighters, shed light on career opportunities, promote fire prevention awareness, educate the public, and openly discuss the mental health struggles and triumphs faced by firefighters on and off duty. Immerse yourself in our unscripted and unedited long-form interviews, where we leave no topic unexplored.

With The Anchor Point Podcast, you'll gain free and exclusive access to firsthand experiences shared by wildland firefighters, industry experts, mental health clinicians, physical performance professionals, doctors, scientists, and the families of fire line operators. Our episodes encapsulate the entire spectrum of emotions, from the extraordinary and awe-inspiring moments to the challenging and humorous anecdotes that arise within the industry.

One of our podcast's core focuses lies in unraveling the physical and mental demands encountered while working in the field. We delve into topics such as proper nutrition and hydration, stress management, relationships, and maintaining focus, offering valuable insights and shared experiences.

Prepare to embark on an immersive journey into the heart of the action, as each episode of The Anchor Point Podcast takes you on an in-depth exploration of the challenges and rewards experienced by fireline operators. Engage in enlightening interviews and discussions with subject matter experts that provide a comprehensive understanding of wildland firefighting.

Whether you are a passionate wildland firefighting enthusiast or an individual seeking to expand your knowledge, The Anchor Point Podcast is an indispensable and trusted resource. Our episodes cover a broad range of topics, including fire behavior, weather patterns, medical know-how, equipment, gear, and the evolving role of technology in firefighting.

The Anchor Point Podcast is your gateway to a unique and invaluable vantage point on the challenges and rewards of fireline work. Whether you're seeking to expand your understanding of wildland firefighting or simply captivated by the extraordinary tales from the frontlines, our podcast is an essential resource. Subscribe today and unlock a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
What's going on?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back.

Today's episode is gonna be brought to you
by Mystery Ranch, built for the mission.

And if you haven't been rocking
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Thank Point Podcast is also gonna
be brought to you by our Premier

coffee sponsor and that is gonna
be none other than Hotshot Brewery.

It's kick coffee for Kick cause
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In fact, they're even hooking it up
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Sorry Sam, I had to talk some crap.

But yeah, it is a fishing tournament
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Hotshot Brewers involved with that.

I'm involved with that.

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Once again, buddy.

Thanks.

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Keep it up.

The views and opinions of this podcast
do not reflect the views and opinions

of the United States government, the
Department of the Interior, the Department

of Defense, the Department of Agriculture,
the United States Forest Service, the

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All right, ladies and gentlemen,
welcome back to another episode

of the Anchor Point Podcast.

I hope everybody is doing well,
and yeah, to those crews up

in Canada, hope you're faring.

You're probably on your way back
by now, at least the first round of

folks that went up there, yeah, when
you get back, tell me how it was.

Send me some photos or something and
hell, if you wanna be on the show

and next, share your experience,
eh, even more power to ya.

But today's episode is gonna be all
about overcoming adversity and also

stressing the the thought and the
concept of even though they may seem

like they are probably the happiest
in the room when they walk in it,

sometimes that's not always the case.

And no matter how much of a cheery
attitude that they put on or how

lighthearted they seem to be,
that may not always be the case.

So we're gonna talk about
that and we're also gonna talk

about overcoming adversity.

The gentleman that I'm talking about,
he lost his arm in a vehicle accident.

And this is his story about overcoming
adversity, overcoming his own demons,

struggling with mental health and how he
came out on the other side, and how you

should not be afraid to one, reach out
and two, try new to address your own.

Issues your own mental health problems.

He's definitely a huge huge supporter
of finding new stuff, trying new

tools to put into the toolbox and
just seeing what works for you.

And this is his story.

He's one of my favorite people in all
of fire that I've met over the course

of my years in the Bureau of Land
Management and the Forest Service.

And yeah, this dude's awesome and I
think that his story should resonate

a with a lot of folks out there.

It's got a powerful message and I hope
that everybody gets something out of this.

Without further ado, I would like
to introduce my very good friend.

Mr.

Jay Walker, welcome to the anchor Point.

Shout.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

No

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
what's going on?

Ladies and gentlemen, this is another
episode of the Anchor Point podcast,

and today on the show I've got my
good buddy and former coworker,

former overhead of mine, Mr.

Jay Walker.

How's it going buddy?

Doing good.

Doing good.

Good.

See, good

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: man.

Had a great week here with all the
Nevada firefighters at this pre-season

meeting, so it's been good times.

Hell yeah, man.

Seeing lots of old friends,
meeting new ones, hell yeah,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
dude.

And no it's cool cause I'm out of the
game now, I'm not fighting fire anymore,

but it's cool to see It was cool that
Brock and Vanessa reached out to me and

had us like, come here and do our thing
with booze and it's been fun, but it's

also been cool because Nevada b l m is
like where I cut my teeth, firefighting I

started my career here, I worked for Eli.

Hell attack Vegas.

Hell attack.

I know Bridgeport hell attack is like
the redheaded stepchild, but I gotta

show my love for those guys too.

Region.

Four and a half as we like to call it.

Little love for Eric, yeah, man.

Yeah.

And then yeah, worked with Elco
and all the aviation community

and engines and working well with
the shots and all that stuff, man.

It's cool to see everybody like, cuz
I'm like, I'm outta the game, but

coming back here and seeing all my
friends and like people that are still

in the game doing the good fight,
it's cool folks like yourself, man.

Yes.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
And that's what it is.

You, I think we do this, we used to do
it every two years or whatever and then

and that why it's important to do this
because we get involved in fire season.

We don't see each other.

Like we can go.

If we don't have something like this,
we go years not seeing each other.

Oh yeah.

Unless I'm traveling or going to fires
and we're seeing each other on fires.

See each other on line.

Yeah.

So I think it's, yeah, it's important
to .Ing bring everybody back, see the

new faces, meet the new crews, meet
the new people, but then .Ing hang

out with the old school dudes like last
night, laugh and joke and so cool.

Oh yeah.

Great vibes.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Paul's retirement.

Dude.

That was good stuff, man.

It's good.

Really good.

Hell yeah, dude.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, man.

Tell us about your history, your
firefighting career, all that stuff, man.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Born, raised
in I was born in nail hill, raised in

Wells, Nevada graduating high school.

Needed a job.

Didn't know what I was gonna do.

I had plans to go to college and
whatnot, and it was like, I don't

know, I just graduated and this old
mentor dude, Jeff Burrell, he was

the station manager Foz out of wells.

He dating my cousin and
I said, Hey, what's up?

She what's up Jeff?

He's all, you need a job.

I'm like, Yeah, I do need a job.

I don't know what I'm doing man, guys.

Yeah.

He's come out that BLM station
out there and I'll hook you up.

I'm like, all that's cool.

I'm like, back before the days

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
of u USA jobs

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: and exactly.

Where it's like Exactly.

Paper application.

Yeah.

I don't know what I'm doing.

Like I dude, like I remember like
the Yellowstone fires of 88 and stuff

like that, but it doesn't click.

Ladder tracks and dalmatians.

That was my whole thought
process for .Ing fire.

Yeah.

Fire guys.

The big green things that with blm,
I didn't even know what those were.

I got 'em all the time.

I I just never paid attention.

And so I'm like, I knew
where the BLM station was.

I had buddies that were on fence cruises.

I'm like, oh man, I'm
gonna go build old fence.

I love building fence.

We're gonna go build fence.

And and people that didn't know me
have heard this story many times.

And I show up Monday
and this gentleman, Mr.

Mike Moray, older gentleman,
just, and he's great dude, man.

And he's still working in Elco and he's
standing, I'm like, what you doing Mike?

You doing more?

He's I'm getting a job.

I go, me too.

I go, what do you think we're doing?

He goes, I don't know.

I go, I think we're billing fence.

And so we then PLL shows up
and he brings us his office.

He's so you guys wanna fight fire?

And I'm like, I guess we could do that.

Yeah, sure.

Why not?

Let's do it yeah.

So three days later, after doing
the Cleveland package, back in

those days you're a firefighter.

Here you go look at
these pants going, what?

These pants suck, man.

Yeah.

Green pants, yellow shirt all this.

You gotta figure this stuff out.

And then from there you
just yeah, I loved it.

And then one story this is a good
story too, is so Vall tells me there's

always something to do on these engines.

You you, if you're bored,
there's always something

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
you can do.

Yeah.

You got time to lean, you got
time to clean kind of mentality.

Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: And I, we
came from this thing where okay,

if I'm getting paid, I'm working.

So I'm out there every day tinkering on
this beat up, banged up, international

engine and I'm like taping stuff and
I'm fixing shelves and I'm just going

through trying to figure this out.

And I, and every day, every time I
like hook up and there's nobody around.

Not a soul.

I'm like, God dang, where's everybody?

And in this couple days I'm doing
this and then all of a sudden I'm

like, oh, I gotta go to the bathroom.

Like still, where's everybody?

And of course I walk in, man,
it's traditional like waiting

for fire, going on, man.

TV's off.

People kick back news or taking naps.

I'm like, what the hell man?

Like I hire your slavery
for days just tinkering.

And this is where you got here.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Yeah.

Jesus

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
just funny as hell.

I'm like, hell it is what it is.

But what really got me after that
was we immediately went to Arizona

for 21 days and it was just, Epic.

I was hooked ever since.

I'm in this engine, I'm with cool people.

My first engine boss at the
time was Jeff Berger and he

had dreads down here, yeah.

And it was just like,
these people are amazing.

I ain't going to college.

I'm doing this.

Yeah.

And I stuck around and I can't doing it.

So that was my start of the engines
and then I did that till I wanna say,

I think my last year on the engines
was in 2000, no, it would've been 99.

Or 2000, it would've been 2000
was my last season on the engines

and I was in the academy.

Jack Academy 12 and 66.

Yeah.

Are they right?

God know.

It's not cuz I'm old dude.

They just start busting them out.

That's, it's it,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
they skip numbers, they rearranged

numbers now it's not even like Academy
60 whatever, it's like foundation and

then advanced and all this other stuff.

Oh God.

It's changed.

It has

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: changed.

And because I was in the
academy Joe Freeland was the f

one time and he wanted bring an
Alaskan style shot crew to Nevada.

Wanted bring, and at the time we, they
would house Jackson, Mississippi Hotshots.

Yeah.

That was our shot crew at the time.

And now that they wanted a shot crew.

In Elco.

So there's just this dream of
what this is gonna be's stand

a and of course I'm a Jackson.

So like you're going no matter what.

Yeah, you're voluntold,
you're going, I'm voluntold.

Okay.

So now we're gonna get a soup.

They hire a soup.

And of course I'm the first crew
member of Ruby Mountain here and

we're trying to figure this out.

So Shane McDonald was the soup.

And and yeah, it's like, what do you do?

You need a name, you need a symbol,
you need so you're working,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
you gotta establish your

traditions your stuff, everything.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
You gotta figure this out.

What's the name gonna be, and then
all of a sudden Ruby Mountain is born,

what's the name is spoken the
t-shirts, the hats are coming in.

Cause you had to order, we had to
order all this yeah, you're starting

fresh 20 pack, 22 packs, sleeping
bags, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Banging it out.

And they're like and then later,
They're funny to me all the time.

They treat me so good.

I'm so lucky in my career, by
the way, because I've had these

opportunities, these experiences
again, these experiences.

Yeah.

And they go they go,
you now you need to go.

We're gonna put you on a shock crew.

So they bust me over to
Jackson, Mississippi, man.

So there I am, man, in February, train
it up, Jackson Hotshots doing two week

criticals and just, what the hell, man?

I'm in Mississippi, and it was amazing.

And came back and then all of a sudden
this idea, this thing just started to.

Come together, man.

We had guys from
Vale chink, midnight sons.

We had a, like all these shots coming
from river to, to build this, it

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
was like reputable shots on a

throw together crew to build

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: it up.

Yeah, build it up.

Okay.

And then they and local guys coming
on and they didn't know what

the hell they were getting into.

Obviously didn't last, but they went what

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
end?

She's I'm never doing this.

That's an eye-opening experience, man.

I

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: was sold.

I loved it.

I loved every day of it in the
the days of gritting, the days of

mop, of the days, whatever, the
isolation, the quiet it was so

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
just the cool you get to see

like untouched by humanity, right?

Untouched by

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: humanity.

And yeah, so I shot until till 2008.

From 2001 to 2008.

I was on Ruby and it was awesome.

I don't know, I dug it all it
was just like, It was great.

I did some funny all the time too
I would literally pack oranges and

limes in my pack for .Ing five or six
days on a spike out, just so I could

sit there on day six and pull it out
and go and just start eating it.

Everybody's been, you get like

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
a super green orange.

It's it's gonna ripen in your pack.

Like one of those numbers

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: just
so everybody's like eatings

for rats for six, seven days.

And I'm like pulling out a slim
gym and a bonus on my bed just

randomly eating a lime, yeah.

It's just blowing minds.

What the I was like, oh yeah,
you didn't get one of these this

morning at breakfast yeah.

Just so such good times.

And the whole time I was on Ruby
and then and then eventually I

was like family I kids and it was
like, God, I gotta be home more often.

I gotta start.

Being home or often.

So I call Juan, I'm like,
dude, I wanna come over, man.

I want to enable the hotel.

Yeah.

They made some magic happen.

They just laddered me over into a third
squad boss position from Ruby, yeah.

And and then it was just awesome, man.

We had busy seasons in
Elcon, ELCA rips, man.

And it was great.

Oh yeah.

And then yeah, then eventually Juan
bounced from the crew and he went down

south to Elie and I was ready to like,
move on and try something different.

So I was like, oh, I'll go to Elie cuz
Eely has had a huge e s R program.

I was like, God, I dug that and
I was like, I can handle this

program out by coming down.

And so I bounced to Elie and my whole
thing was like, I wanna move to Cali.

I'm sick of wells weather.

I'm sick of the cold.

I, that was the whole discussion is
I'm doing this so I can live warmer

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Ty tyres, snow calle.

It's Spanish for hot and I swear
to God, Calle makes Vegas look like

a .Ing winter wonderland sometimes.

Dude.

It's 118.

Cause it's all in that box canyon, right?

It's like that little, that canyon right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Totally.

Just holds heat I don't know.

It's like you got a space
heater on constantly.

Yeah, it's, but it's
a, it's pretty though,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: man.

It's pretty down there.

Is gorgeous down there, man.

And I, and so I so for five
years I tried to sell my house in

wells and note takers, no takers.

And then just like a couple years ago, we
finally sold it and moved to Cali proper.

Nice man.

And then, yeah, and then all of a
sudden you just from squatty to

assistant to trying to run this crew.

Today.

Yeah,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
because you had the, like the

torch passed, so to speak.

So Juan, he's not the superintendent
for anymore on Eli Heli attack.

From my understanding, it's you, right?

Yeah.

Because when I was working for
you in, what was that, 20 17,

I think it might have been 2017.

Yeah.

It was Juan wasn't there.

Juan was there.

He's the suit.

And then he got you and then you
got Kio, all the folks there.

Man, that was fun, dude.

I had a good time over there.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Doing I 80 hot laps all season, dude.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: It's watch.

Yes.

And that was such a good
overhead, a good you got Kio?

Yeah.

Kevin, Kev.

Yep.

Yep.

And then Juan was there.

I think Levi might've
left, or was Levi's left?

That was his last year I think.

Yeah, it was last year.

Yeah.

And just a rockstar of a group
of dudes and it was, and too bad.

It was short-lived, yeah.

People gotta go their own way,
they gotta do their own thing.

But yeah, that's the history
of the walker I mean known from

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
all

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
around the state.

Yeah.

Very fast cuz g you can go into
detail and then the stories I have

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Everywhere and in between all the

funny that's happened over the years.

Dude, do you got some
bitching stories, man.

And that's always fun thing about hanging
out with you is you got like these.

These .Ing stories that
are just larger than life.

And here it is.

And this last day of the conference,
it's nine in the morning right

now and we're just then we've
been here for what, two hours and

we've just been sitting here dude.

It's telling stories.

Here's another one for

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: you.

Hold on man.

Lemme get the camera rolling.

Lemme get this.

Save that one.

Alright, we're gonna hear this one man.

The people need to hear this one.

Yeah.

But yeah and it's a crazy world and
it's a crazy life and in there is

there, even though it's these adventures
I have and the things I've done, I am

blessed to have done more and fought
fire in the craziest, wildest places.

I mean there's a lot of us have.

That do this all the time
and make it your life.

And, but I'm one that can
say God, I've been to Texas so

many goddamn times fighting fire.

No.

And there's dudes that have never
been to Texas and have fought

fire their whole career, yeah.

And I'm, I dunno, 30 times, 40
times all around I've done

the whole perimeter of Texas,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Yeah.

You've been doing like, you've
been to Florida, you've been to

ak, you've been all over the place.

Mississippi.

Mississippi, dude.

Dakotas

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Just, yeah,
I just yeah, no, everything out here

from the top of California to the
south of California to all over New

Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Washington.

Yeah.

Just blessed.

Oh yeah.

And I thought was like, I don't
know, I think lot of it is

I've never turned anything down.

Yeah, you're open to like new

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Yeah.

Not open to like receptive to
new assignments or like being

outside of your comfort zone.

Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Tell
someone said, you want to go here?

I was like, yeah, let's do it.

And I'd go and they're like,
wow, man, like I didn't do this.

I'd make the best of it and
meet the coolest people.

And it was just awesome from the
southern tip of Florida to like the

northern port of Florida you're like
such adventures, such good people.

And that's the thing is people I've met.

Along this way.

I, they're still my friends,
they're still my brothers.

I still talk to 'em today it's crazy.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
It fire's a small world man.

And it's it's cool.

Like you were saying earlier, man,
it's it's cool to see everybody at

the pre-season meeting and like I
said, I was, I'm well removed from

the game, but it's just, it's cool to
see everybody pre-season ching it up.

Being happy.

Yeah.

Shooting the telling stories.

Getting some education under the belt.

And it's cool that the program,
it, it is estate program, right?

So they're bringing outside professionals,
like somebody who, like Brent Ruby's

there, we got Paul from he's doing
the human performance thing with sleep

studies and stuff like that, dude.

And it's just cool man.

And yeah it's cool to see that.

And I hate using this word too, and
I've said this a million times over

the other pe couple of episodes
that you've probably seen by now.

But it, I hate using the word
progressive because depending on

what flavor of politics, you you
like to taste that progressive word

can be like a bad word and it's Yeah.

No matter red, white, red,
blue, left doesn't matter.

Progressive is like a touchy subject,
but in the truest sense of its word.

I do want to say that the BBL M in
Nevada is like pushing boundaries and

is progressive and it's truest sense
like, Taking care of people, doing good

stuff and like moving and advancing that
goal or that ball down the goal line.

Yeah.

So it's cool to see though, man.

It's changed a lot since I've been
in the game, but I cut my teeth here,

so I gotta come back and Yeah, pay
it forward to some degree and record

my homies like you and talk to the
crews and the engine folks and the

aviation geeks and all this stuff, man.

And it's cool.

And I feel very blessed as well with the
experiences that I've had with not only

you, but the whole program in general.

Man.

It's wonderful.

So I'm happy and thankful
to be here, dude.

Yeah

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: It likewise.

The people can hear my voice all raspy
because I did a lot of talking, a

lot of laughing, a lot of talking.

Love storytelling, dude.

Yeah.

Oh yeah.

I was like, oh yeah, anyone knows me.

Oh man, yeah you had a good week.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Voice is gone.

My voice is it's starting to go
too, and it's I've been sitting

in this room and I probably put.

Eight, 10 hours solid
recording under my belt.

Yeah.

And then I did that
four hours like seminar.

It's, oh yeah, dude, I think
everybody's wearing it by

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: now.

Oh yeah, totally.

I'm still stoked.

I'm still flying high.

I'm still happy, man.

I saw the Mucker boys leaving
earlier but it was, I.

No, it was good.

But the one thing is one of these
things I realized is like when you're

drinking and having beers with you
know the state F M O you volunteer

for a lot of and you signed, oh yeah,
you're, you hands down right there.

Oh yeah, Walker, you need to do this.

Okay.

Wanna run a relay Amer?

Okay, I'm in.

Next thing you know,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
it's happening next thing you

know, you're signed up for the rto.

It's what?

Yeah,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: I
just signed up for the rto I

don't even know what it is, but I

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
You there, you've heard himself the

Reno Tahoe Open, man, I'm there.

I'm in it.

It's a no race, dude.

It's, you better start training now dogs.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Oh yeah.

Oh yeah, man.

Oh God.

They were telling me about it.

I'm like, oh

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
what did I just get myself

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: into?

I'm still in, I'm still in.

Still do it.

I'm like, damn it.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
That's a cool thing though.

It's dude, all right.

Through all my experiences and like
knowing you and like throughout the

years and you know what's cool about
you, dude is like you, like no matter

what turd sandwich of an assignment
that we've been fed or what weather

that we're grounded from in the ship or
like what .Ing adversity the crew face

or your personally face or any of that
dude, you always have this like unique

ability to get and laugh and you always
have this ability to like, even when

like not good and obviously not good.

Yeah.

You always have this ability
to lift everyone around you, man.

And it's like radiant dude.

And I .Ing love that about you
and that's why I want to have

you on the show today, dude.

It's cool man.

It's inspiring.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

I get told that a lot you
just do, you love this job and

you love what you're doing.

You love your people you're not, I just.

I don't know.

I've always been high-spirited about this
career and what it is and I see my boys

hurting, or I see somebody miserable.

I see somebody not happy and it's
okay, I'm gonna reach out to this guy.

We're gonna .Ing I used to pack
slim gyms by the thousands in my.

Cargo pants because I would find I,
I'd find this one guy having a bad

day on the crew just Hey man, I
have some gym, dude, you eating rats?

And then they're like,
oh my God, thank you.

Oh my God, this is kinda real food, man.

Oh my God.

Where do you keep all
these that was it.

Everyone knows me, knows my packs
like 50 pounds all the time.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
That's the funny thing though, is

like you're carrying that extra load
to share it with other people though.

That, that that's the stuff that
like, people like the haters.

Oh, who's your pack 50 pounds?

Everybody listening to this outside
on the the audio version of looking

at this on YouTube or whatever.

It's no.

He's carrying that extra load to give
it to his homies and his, and the dude

that, or the girl that's having a day
or the guy that's going through a

.Ing divorce or a breakup or, yeah.

Lost his betting on black
when he should have bet red.

It's oh yeah that's cool man.

And I think more people need to take a
little bit of that from you and apply it

to they're folks, they're circles,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: yeah.

A lot of it's just random that
I needed one time, but I got

it in there for the next time.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
There's a, what's that saying?

It's like guns and condoms.

You don't need 'em all the time,
but when you do what need one, you

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
definitely need it.

Exactly.

You really got like a
hose clap in your pack.

I'm like, oh yeah, I got one.

What size you want?

It's funny, man.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
It's like the little things, it's the

little things in life that makes it funny
or it makes it memorable or oh yeah.

Even when it's it makes it that much more
enjoyable and it's yeah, you gotta, you

just gotta keep paying it forward and
just being like the light at the end,

not the light at the end of the tunnel,
but that's how it sounds dark, right?

But being like the beacon of hope, man.

Yeah.

That's

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: good dude.

Sometimes it's a
.Ing miserable .Ing job.

And I don't know I just Endured it.

I loved it.

And it, I never felt miserable.

I never felt like I needed a bell.

I guess I think that's what, what
kept me going out there for these

different experiences and doing
things and in I don't know.

And then it, but then it
turns bad after a while.

You and you're gone
way too much from home.

Yeah.

It's like too much.

Then you're, and it's all it's all you're
gonna know is you fire firefighter go.

And then you lose grip of everything
around you and then it becomes

like your identity almost.

Yeah.

And then it closes in on you,
and then all of a sudden you're

like, oh, real, too real.

Really too real.

But but today, man, I've, I'm
way high spirited way loving it.

Yeah.

Living it's been I've had a
rough struggle last couple years.

Anyone knows.

The whole, what's been going on.

It's been tough.

Yeah.

And then, and now I'm on this whole nother
level where I'm trying to, in inspire yo

man, like I was rock .Ing bottom man.

And now, yeah.

And today I'm like, hell no, man.

I see my pee boys, I see my friends.

God, I'm happy to be here, dude.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
If you wanna talk about it, dude let's

if you're comfortable with the man, yes.

Just let's talk about what .Ing happened.

Cuz dude, like, when I heard about
it, I was like, oh, what the man?

Like, how, why does, it's like this,
like questions like why does horrible

sometimes happen to good people, right?

Yeah.

It .Ing sucks, dude.

But it's like the, it's like
a part of being alive, right?

Yeah.

It could happen to anybody.

It happened to you man.

But yeah, like you've been eating.

Do you wanna talk about a
.Ing turd sandwich dude?

Like you .Ing ate a big Mac turd
sandwich, extra large side of fries

with a .Ing leader of my life, right?

Yeah.

And.

The cool thing about it, dude, is yeah
you struggled and everything like that.

But that positivity that indomitable
will and spirit and .Ing finding

joy, that is helps you persevere

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: man.

It does.

And and it's your community, man.

It's your bros.

I was I take it back probably three,
four years ago I started feeling just

pressure and busy and overwhelmed.

Work, work, working, and and it
filtered out to the house, and I didn't

know started affecting the home life.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I was mean, and I didn't know how
mean I was, but I, but it's I,

it was home, but I wasn't home I
was just like, lights were on, but

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
no one was there.

Yeah.

Kind of autopilot.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Very I
dunno, short fused or I should have

been like people your family,
your kids are excited to see you.

Yeah.

And then they're wishing
you go the away two days.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Tell when

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: you
going onto another side of that.

Yeah.

When you're getting outta here.

And I, yeah.

I didn't realize that how much it was
I was getting messed up like that.

And and then all of a
sudden, boom, I lose my hand.

Yeah.

Hands gone.

And and in and I didn't even
like really feel the grief or

anything cuz there was so many
people you reached out to me, all

my friends were reaching out to me.

Sad thing was, you know why

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
that happen right though?

Yeah.

Because you've been always that
person to reach out to them.

Yeah.

I hate to say it, but it,
I don't take this as a like,

Comment or anything like that.

But it was like, it's it was like your
turn to receive, it's like that love

that you've given everybody, god, it was

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: amazing.

Yeah.

And so I wasn't even like grieving,
sad, nothing, cuz, cuz all

the jokes come on fire, dude.

You in a .Ing, hey Walker man, we heard
you need a hand like immediately

what's that .Ing dark humor dude?

Yeah.

What's

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
up Robocom?

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: He's just
plus I'm high, cause I'm on morphine

and everything else you're giving
me, and, but it was never a dull

moment and when Covid was there, so
I was only allowed one visitor a day.

Yeah.

And it's extra cuz you're

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
like isolated even more, right?

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

My, my mom, my dad, my, my wife, my
kids are all in a parking lot taking

turns to to see how I'm doing.

Eventually it was just like,
you guys should go home.

I'm gonna be okay.

I'll be outta here in three
or four days trust me.

People are FaceTiming me, calling
me from bars I'm just amazing.

I never got off the phone once the
whole time and I'm getting s and

I'm talking that's funny man.

I'm talking and Hey, you
know what I'm doing right now.

The nurse is giving me a

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
spunk back right now.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Oh my God.

Yeah.

And so no it was pretty amazing.

And I did have one cousin that
works for military and he was

there every day and he loved it
cuz his wife never he hears this.

Yeah, I'm unplugging him,
but Oh, Willie difference.

Get to eat out a whole lot.

Yeah.

But while he was seeing me,
we were, he was going to

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Redig, he was getting me taco.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: He was eating
out the most of his whole entire life.

So he his

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
like, yeah.

Yeah.

It's like fringe benefits, right?

Oh

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: yeah.

He was buying food all the
time and just living it, loving

it having a great time there.

And so when I got out of that, I was just
and you do, you, you see your people.

You want to be there for your people.

But then there's also that dark spot
where you're on a fence with it, man,

you could get really dark with it.

You start thinking into that.

What the I'm never
gonna play guitar again.

I'm never gonna do this again.

Every day's gonna be a .Ing show.

Am I gonna

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
be able to like, continue

fighting, fire, all this that
makes you who you are, right?

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

Yeah.

What am I gonna .Ing do?

And then you, then a homie calls you and
tar talking and okay, I'm back over.

I'm good.

I'm outta that.

Yeah.

Pulls you outta

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
that that .Ing black hole of yeah.

Bad place,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: man.

That bad .Ing place.

And and so I never really grieved over
that, and then it just escalated more

and more when I was alone by myself.

Holy man, I'm struggling with my
zipper, I'm struggling with, and I

then I build things and I mechanic
stuff, you work with magnets, you

figure how to do all these little things
blurry all the that, all my gadgets.

Yeah.

You start drinking out gadgets
and time, peor, all kinds of so

you can hook, but But Yeah.

And it was just like, holy and then
the move we were moving, we actually

sold our house and was moving back
and that was stressful as hell.

So you're just, it's building.

And your relationship
just is going down the tube.

You don't see it, you don't
know what's happening, and

then there's, and there's just
this, we can't find people to work.

Yeah.

So everybody's quitting a crew.

It's me and Juan and we're like, we
got no management, we got nobody.

And I'm like, I'm gonna call
Gladys, cause I heard Gladys

was like, he was thinking, get
out of fire, blah, blah, blah.

And I call him up.

I'm like, yo, man, I need you.

Like right now, I need
a squad boss right now.

I go, Juan's bouncing out.

I need you on the crew, man.

I need you to help me run
this and he's dude I

don't know if I can my medical.

I go, I go, they passed
me and I'm missing a hand.

Good point.

I'm good.

I

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
bet he just laughed his off

when he heard that he's he
can't help but chuckle, man.

I just, I can see that com.

I can visualize hug Gladys, dude, just
like laughing your sasses off and that,

that look that .Ing Gladys when he's like
thinking about something and he is yeah,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: I made it.

Ok.

I made, okay, cool.

Get your here.

We're going.

So man, we we had a good fire season as
busy as hell that year and and and

the winter, I'm checking on him, man, he
is all good, all winter long, and he's

getting ready to start back up again.

And and he's yeah, I want to go
out to, I wanna go out to Florida.

I just wanna be a heck of do this thing.

Yeah.

I'm like, oh yeah, cool man.

And I was busy and
he's but I need a ride.

And this is Gladys I
need a ride to Vegas.

Just drop me off on the outskirts, dude.

I'll Uber to the, like the airport.

I'm just gonna sleep there.

I'm like, you ain't doing that.

Yeah.

Come on.

Really?

And he goes, yeah, I'll
just sleep at the airport.

Just get me to the outskirts.

And I was busy and I was like, God
damn it, I gotta get Gladys there.

What am I gonna do?

I'm trying to like new
House trying to fix things.

I'm like, it I'll take it.

And then I was like, wait a minute.

So my brother's going
to a mega death concert.

He's coming through.

I call him and go, dude, can
you pick up Gladys and just

take him with you for the night?

Yeah.

Take him to the concert.

You have a good time.

And Gladys is not a mega
death fan, by the way.

I bet he still have fun though.

You, God, he did.

Megan Lamba, God not Gladd
is .Ing, it's not his

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
vibe.

100% not his vibe.

But yes, he's gonna make the
best out of the situation.

Went this glads dude.

Yes.

He's got a hotel

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: room.

He's gonna hang out with somebody for
the night, fly out red eye in the

morning and so they take him, man.

And he's he gets to Florida after
this night and he's best sandoff ever.

Oh my God, he's pumping.

I'm like, yeah, thank you so
much for your family was great.

I went, your cousins, your
and and they partied, man, we

partied and went to this, I.

Oh my God, I love metal now.

Amazed.

Yeah.

And and so he comes back and and
we are like, oh, I gave him like,

yeah, take as much time as you off.

Nothing's going on, dude.

And then that's when we were
helping out with the type one at the time.

And Juan had been up there on that
type one and needed swapped out.

I needed to stay back cuz the
crew is about ready to start.

And I was like, relax, you
wanna just like, when you get

back, just go swap him out.

And he's yeah, no problem.

I go it's five days or it's 14.

Yeah.

As soon as your relief
comes you're gone.

Maybe you can stay 14
if you want to do it.

Yeah.

I got the crew.

We're good.

And yeah.

And he, we sent him and then, yeah.

Then of course the unfortunate
thing that happened to him, yeah.

Which was just.

Crazy cuz it was like, you don't,
with all that I had going on here

and now I got this I was a monster.

Yeah.

Raging monster.

And didn't know.

And I was I just was somebody else
and I couldn't filter anything at all.

I was just, I think I was just,
if I had to look at myself

and I think I was not happy.

I think I was just mean and stressed
and just didn't know what I was doing.

And and so cuz I had to do this myself.

Now I don't have Gladys Juan's, the u
a m he's there Juan's every day with

me, relieving me days off, whatever.

And yeah it was just go.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
And it's all, everything all at

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: once, man.

All at once.

Yeah.

And then I'm .Ing Gladys

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
was your homie, dude.

Yeah.

You can't not love that dude.

No.

And then this happens dude.

And.

Yeah.

And we I don't want, I don't wanna
say it on the podcast, but Yeah.

We .Ing, we had a moment last
night we were talking about it.

Yeah.

And the folks that do know
Gladys, they know exactly

what we're talking about, man.

He's one of the .Ing shining
examples of oh yeah.

Compassion and who it is that like someone
to lift you up and you are that too.

And I know you guys were homies,
man, and that .Ing hurt everybody,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: dude.

Oh yeah.

It was devastating.

And when, and when we found out and
everybody found out, it was like,

phone call, phone calls from going,
and I'm just sitting there going,

appreciating the love that's coming.

What do you need?

What do you need your help with?

We're there but in one sense,
I'm still like, .Ing stunned.

Battling your own

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
demons

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
on top of it too.

Just .Ing stunned.

Yeah.

And I'm like, oh my God,
I got these new kids.

I got these crew members, and
it's day one, it's day two.

I'm, they're and I'm like, I
haven't even told the crew yet.

Yeah.

The crew doesn't even know what has
happened to this crew at this moment.

And then, and they're just on the
chase truck, fixing this, doing that,

getting their gear ready, doing weights.

And then I was just like, oh, it
was a crazy tough moment to to

circle everybody up and have to break
this to people, it's holy yeah.

What is going on?

What is this in this life like, I've
never thought I'd ever have to do that.

And and then it was just run gun
after that trying to do more with less.

Yeah.

And and at home, man, it was destroyed.

I don't know what had happened.

It was me.

I know I .Ed up big time.

Who knows, man.

But we're in Oregon and I'm
just trying to finish the end

of the season off at phone call.

Boom.

Wife wants to kick punch
me off like a bli bit.

I'm like, does it pickle that .Ing load?

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I'm just like, holy so the
whole winter and it's been rough.

I, winter's been rough.

I've trying, we're trying working on it.

And I just had this moment, man I don't
know, it was like, it was around January

and I was in this dark right there.

Gun in the goddamn nightstand.

Over it all.

And I probably talked to
you a little bit about this.

I've been talking about
it all week actually.

Cause

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
you're probably sick of

telling this .Ing story by now.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: No.

I'm kidding you.

I'd love it cuz it cuz
I, where I'm at today.

Yeah.

And at this moment I mean I've been
talking to Mcquarie and he's doing bro

checks on Dog it and Cuz it dog is going
through some and Ian's going through some

we're all dealing with this loss and
this and that and I was sitting there

God damn I my .Ing country song man.

Lost my, hey, my dog, my house, my

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
wife's left me, all I'm missing is like

the .Ing truck in a beat up dirt road.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

Oh, I had that.

Yeah.

That's where I was living
in had at all, you had living

in the bango .Ing truck man.

And I and I had a talk with my
wife and I'm like I go, I'm .Ed up.

I go I go I go I can't
do this on my own anymore.

I have to reach out.

I have to get help.

And that's when I turned it I
was already like working out,

trying, but the working out was
just, I felt better running.

I felt better just running,
abusing myself as much as possible

to just take all this out and
this is pretty funny too.

It's, it is.

I was just stressed and all this
anger or whatever, clean my jaws.

So I already learned how to breathe
through my nose, I was already doing it.

I was like, oh my God, I knew that
anyway, that guy was talking about that.

I was like, that's what I do now.

I don't ever breathe out my mouth anymore.

Cause I'm always like tense.

Yeah.

But now I know it's a good thing.

And anyways so I was like, I
don't know what I'm gonna do.

So I I called Dr.

Steve.

Immediately that morning,
go, man, I texted him.

I'm like, yo you need
to get back to me, man.

This is where I'm at.

And long talk.

Love him.

Love him to death.

And and he gave me some great
advice and he, all I needed to do

was just let all this building out
and it felt good and it felt better.

And then I was like, okay,
you gave me some tools, man.

You gave me some idea.

And and then I was
like, okay, now I'm good.

I think I got this, and then I
then I reached out to my friend Kelly

and Kelly, you pretty with Kelly?

We worked

together.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Yeah.

On the group.

Yeah, on Ilia.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So she's yoga

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
instructor and I'm just like,

Callie, this is where I'm at.

This is what's going on, man.

What you got for me?

She's come to the house, boom.

Next thing you know, man,
I'm getting all this paperwork.

And her cousin lives with her and
she's an e m s first responder

or firefighter therapist.

Yeah, so I got a team

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
.Ing

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: calle

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
at all places like Calle.

It's beautiful place.

But What town?

Of what, maybe 300 people?

Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Maybe a
thousand on the outskirts, yeah.

I think it's yeah, like about a
thousand there but yeah, it's tiny.

It's tiny, very tiny.

And I got Kelly there and she's
and a team, and now they're,

they got, they're they went to
work on me like, okay, now what?

They're doing this.

Okay.

Why are you feeling here?

I'm doing this pain.

I'm like, okay, now I
need to buy into this.

Cuz I and that's where I
was like, anything, any help.

I don't care.

Gimme something.

That might help me.

Yeah.

Because I have nothing and
that's where I was at.

It's like the

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
WOOWOO that we like tend to

as firefighters, a culture
in a whole, like the, yeah.

The woowoo, I'm using
that air quotes, yeah.

But like the massage therapy,
the energy work, the meditation,

all that stuff, we it off.

Yeah.

It's not like socially or
culturally like a thing that's

widely accepted, but it's growing.

But that's the thing though, is you
were receptive to it cuz you were

just looking for anything out there.

Now, anything

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: that
could help, what can you give me?

What can someone give me
to take this off of me?

Yeah.

Take any of this off me.

Get the, you know the get
your .Ing head, right?

Yeah.

You know the demons they
say it's holy man.

I got monsters, I got big
ones and they're .Ing real.

And they're gonna bite and they're
gonna claw and they're .Ing.

.Ing at my .Ing door all day, every day.

Yeah.

We're not talking about

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
the monster under your bed.

We're talking about .Ing

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Kalu.

Yeah.

I'm talking like this is .Ing real.

And I don't know what I can do.

I don't know.

I'm alone.

I'm lost.

My boys are out here.

My friends are out here, there.

I lost one with girls
calling me, checking me.

Yeah.

And so Callie, man, my savior man,
little angel right there, dude.

She .Ing boom.

Went to work.

Had me, I got rocks I got crystals.

Crystals and yeah.

I'm doing sound they're chatting
me and I just took it in.

I was like, no, I'm taking
this for everything.

This is worth right here, right now.

Yeah.

I'm your Guinea pig, Callie.

You just .Ing, you go nuts.

You go nuts with me and Yeah.

And then, holy man, for a session.

I wanted to just pull my
truck over and take a nap.

I was like, oh my God Uhhuh.

And then I, yeah, but it was a crazy
part of that there's a lot more to doing

yoga with her and all this other stuff.

I was like, what did I become
like I was hearing this is like

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
the knowing you over the years, like the

last goddamn thing on the planet that
I would ever see you doing assumption

wise, but it works for you, man.

It works.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: And it's
one thing that like, I want to tell

everybody all the time, it's holy
you wouldn't believe how bad I was.

Like I, there's a smile on my face, but
I'm screaming on the inside constantly.

Ly scream, .Ing dead inside man.

Yeah.

Just, it's just, and then just doing
this stuff and these little tools that

she showed me and I just, I took it
for everything it was worth, and all

of a sudden it was like, oh my God.

I feel I'm good here.

I'm doing my breathing, man.

I'm doing square breathings.

I'm I'm trying to meditate, yeah.

I'm learning that.

But and then holy you just one
day, man, a light came on and I was

like, holy I'm here for all of you.

And now I figured out a way to to
feel better when that .Ing knots here

in your .Ing stomach and you're here and
you're thinking about all the . and

the and the unknown and not knowing
and not having closure on anything.

You just learn to like, take
that, endure it, grab it in.

And I was telling the boys last night,
and then you don't know until you're there

until you know what I'm talking about.

But you're, I go,
you're pushing it out.

If you're standing up, you're
pushing it through your feet.

You just grab it and you're doing
that in your head and releasing this

through this .Ing chair out your boom.

Yeah.

And you're doing that, and you're
breathing and you're breathing and

all of a sudden oh my God, I'm back.

Yeah.

And the more and more you do this,
the less and less you have to do it.

Yeah.

The better you

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
get at it, right?

Yeah.

The better you get at the more efficient.

It's like PT man.

We run our asses off for a reason.

Build cardiovascular.

Yeah.

Strength, right?

We hike our asses off so we
can get better at hiking.

We lift weights to maintain strength.

Yeah.

It's no .Ing different when
you're doing it with Yeah.

Either the demons inside you
or the breathing exercises

or practicing meditation.

It's a whole body thing, dude.

Cuz you can't have one without the other.

If one of those, like if the
psychological, the mental health, the

physical health, the social health,
the financial health, all those all

that, the health that we're talking
about, it's all interconnected

because if one falls, the rest will.

Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Oh yeah.

And you were there and you're
there and you just got too much and

then, but it was, and it was crazy.

And just these little tricks and
things like do I figure thing like this?

And it helps.

Yeah.

Do you believe in it?

You do it and yeah.

So so this whole week, man,
I've just been telling my story

here dude, I am good today.

Today, I'm I got this I'm
gonna be here for everybody.

And it's like looking at that room
when and I was telling a few

people, I was like, God damn I
don't wanna do what Gladys did

to me, to you, anybody .Ing here.

I cannot do that.

Even though it's it's you're just
like hell with it, it would be so easy.

Yeah.

But now's so There it is, man.

I'm not some crazy up.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
That's heavy, man.

It's, but it's true though
because like how many how many

people have we known that have
succumbeded to their own darkness?

Men.

Like good friends of ours, dude.

Yeah.

Gladys .Ing, oh Pete, my
bu my .Ing boy, Ian, dude.

Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Po it's
too much, and, but it's a .Ing,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
it's it's sad though because I

don't know what it is, man.

I just, I, it's not like we
don't have the tools available.

I don't know if it's a social construct.

I don't know if it's a cultural construct.

I don't know what the it is,
but God damn man is, it's so

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: prevalent.

Yeah.

And it's, and then thinking about it
a lot of the time is you never know.

You could look at me and I'm going
to work with mom my .Ing face every

day, then next time, and I'm doing it.

But then I'm that scene and lethal weapon
every .Ing day I gotta find a reason.

Yeah.

To be here, and and yeah, when you're
at that spot, you're like, holy and

people are like how do we stop this?

How do we keep it going?

How we not, it's I don't know if you can.

It has to be the individual.

The individual has to have to he drowned
and has to swim for that .Ing shore.

Yeah.

But it's hard to come up from air when

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
you're already

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: drowning, dude.

Yeah.

And I'm telling him right now, it's if
you want to do this, if you're gonna

.Ing check out when you're checking
out nobody's going to you're already,

you already know when you're gonna do
it, what you're gonna do, whatever.

You're already thinking that that's
when you're far beyond gone and

you're like, holy and I'm there.

Yeah.

I'm there, you're, everyone's talking
mental wellness and this and that.

I'm already in my brain, have
committed when I'm gonna do

this and I wanna do this.

And that's .Ing scary.

Yeah.

You know you, and you're like
how do you pull outta that?

You gotta do it yourself.

And you gotta find that reason to live.

And for me it was looking at my
family, my fire family, my pros.

Is where I was like, okay, this.

What are you thinking?

Why are you thinking this?

And yeah, .Ing heavy.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
That is some of the most profound I've

ever heard in my entire .Ing life.

Oh, whatever.

No.

I'm .Ing serious, dude, because this is,
and this is why, and this is why it's so

important to have this topic, and this
is why I have the utmost .Ing respect

for you, dude, is because you have the
courage to .Ing tell your story, man.

Yeah.

And I don't give a what or
who or how it helps somebody.

Yeah.

But as long as it helps
one out there, dude.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah, exactly.

I mixed Gladys, I miss Ian, dude, I don't
wanna see this keep happening, dude.

No,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
it

.Ing hurts me,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: dude.

Yeah.

And that's why I need,
and you were there, dude.

You were there.

Yeah.

And that's why I gotta tell this story.

Holy I was there gun in the
.Ing nightstand, and And

so it's okay, now I'm here.

I'm good.

I'm .Ing awesome now.

You hear my words, you hear what I say.

I'm like, God damn, you
can get out of this.

You can .Ing pull out of this.

Because a lot of people that
are thinking of this are

almost committed to it already.

Yeah.

And now there's ways, there's things
you just gotta reach out and you

gotta talk and be open and and,
oh the way I look at it sometimes

is man, we're sitting here with a Coke
bottle, man, and it's been shook and

it, and you're just cracking that lid.

But there's so much of that
pressure in there you can't

just, it can't escape fast enough.

Yeah.

And then you're releasing that on the
people you love and being an and

pissing people off, and you're being
mean, and you're being angry and

you're saying things you don't mean,
and now I found out okay, now.

I figured this out.

Now it's, this is good because now that
I figured like how to like, fix myself

with stress into in my anxiety and right
now, if I get administrative or like my

concur, my ties, my, all this other bull

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
The administrative that

we all hate doing.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

Then we stress out about I do this.

And then I just don't do it

like I'm supposed to be doing now.

Oh my God, I'm one of my
bosses are watching this.

Or Listen, did you do this?

Nope.

It does have its downside.

It does when you like, okay, stressing
my, I get my times in, oh my God.

Would I be like waking out, getting my
credit card statement done, do this.

I'll be like we would be stressing about
it and I gotta get done, goddammit.

God damn it, someone's gonna yell at me.

Yeah.

But you

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
get

.Ing done.

It's like, why is that?

It's the little things, right?

Yeah.

Like how insignificant
is doing your times.

Yeah.

I wanna get .Ing paid, but can, yeah.

I.

You and I know how to time
codes and with the blm.

Yeah it's a the time
do time codes, right?

Yeah.

You have to type in like a .Ing 32 digit
number with like hours and digit dude.

And then if you this hour was charged to
that fire and so on and so forth, right?

Yeah.

It's a pain in the but you know what man?

Like as much as you and I have done
times, especially you, cuz you've been

in the game way longer than I have,
you're probably pretty .Ing quick at it.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

A little.

I don't know,

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
but still done.

But why stress yourself out about
something in the grand scheme of things

like yeah you're gonna get it done.

You can get it done.

It's not like it's beyond
your abilities to get it done.

Yeah.

And if you up well someone's gonna
catch it and they're like, oh I'm sorry.

Very good.

It's like why stress out about
that kind of it's so like

insignificant to the bigger

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: picture.

It is.

It is and, yeah.

The times are the administrators the
paperwork, the, all these things

that we the that we have to do.

Yeah.

We, a lot of us do stress a
little bit or if not a lot, I.

On getting that done or
worrying about it.

And then, like I said, like this is a, you
know me now, I'm like, okay, man, about

that I'm just not gonna do it today.

I told him from last night, I'm
like, I was like, you watch Office

Space, you got that movie space.

Yeah, I'm just not gonna come in today.

What are you gonna do?

I don't know.

I think I'm gonna do nothing.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
I think I'm gonna sit on the couch

and watch TV and drink a beer.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

It's the only character I can like
familiarize at this point where I'm

at nah, you wanna watch Kung fu so
it's hell man I'm in a good spot.

I'm a good place.

And like I said I got volunteered
for a bunch of stuff this week

to do and I'm excited about it.

Just this show for you big time to
just talk about how I feel where I'm

at and if someone's hearing this and
listening to this yo, man, if you're

there there's you can get out of this.

Yeah, you're gonna be fine.

But you gotta do steps.

You gotta put work in you,
you gotta hit the grind.

And then slowly you'll find

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
some.

It's a .Ing fight though.

Yeah.

It's been a fight for you and it's
still, it still is a fight for you too.

It still is a fight.

Yeah.

It's not okay, I went to therapy.

I'm all better done.

No.

Cool.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: I'm all good.

No.

It's, yeah.

I'm, I gotta, I've gotta
work on it every day.

I gotta do it every day, and and
just, and you just keep it going.

If I start feeling down, I start
feeling this, I'll go bust out

some miles, or I start doing my
meditation, I start doing my my, my

little my little things that I do.

And then I'm like, oh yeah, I'm good now.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
It's just it's those little tools, right?

And I think that's one of the overlooked
things about therapy and probably a

misconception about yeah, like clinicians
and therapy and like the massage and

like the energy work and all the woowoo
and all the other professional stuff

that's in like a medical context, yeah.

It all works together,
but it's also a practice.

It's just a lot of people think that if
you go to a therapist or you seek these,

this help out that it's gonna be affix.

Like they are going to fix you.

Yeah.

And that is not the case, man.

No.

It's up to you, the individual.

And you said it right there, dude.

You, you confirmed it, man.

Yeah, but it's, when you go to
these people, it's like going

to .Ing Home Depot, right?

Yeah.

I need.

This sheet of plywood,
ah, you already home.

You unloaded the plywood.

I I got, I forgot screws.

I gotta go get screws.

Okay.

That's not the right screw.

So you're finding those different like
tools to put in your toolbox to complete

the job and build yourself strong, right?

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah, exactly.

It's up to you at the end.

Yeah.

And the way it is too is it's, you're
talking to somebody and you're

just, you're letting it all go to 'em.

And then they're going okay this
is what you can start on here.

This is what you can do here.

This is what you should do here.

And it's okay, I'm doing that.

Yeah, okay, now I'm doing this and now
I'm gonna ask this person for help.

And I'm ask that person for help.

And then all of a sudden okay, now
I got some tools and and I'm gonna

try this I'm gonna put the, I'm gonna
put the meditation the what is it?

Apple Music got the meditation thing
I'm gonna put that on the white

noise and when I go to sleep at night

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
that should help.

See Yeah.

The white noise.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Oh yeah.

Yeah.

And I was telling.

Vanessa, I'm like, I've got my rocks, man.

I got this rock here.

This one helps me sleep.

This one, she's, oh, I got rocks too.

She goes, did you got 'em out on
the, you go 'em outside right now.

Charge 'em up on the moon.

Yeah.

Full moon, dude.

Yes, I know.

What's up, dude, I know what's up.

I'm like, yeah, I do
actually have them charging.

And she's, but

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
that's the thing is I know there's

gonna be some like detractors
out there listening to that right

there that, and I was like, yeah,
I do the crystal thing, right?

And it's oh here we go.

The crystals, right?

There's those people out there
that don't believe in that but I'm

gonna say this and I hope it like,
resonates with those folks that

are like the detractors from that.

But I'm actually, I'm gonna even do
it, is I'm gonna ask you a question.

Does it work for you?

Do you believe in it?

Yes.

Do you think it's beneficial?

Then what the does it matter?

It works matter for you, dude.

Yeah.

Try it.

It worked for you.

You tried it, you had the
balls to try it, right?

Yes, exactly.

And Yeah, dude, .Ing, if it
works for you, it works for you.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah, totally.

Keep doing what works.

Yes.

And then that's, and that's,
and and that's where I

was, where I think I was at.

Anything.

You want me to put this rock in
my pocket, I'm going to do it.

Yeah.

Then when put it out there on the
window, silver for, to charge, I'm

doing it like, gimme more because
I'm just trying to survive, yeah.

I'm drowning and I'm, and I, and
then, and all of a sudden okay,

my rock got this, I got that.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
But it works for you, man.

That's the thing's that's the thing.

And you didn't know until you tried.

Cause you probably thought it
was like I'm just gonna make

the assumption that you probably
thought it was until you tried it.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: If someone
told me this two years ago or a year

ago this rock's gonna help you sleep
and this one's gonna do this and this

crystal's here and this one is your
you are like, dang .Ing goddamn rock.

This mother.Er's high.

Yeah.

You on, man.

And then today I'm like, oh
yeah, I got my rocks charge.

And I think it's when you're,
yeah, when you need something,

you need to believe in something.

You need to trust it.

You need to be open to
it and just go with it.

Trust the process.

Yeah.

What the hell, man?

Why not?

These do, I'll do my finger things.

Yes.

It helps now.

Yeah.

I'm breathing.

Oh my God.

Now you're here So much about this,
my breathing, this .Ing breathing

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
And I'm always breathing.

Yeah.

I'm doing my thing and god, it, it
just, I think it is, it's just, you

just believe in that thing and just.

And then you get better.

You get better.

Whatever it is.

It's

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
small chunks, dude.

Small chunks.

It's no different than
Viking into a steep fire.

It's one foot in front of the other dude.

Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: And
it's okay, we got Walker here.

He'll come out here and
tell you like how he did.

Okay.

He did all right.

And come on man.

Get some rocks.

Get the crystals, man.

Start feeling better, man.

Yeah.

Breathing it's yeah.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
There's a lot of things out

there, like some stuff that
I do, some stuff that I do.

There's a ton of stuff out there.

Yeah.

I do the energy stuff.

I like the shaman stuff, right?

Yeah.

That's my jam.

I got a local girl here.

She's yeah.

I'm not, I don't wanna, if I wanna
sell her out and like publicly dispose

about it because I don't know if
she's like into that sort of thing.

So I'm going she might get a bunch

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: of calls.

Yeah.

She might flooded.

You're helping with him.

Can you help

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
me?

But yeah.

And she's .Ing wonderful.

And she's she's a lot
like your girl, right?

She's a e em s she was a
paramedic for a long time.

Yeah.

And now she's She's a clinician.

She's also into the shaman thing, like
the energy work, healing crystals the

.Ing rocks and and it's cool man.

It's cool cuz like you don't know
until you try it, but I'm into it.

It worked for me.

It works for me.

And also I like other things too.

You ever done a sensory deprivation float?

And that don't always sound
like .Ing Joe Rogan right now.

Cause

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: that's
where I learned about this no,

but people been all week been
telling me about stuff like this.

Dude, it's cool

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
man.

All right.

So allegedly back in the day
I might have had an experience

with some psilocybin and.

You obviously know where this story is
going, but the thing is, what's cool about

the sensory deprivation float is I get
closed eyed hallucinations oftentimes

like towards the tail end of it, right?

Yeah.

And it's have you ever done
like a therapeutic like a, or a

assisted therapy with the help
of some sort of hallucinogen?

It's similar to that, but
you're in control of the,

like the whole thing, right?

It's not in a recreational
context where you're out like

tripping balls in the forest or
whatever with your buddies, right?

It's for a purpose.

And it's that same mentality
of the cluttered desk, right?

You got a, these pile of bills here,
stacking up, you got trash over there.

It just gives you a little bit of
time and it's only like an hour

and a half or an hour, whatever.

But you get that similar like mind
thing going to where you traditionally

only get with the assistance
of hallucinogen therapy, right?

Yeah.

But you can.

Get to that, almost to that
point when you're doing the

sensory deprivation thing, right?

Yeah.

So it's like clearing that .Ing
cluttered desk and you get this

focus and this like clarity
and it's helpful for me, man.

It's, it works.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
You do that here in Reno?

Yeah, I'm

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
sold, yeah.

Healing one center.

It's down here off of Plum Street.

Man, they got some good my girl that does
the energy works there, you'll find her.

Oh man.

Yeah, because yeah

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: These are
the things, these are the things we

need to make public and make note.

Or

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
just .Ing give some.

If it somebody out there
that's just, you try it, man.

Just try

the

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

If you're going through some like
I am and feeling you're there,

then yo, what's it gonna hurt?

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
What's it gonna hurt?

It's gonna cost you a couple
bucks if it doesn't work.

Yeah.

Oh, .Ing move on to the
next tool in toolbox.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Exactly.

Just keep reaching out and talking.

And I think like I was talking to
so many people this week about what

I've been doing and where I'm at and.

And there a ton of compliments
from all the bros and all my

sisters just God, you're look good,
you're happy, you're sparked up.

I'm like tuned in.

Yeah, you're good.

Like you what's, what are you doing?

Oh yeah, I got rocks,
which sounds so funny.

I'm ridiculous.

I breathe.

I got my stones, I

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
got my crystals.

Yeah.

Which, that sounds so ridiculous,
but it's helpful for you, man.

That's the, and that's the
only thing that matters.

Yeah.

It's just not that, I just
think the rocks is .Ing funny.

It's helping.

It is pretty Goddamn .Ing.

Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
But there is a lot more to it.

A lot of breathing and exercises
and in, and a lot of it

is not being hard on yourself.

Yeah.

Telling some grace for yourself.

Yes.

Telling yourself you're worth it.

Telling yourself you're not a
.Ing telling yourself cuz you

come down on yourself, and I think
that's where it is the worst is

you're you feel like such a failure.

You feel like such, such a
.Ing piece of and significant

person and then that's where you
also do is build your confidence,

build yourself up hell with it.

So it's

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
that whole common, that's like

the whole like mentality of yeah.

If you put trash in,
you're gonna get trash out.

It's no different from nutrition.

It's no different from your mental health.

Yep.

If you keep telling yourself
you're a piece of guess what?

All of a sudden you're a piece of and
you believe it, and you told yourself

that you .Ing tricked yourself.

Yep.

And I get the self-deprecation in
this culture and like the fire culture

and the dark humor and like the
turd sandwiches that we constantly

eat, but man, the positivity that's
one of those big things, man.

Yeah.

If you keep being positive, like
you've always been dude, and.

Granted, we've had a little
bit of separation there.

Cause I'm not in the fire game anymore.

And you went through some
dark . Like I knew Happy Walker

before the, all the went down.

Yeah.

And now you, I'm just now learning
this conversation right now.

Yeah.

That human connection dude, that story
that, that I did not know that like

the gravity of that situation for you.

Yeah.

But now look at you.

I'm I come I feel bad because I
feel like I wasn't, I feel like I wasn't

really there for you during the during
the turd sandwich and I saw you on

the happy part and the recovery part.

I didn't see, and I didn't get
the opportunity to help you.

Or try and .Ing reach out
during the cause I didn't know,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: man.

And that's all of us, man.

We don't know.

We can all wear a mask.

We can all just be happy
go lucky all the time.

And then you don't, it's like
this the one I was thinking

about was Robin Williams.

Is the best thing.

The happiest, funniest .Ing dude he is

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
one of the goat comedians dude.

Yeah.

And then

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: he checks out.

Yeah.

Huge depression.

Huge going on in his life.

No, Modo Anthony

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
Bourdain too, man.

Yeah.

This has the best job in
my eyes in the world, man.

He travels around the goddamn globe
and eats the best food in the world.

Yes.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

He checked out too.

He checked out too.

And that's where I identified
with is oh my God.

I'm like that dude.

Like I am in public.

I am laughing.

I'm telling jokes, but then inside,
and I'm like, he told you screaming.

Monsters, demons are all .Ing around
you and you just it builds and builds.

And then you, all of a sudden
you're just like, this, I'm done.

I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I'm
completely exhausted with everything.

The job this, all the yeah.

I think that's where you're
already committed at that point

until you're like, okay, this.

I love everybody.

I love my friends.

This.

I'm coming back.

Love my family.

Come back, baby coming back.

Yeah.

And then that's when you
start looking for help.

And I hope people listen to this
and like they're going through this

guy chain, go, Hey, alright man,
if I can do this, you can do it.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
For .'s sake, dude, you fly

around on a helicopter, fight
fire with a .Ing, a robot arm,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
practically, dude.

Yeah, I do.

This one-handed

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
That's inspiring in itself, dude.

Like during the vehicle
accident, man yeah.

To overcome that adversity man, and
still be in the game and fighting fire

and still be in that light man that
.Ing positivity man, that speaks

volumes about your character, dude.

Yeah.

And it speaks volumes about it.

Will it speaks volumes being vulnerable
here to tell your story and your struggles

and like the that you endured and Yeah.

It's, I hope everybody can learn from it,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: dude.

I do.

Yeah.

They, yeah you can heal.

Tomorrow will be better.

Wake up and see what tomorrow brings.

And I used to always like, I don't know
if that's my or someone else's but I

always would, like when I first had
this accident and I kept teetering

into that, the depression side, this
the sad side and poor me kind of side.

And I was just like no
I got this today.

Let me see what tomorrow has.

Yeah.

Like one more day.

Let's go one more day, one
foot in front of the other.

Yeah let's go.

Let's go two more chains.

Let's go in.

And yeah and I think that's,
that just keeps you there.

But then it's okay, now you hell
with that, man, we gotta pull back.

We gotta .Ing regroup.

We gotta just, we just can't
be doing chin of line yeah.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
You gotta, eventually you're gonna run

outta water, you're gonna run outta
MREs, you're gonna run out of .Ing Yeah,

out of, you're gonna run out of energy.

.Ing yeah.

You get fatigued, man.

It's same thing with your mind,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: man.

I did.

Just exhausted, just totally
just kicked, exhausted.

Mentally, physically, emotionally,
just .Ing wanting to give it all up,

and then just okay now we're good.

I found some tools.

I'm gonna be better.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
You got some tools too, man.

All right, dude.

All right.

So the people that are watching the video
here, like you, you gotta show this thing

off because this thing is .Ing cool.

And I find it wildly rad that you're
still fighting fire because like

the indomitable spirit, the human
spirit, the willpower, all that

stuff is you overcame that dude.

Like most people, they'd
be like, I'm .Ing out.

I'm out of the game.

I'm not fighting.

Fired.

You found a way,

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: dude.

Oh yeah.

No I know I need help.

Or you just a glu for punishment.

Yeah.

I should been committed
a long time ago, man.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
I don't think so, dude.

I don't

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack:
think so at all.

What the hell are you

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
thinking, man?

I think it's cool though.

But it's like those people you
got like Olympians, like Paralympians

that lost their legs and they're like
setting .Ing world records running and

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

You see it and you're like hell yeah,
man, but what do you g and and for

people that don't know, Eric Tilden,
his wife, she builds all my gadgets.

Yeah, Eric Tilden, he is
the super el hell attack.

He's a

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
good dude.

Yeah.

I talked to, had to
chat, good chat with him

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: yesterday.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And his wife builds all the crazy things
I want quote, I, like I said, man, I

am one of the luckiest people around to.

To to do this job, experience this
job, and have these kind of friends and

this kind of fire family and real family.

My real family's awesome as well.

Come on.

Yeah you lose your hand, but
you kid to keep fighting fire.

The whole state of Nevada's got your back.

Oh, yeah.

Whole fire community's got your back.

You ain't, you wanna do
it, you're gonna do it.

Yeah.

You want an office job, we can do that.

But if you wanna fight fire, you're
gonna keep fighting fire kind of thing.

And hell yeah.

And all right, we're gonna build
you some hands to do this job.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
That's .Ing cool though, because

that just shows you like the
support of the fire family.

I know that like I've got like a very
deep relationship with a lot of folks

in the Bureau of Land Management here.

Of course.

So my skew is my my,
my vision and my, my.

My point of view is very skewed
and biased to loving these folks.

But sometimes that
doesn't happen around man.

But if you can just be that inspiration
and like lead from either the top,

the middle or the bottom, like wherever
man you can make that if you don't

have it at your district or your forest
or your .Ing station or whatever, man.

Yep.

You gotta put in the effort.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

Put in the effort.

Yeah, you do.

But no, I truly lucky man.

Especially my family like my son
gutter I gotta shoot a shout out

to him cuz he's fighting fire.

He's crazy, but yeah.

Yeah.

It's and so it's a really
good connection with him with

this too, but I don't know.

Crazy wild life, man.

Isn't it

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
crazy the places that we go and the

that we see, man, it's it's good, man.

Walker man, I appreciate
you being on the show, dude.

Thank you.

This has been a wonderful experience
and .Ing good to see you again, dude.

.Ing awesome man.

But with that, always give the
opportunity to give some shout outs

to some homies, heroes, mentors.

I know you got Gunner in there, but
Yeah, I had to throw Gunner in there.

Yeah.

Who else you got for us, man?

Oh man.

You know

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: my list.

It's huge.

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
We're gonna be rolling for

another three hours, folks.

Yeah.

Jay Walker - Ely Helitack: Yeah.

I like my own wish, I love you

The Anchor Point Podcast Host - Brandon Dunham:
.Ing man.

Locker, thank you so much
for being on the show, dude.

Best luck to you, dude.

Keep doing what you're doing
and keep inspiring everybody.

I will try.

All right, brother.

See ya.

And boom.

There we go.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Another episode of the Anchor
Point podcast is in the books

with my good friend Jay Walker.

Dude, thank you so much
for being on the show.

That was one hell of a story, man.

And yeah, keep doing you dude.

Like seriously, you, like you are like
one of my favorite people in fire.

And I don't know a single person that
like really dislikes you by any means

because whenever you walk into a room,
man, you are one of the funniest in

the room, and you are a tough son of
a you even lost your arm and you're

still crushing it out there, dude.

That, that, oh God, that inspires me, man.

.Ing love you, man.

That is awesome.

Walker.

Dude, thank you so much
for being on the show.

Thank you for sharing your story, and I
hope that if, even if it helps one person

out there, then mission accomplished.

Thank you so much.

As for the rest of you, I hope
everybody got some some good bits

out of this episode and yeah, feel
free to, we reach out to him, man.

You can find 'em on the old
Graham in the old Facebook.

I'll definitely put some links in the
show notes and yeah, chat the dude up.

He is all about sharing the word
and sharing his story and hopefully

inspiring the next generation of wildland
firefighters to do what they need to do.

No matter how strange it sounds
or how dumb it sounds or how

woo it sounds, just try it.

That's all we gotta do.

If it works for you, then great.

If it doesn't, move on to the next
tool you can put on your toolbox.

So once again, Walker, thank you so much.

Hope everybody enjoyed the episode
and I hope everybody's staying

safe and geared up for this season.

And yeah, I hope those crews that
went up to Canada, that first

little cycle rolling up there.

I hope you guys are doing well.

And if you, like I said, if you
wanna be on the show and tell

your story about fighting fire in
Canada, feel free to hit me up.

Special shout out to our sponsors.

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We've got my man booze
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He is doing the finest damn work in
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So if you have problem pooper on your
crew, go over to www.thefirewild.com

and check out the movement.

And last but not least, we got my girl
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Bethany, Hannah, you have a
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Keep it up as rest of
you, y'all know the drill.

Stay safe, stay savage.

Peace.