Smoke-jumping is a method of fire-fighting that involves parachuting out of a plane into a rural area to tackle a forest fire before it gets out of control. It's hard to avoid feeling humbled by the heroic exploits of the people who have been trained to do it. The Methow Valley is often seen as the birthplace of modern smoke-jumping (which was pioneered in the 1930s); you can tour the base, halfway between Winthrop and Twisp.
