Growing up in the mountains of northern New Mexico, Vidalia Vigil learned all about “roughing it” and hard work at an early age.
The 24-year-old recalled going out for her own wood, learning how to use power tools in her early teens and camping regularly throughout her upbringing around Pecos. This background came in handy when, right out of high school, she became an on-call wildland firefighter in the Pecos/Las Vegas district with the Santa Fe National Forest. Being a member of the hand crew started as a way to make money in the summers between college semesters, but she says her passion later grew.
She explained that she was “in awe” at her first fire; being able to overcome challenges in the moment was something that Vigil says stuck with her.