June 2019
In 2018 and 2019 there have been increasing opportunities to contribute my time and labor in caring for Washington State Fire Lookouts. To start with, I have taken over as treasurer for the Friends of Hidden Lake Lookout. Check Kari's FoHLLO page for more details.
Also in 2018, Kari and I hosted a party of a loosely formed group of Fire Lookout enthusiasts. Since that time we have been sharing information and looking for opportunities to help maintain existing fire lookouts. In June of 2019, six of us were allowed to visit the two existing fire lookout structures on the Yakama Nation land Satus and Signal peaks. In exchange for this privilege we contributed labor to help get these open for the summer fire season.
When we arrived at Satus Peak, the windows were all covered with metal plates. These 60 - 70 Lb windows coverings all needed to be unbolted from the inside and wrestled down out of the way. Normally, this is a long process for the three guys that look after the building, but with nine of us working on it we got it all done in about an hour.
It was a beautiful, if not-quite-warm day while we worked with Mt Adams, Mt Rainier, Goat Rocks and Mt Hood as our backdrop.
Spring 2018
For the past several years, I have volunteered with the Mountaineers as my way of giving back. This involved teaching, leading trips and even working with a group to develop a new navigation course.
With Kari, there have been some new opportunities. We co-host and co-lead trips out of her Sequim house and into the Olympic Mountains and beaches. This year Kari will be in charge of looking after the Hidden Lake Lookout while Robert Kendall does some through hiking this summer. There are no planned work parties, but if we do hear of problems with the lookout, or discover some while up there we will be pressed into service to fix them.
Another opportunity that has arisen this year is to work with the North Cascades Conservation Council to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Park. At least one date has been set aside, Oct 2nd 2018 at the Mountaineers Program Center.