Tower Log - June 24-25, 2004

June 24, 2004

0703 hrs

This should be fun.  Now that I have been in the program for my second season, I have started teaching the Fire Behavior course for the new applicants.  This trip to the mountains I shall be the tower instructor for two candidates.  Susan and Deanne have passed the mandatory applicant training and are now considered to be candidates.  Once they pass tower training, they will be fully qualified Fire Lookouts.

Susan is riding up with me in the Explorer, and we shall meet Deanne at Charlton Flats.

I tell Susan that the most dangerous part of the job is getting there.  I tell her to always keep an eye for bikers and bikers.  She knew what I meant right away.  We passed about four large groups of bicyclists on the way up.

Charlton Flats is closed due to the extreme fire danger.  Deanne is at the gate and ready for her tower training.  They are both excited.

I open the gate and get both cars through and close the gate behind the girls.

I tell both of the women that it is always best to back into the parking area.  That way you can drive down the hill in an emergency without having to go backwards down a steep hill when something is wrong.

Susan begins to open the lookout tower while Deanne is keeping an eye on the forest for smoke.

Hey this is fun.  I get to sit back and watch the tower open without having to do anything.  I tell them that they both will be doing the job today as if they were the Fire Lookouts on duty because they are... I will only instruct and advise.

They get right to work.

The lookout tower is not fully open, but we have our first guests arrive.

Deanne and Susan raise the colors.  Before they raised the colors I told them how every military and government office perform this duty and what it really means.  After Old Glory took to the wind they both told me how proud they were to be the ones to perform that ceremony.  I like.

Another visitor arrives to check out the newbies.

Why do they always go in twos?????

Just kidding, they are still working on their "rounds".

Well it looks like the Upper Yucca plant has met its end.

And the Lower Yucca plant is not far behind.  It was interesting to see the life of these plants from the 2003 season to now.  Well all things come to and end, to make room for the new.

The Osborne is coming up the mountain to be placed inside the lookout.  As soon as it is in place the Susan makes the radio call "Angeles Dispatch, Vetter Mountain in Service".

When Angeles acknowledges they both grin from ear to ear.

Uh oh... these guys are eating our lookout tower!!!

I have taken so many pictures of birds and lizards I start thinking that this season I will keep an eye out for the bugs.

More and more visitors come to the Lookout and Susan takes time to greet one of the four legged escorts.

Susan talks to some more visitors.  I stop instruction when visitors come and judge how well the girls are doing when they talk to the visitors.  After the visitors leave I do a brief review and then continue on with the tower instruction.

Deanne looks in a book of birds in response to a visitor's question.

Wow now that is a big bug... so I take his picture, then escort him outside the lookout tower before the girls see him.  They may have dealt with him ok... but ya know... I just had too many things going on to risk it.  (grin)

That is one ugly bug!

Our first UFO cloud.  Turning out to be a nice day.

Ok this was a funny group of guys that told us how bears had taken all their food from the campground and they had nothing to eat at all.  They were very interested in the lookout and kicked back awhile before heading out.

Susan takes a walk around the lookout.  Hey... she has that same "I'm so happy" look that I get.  Susan really likes being in the outdoors and is a great spirit.

On a personal note...  since we met on March 19th of this year we have really been hitting it off.  It's getting serious between us and I must admit that I am excited that she joined the fire lookout program.  We have been looking for a house for the two of us and may have found one where we can keep her horse, and not far from the mountains.

Looking around I show the candidates the various peaks and landmarks.

I also show them the extent of the bark beetle infestation nearby.

I tell them about the rocks, about the fires that were in the area years past and also advised them to be careful when walking around the rocks due to the rattlers in the area.

Susan tells me its time for lunch.  I love this picture of her.

Wow... I don't have to make my own lunch.  Ok I can get used to this!

A group of visitors scrambles around the rocks below the lookout.  Deanne invites them up to the tower.

They come up to the tower and learn about the Forest Service and the purpose of the Osborne Fire Finder.

Well all the training is complete, the testing done, both Susan and Deanne have passed their Lookout Tower training and are now fully qualified fire lookouts that can come up to the tower solo if they desire.

Congratulations to both of them for a job well done.  

Our United States Forest Service's newest Fire Lookouts!

Deanne completes her day and must head down the hill for an appointment, so we bid her good day and congratulations once again.  The smile on her face really made me feel good too as I can see in both Susan and Deanne the excitement that I feel to be a part of this service.

To welcome the new lookouts a quail makes a rare mid afternoon showing.

So what is the first thing our new Fire Lookout does... watch a squirrel.

Oh what the hey, its part of the perks of being a Fire Lookout.

Mr. Squirrel takes his lunch and greets the new lookouts.

Just for fun, I run Susan for yet another smoke drill for the third time today.  This time we do a speed drill to see how fast we can get a good bead on a smoke.

BUT THEN IT HAPPENED!

Over the radio came the three tones, which signals a major emergency in the forest.  Smoke has been spotted directly to our East.  We look out the windows but can't see anything.  So we grab the binoculars and go outside to the handrail, yet we still cannot see any smoke from where the reports are coming.  This could be due to the fact the fire is in a far canyon and the smoke is still thin.

Another radio report comes in and we estimate the bearing and distance to the fire at over 14 miles away, and about 4000 feet below our position.

About five minutes later we see the smoke start to rise above the ridge.  A small red car drives up the mountain and a woman starts walking around.  I tell her that there is a fire and since I don't know who she is I ask her to come up to the tower.

It turns out she is surveying the area for our Forest Historian.  She watches while the smoke grows larger.

The smoke is really going and a second alarm is called on the radio for more resources to help fight the fire.

"Hey Susan... you have a smoke... let's run a smoke drill."

We use the Osborne and run through the procedures to make a smoke report.

During the smoke drill we did a few "mock" calls to dispatch simply to practice using the radio during an emergency.

I just had to have an ego shot.  (grin)  Actually, we took the video camera and made an instructional video with the fire as our back drop.

A red crested bird.  I'll look him up later.

The smoke is gone and the fire is reported to be under control.  It turns out that Deanne saw the fire on her way home and she was wondering if we had a chance to report it.

Susan makes the call that "Vetter Mountain is Out of Service."

The Sun sets over the mountains in the distance.  Just a few more tasks to do and we can get ready for dinner.

The last light of the day's Sun gives its orange glow.  It was a great day.  Many visitors, two enthusiastic Fire Lookouts, and even some smoke for their first day on the job.  The critters were out in force.  A light breeze made it nice.

Susan and I prepared dinner and spent our first night in the lookout as a couple, which is allowed if both partners are qualified fire lookouts.

I'm happy that Susan has joined me in this adventure.

June 25, 2004

0705 Susan calls in service and raises the colors for a new day.  We will not be working a full day as we expect to be relieved by George later in the morning.

Susan and I greet George as he carries his gear into the lookout for his shift.

Our last visitor, and George's first, leaves as we prepare our gear for the trip down the mountain.

Susan and I go to Newcombs Ranch Cafe for breakfast.  We take our time and review yesterday's events.

We also take time to talk about the personal activities in regards to buying our new home and our planned trip to her hometown in Ohio, where I plan on proposing to her.