How I spent one night at a fire lookout tower

Sometimes adventure comes your way unexpectedly. Many years ago I spent one summer as a volunteer with the US Forest Service surveying forest streams in northern Idaho. That was in itself an adventure but spending one night at a fire lookout tower was awesome.

A tip

When one of the nice office ladies heard about my then-girlfriend coming for a visit, she plugged the rental of decommissioned fire lookout towers. What? Really? You can rent one for a night? That was exciting; and extremely cheap, too.

So I booked one of the fire lookout towers for the weekend and the office lady even shuttled us out into the forest. This is what happens when you’re young and the ink on your Bachelor of Science degree is still wet. There is no fear, just thirst for adventure.

Idaho

Idaho is a great state full of wilderness. What I didn’t know was that northern Idaho was full of armed anti-government forest dwelling people and neo-Nazi elements. Need proof? Most of the USFS forest gates were shot up by people angry at the government telling them they can’t access the woods.

The film “Ruby Ridge” is based on a true story and the actual place wasn’t too far from my USFS station in Bonner’s Ferry. Briefly, the FBI entered private property in the woods but failed to identify themselves. A gun battle ensued. Soon the owner’s wife and a few agents lay dead. The man of the house would eventually receive a huge cash payout.

Sandpoint

One of my other misguided side-trips was a visit to Sandpoint, Idaho, a gorgeous little town. Except we stood out in what I swear was a town populated only by blonde blue-eyed residents. My hair and eyes were dark, my girlfriend was Japanese. I still laugh when I think about this outing.

Lookout tower

I knew about fire lookout towers from reading about forests. I always wondered what it must have been like to spend a full working season in one.

The 360 degree view was spectacular! One unbroken sea of green. Since it was summer, there were many wild flowers on the ground and we enjoyed the hike in from our drop-off point.

I did think about bears and lunatics, briefly, so it was reassuring to know that the USFS office lady would pick us up in one day. Always make sure someone knows where you’re going and arrange for pick-up.

Friendly people

As an aside, I should mention that all of the people I met that summer were great. Especially my work crew. One guy was a German forestry student, one girl lived in a tee-pee and one, well, let’s just say that she knew many local men intimately.

I spent the entire summer with these three and will never forget them.

Back in the tower when we examined the single bed, table and chair, we discovered that all legs were ceramic, presumably for protection from thunder bolts. I don’t know. We had great summer weather and soaked up the 360 degree view.

Once it got dark, nobody wanted to climb down the tower to answer nature’s calls. So we relieved ourselves from top of the tower.

Conclusion

Staying in a fire lookout tower is a lot of fun and it’s cheap. The state of Idaho is also fun. My summer season with the USFS was unbelievable. If you are considering work in the green industry, volunteering with the US Forest Service can be a great boost for your resume.