August 5, 2017
We talk on the forest radio, of course, but surprisingly I also spend more time on the phone up here than I do back in town. We swap weather observations, wildlife sightings, reports of interesting visitors, and old stories from our past lives. Other things, too. A couple of the older guys (both pushing 70) are particularly hilarious, discussing things like the finer points of peeing off the tower at night. (Choose the leeward side of the tower, obviously.) And they'll start text exchanges like this one, from yesterday morning:
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Anyhow, to cleanse your visual palette from that last mental image, here's a shot of the sun coming up over the mountains yesterday morning:
Chilly morning here today, 49 degrees with more of that north wind. I've got a fire going in the woodstove, and I think everyone's going to be wearing pants today. :)
I've mentioned before that the fire lookout people up here are one of the best groups of men and women I've ever encountered. Far from being the cranky old misanthropes that one might expect, they're nearly all truly warm, engaging, and fun people. I honestly feel privileged to have been a part of their community the last three summers.
We talk on the forest radio, of course, but surprisingly I also spend more time on the phone up here than I do back in town. We swap weather observations, wildlife sightings, reports of interesting visitors, and old stories from our past lives. Other things, too. A couple of the older guys (both pushing 70) are particularly hilarious, discussing things like the finer points of peeing off the tower at night. (Choose the leeward side of the tower, obviously.) And they'll start text exchanges like this one, from yesterday morning:
A few minutes later, one of the other lookouts called me and said, "It's a great morning to be out on the catwalk, only wearing my Crocs!" Proper footwear is definitely important at the job site. :)
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Anyhow, to cleanse your visual palette from that last mental image, here's a shot of the sun coming up over the mountains yesterday morning:
We're getting a lot of smoke here from the British Columbia forest fires, brought in by some strong, cold north winds. I'm sorry that it's blurring the view of the mountains ... but days like that have their own beauty, too.
Chilly morning here today, 49 degrees with more of that north wind. I've got a fire going in the woodstove, and I think everyone's going to be wearing pants today. :)