Summer 2015: What Do I Do to Keep Busy?

    I am often asked by friends who are still working, “What do you do to keep busy?” Hearing that makes me wonder, What do I do? and then I realize the answer is, “It depends.”

    One of my favorite endeavors is volunteering with the Buck Rock Foundation (BRF). This is a volunteer organization whose goal, in my words, is to maintain and staff fire lookouts in the local Sierra Nevada Mountains. At the present, they are responsible for three lookouts: BuckRock, the pristine lookout in the Sequoia National Forest, Park Ridge in Sequoia National Park, and Delilah in Sequoia National Forest.

    The foundation has been able to renovate each lookout and staff them with volunteers during the fire season. Though I have attended the lookout training I have not been able to dedicate the time to finish my training and actually act as a lookout. 

Red: Trip to Buck Rock. Purple: Trip to Mount Tom.

    However, that does not mean I am not involved. It seems that I keep volunteering to do the grunt work, to spend time working on the premises. I am honored to say I have been involved in assisting in the renovation of all three lookouts—sort of makes them even more special. Though some of the tasks are rather tedious, what can be nicer than looking up from your job and seeing the mountains “right there.”

Buck Rock Fire Lookout on center peak.

    So last week I headed up to Buck Rock to see Kathy, the lead lookout, and catch up. Climbing the stairs is a job in itself. There is just something about those 172 steps (yes, I have counted them) at 8,500 feet to see how in shape you are (or aren’t), while enjoying the changing views. For some it is a challenge, for the stairs meander over open spaces as they work their way to the top.  Yet it is a rather safe journey, and if you are like me, you just don’t look down until on top, if then. 

Looking up at Buck Rock Fire Lookout —172 steps.

    Once on top you are treated to a great catwalk around the lookout and if things are calm, a visit inside. 

View from Buck Rock.

    I lucked out: Kathy had a few free minutes, and soon I had purchased (take a few bucks up, for there are great things to buy, all donations go to the BRF) a new Buck Rock T-shirt complete with “I Climbed Buck Rock” on the back and the lookout on the front.

Looking down from Buck Rock.

    Conversation then turned toward the new project for the BRF, finishing the rehabbing of the Mount Tom Lookout, situated in the Sierra National Forest. With federal money being diverted to fire suppression and other needs, the Forest Service looked to the BRF to supply volunteers. Why not, sounded good, I was free (remember, I am retired) so agreed that I would be there the following weekend.

1st night campsite at Big Meadow, SequoiaNational Forest.

    What to say, I left the lookout, found a great free campsite in the Big Meadow area, set up camp, cooked dinner, and settled down to a serenade of thunder from the Kings River Canyon below. All was well until it got rather bright, seems a series of lightning strikes followed immediately by thunder and then it began to hail. 

VW Westy at Big Meadow.

    Did I say the bus’s top was up? As the side tent is canvas, I began to drop it, yet with hail falling in buckets, the top decided to not come down. So outside I went, discovered that a piece of the top had come loose, yet finally got it down--that is after three times in and out. Once I completed the task I took inventory: filthy and rather dirty bus floor, soaked-to-the-bone operator, so time to enjoy and clean up.

Rain & hail.

     Soon all was done, and I was dry inside my sleeping bag and fell asleep to the roar of the thunder as it echoed off the sides of Kings Canyon.

Coffee makings: water, single-cup coffee press, Jet Boil.

    The next day after enjoying the blue sky and coffee, I headed down to Hume Lake and launched my inflatable Advanced Elements 10-foot kayak. After a couple minutes of remembering how easy it is to inflate, I jumped in and began to paddle. Note, it was my first kayak adventure since my triple hernia repair three months ago, so I began slowly yet soon was able to push it as long as the body would allow, did I say I am out of shape? 

Inflatable kayak ready for Hume Lake.

    I paddled across the lake, which unfortunately is about 6 feet down due to the drought, beached, and walked around to the commercial side and called Marilyn to celebrate. Then time to reverse course, to enjoy the shoreline back, just having fun being on the water. I did the last 1/2 mile at a bit brisker pace as the sky decided to fill with thunderheads. It is amazing how quickly the weather can change in the mountains.

    The next 24 hours found me enjoying just wandering various trails yet keeping not more than 2 miles from the bus, as rain was in the area. That evening I found another campsite off the grid with a great view of Kings Canyon. Knowing that the temps at home were hovering in the mid-100s made the cool evening and great vistas even better. Re temps were in the 100s, sorry Marilyn.

2nd night campsite in Kings Canyon National Park 

    Jump ahead a week, and now it is time to go to Mount Tom. Loren, the other volunteer and “boss,” called Friday evening to say that thunderstorms were all around the lookout but let's give it a try. 

Mount Tom Lookout.

    So at 5 AM Saturday, with a bus full of dry clothing and food, off I went. It is only 130 miles, but after the first 70 on the valley floor the road climbs to 7,000 feet and beautiful Huntington Lake. Once at the lake the road begins to narrow until it becomes a 1-1/2-lane asphalt road known as the Kaiser Pass Road.

Kaiser Pass Rd.

    Soon my turn-off came and the sign said 11 miles to Mount Tom. After around 8 miles on a somewhat narrow dirt road, I was confronted with another sign: 

“Mount Tom 3-1/2 miles, Four-Wheel Drive Vehicles Only.” 

Now, my bus has great ground clearance, but it is just a VW bus with basically one-wheel drive. However, being not the first four-wheel drive road it has been on (ask Marilyn about her first trek to Death Valley and the road from Darwin to Panamint City) off we climbed. Dodging rocks, climbing up, and dodging more rocks, I was soon on top of 9,000-foot Mount Tom.

Arriving at Mount Tom.

    After 10 miles of narrow asphalt and 8 of narrow dirt, another 3.5 of a four-wheel-drive road in my one-wheel-drive VW, I arrived at Mount Tom. I was greeted by Loren, the lookout Marta, and her mom Julie, who was visiting. 

Arrived at Mount Tom.

    Then I realized that our job was to remove the old 1934 cedar shake roof. With the lookout’s catwalk about 45 feet above the ground and the realization that I was going to spend the next two days going up and down an 8-foot ladder on top of the catwalk, my apprehension arose—seems this helo pilot is scared of heights. 

Reroofing Mount Tom Fire Lookout. 

    What to say, Loren and I talked and soon I was on top of the ladder, leaning over while Loren, on the roof, tied in with his safety belt, handed me old shakes. Once I accepted that if I did not look down it was okay—and I can say I never did—I was fine. As the day progressed, things got easier as we soon found ourselves in a routine. At the end of the day we had two sides stripped almost to the top and tarpaper installed. 

Loren & me, 45' up in the air on an 8-foot ladder. Loren was strapped in.

    Throughout the day as we worked, Marta continued to scan the horizon, discovering two lightning caused fires. She called them in, and soon crews were working to contain them.

Smoke from wildfires.

    To the west of us we monitored two major fires as they advanced and at times inundated us with smoke. Sadly one was human caused, an abandoned campfire. Soon the red sun went down, and I found the wind rocking the bus as I fell asleep.

Sunset from Mount Tom.

    The next morning, after about 30 minutes of stretches to get all the kinks out, we were back on the roof stripping the third side. Soon our new asphalt shingles arrived and we devised a way to get them up to the catwalk. Even with a double pulley system they were heavy. 

Loren working on the roof of Mount Tom Lookout. 

    By then I was accustomed to the ladder and thought I could wiggle on top of the roof, yet once I began it was evident that I couldn’t. Oh well—back to being the delivery boy, climbing the ladder with the asphalt shingles Loren began to lay out. 

    Soon it was 6 PM, and two sides showed a bit of progress, and it was time to stop work. Fortunately another volunteer was scheduled to assist the next day.

    So my time had come to an end. I could not have done it without Loren’s help. It is a joy to work with such a professional—who actually liked my jokes. Marta and Julie were our cheerleaders, giving support, saying the right things, and just great folks. I should add Marta spotted another lightning caused fire that Sunday and, I was told, yet another the following day. This competent young lady is definitely an asset to the program.
    So now it was time to head down the hill, to the reverse the route, slide down the first miles of the four-wheel-drive road and then enjoy the smooth, though narrow, dirt road back to the asphalt. 

Free-range cattle along the road.

    To my amazement I found the 1-1/2-lane-wide asphalt road I drove up on Saturday morning to be so much wider now. Soon I was past Huntington and by 10 PM was home in the shower, getting two days of fun off the body.
    So what do I do to keep busy now that I am retired? Look for more experiences.
                                                —Doug

    Becoming a Fire Lookout: For those who would enjoy being a lookout, staying the night up in the lookout, and just enjoying the scenery as you scan the area for smoke, please check out the BRF web site. Each spring they offer instruction to new lookouts, after which you work a lookout with an experienced person and then are free to sign up. Each site has a bed and a stove. All you have to do is supply your sleeping bag and food—and enjoy.