Hello from the Fire Lookout!

I’m writing this from the fire lookout, and I couldn’t be happier! So many people have been asking me when I’ll be back up here, and I found myself wondering the same thing. It felt like time kept stretching on and on like taffy. I was so ready to come back.

It was a fun drive back out here. I take a different route each time, and by now you should know how much I love being on the road. But as beautiful as all the sights were, as fun as all the hikes had been, I was waiting with bated breath until I could stand on my lookout once more and look out over the mountains and trees of this valley I call home.

It’s crazy to me how quickly I’ve adjusted to being back up here. It honestly feels like I never left, like the past nine months were all a dream that I’m just now waking up from. I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy in a singular place as I am when I’m up here. I’m surrounded by jaw-dropping beauty outside every window. There are no buildings, no traffic, no people. There are just mountains rising above the valley floor, creeks and streams joining into rushing rivers, trees reaching their branches towards the heavens above. There are birds singing in the trees, raptors soaring through the air, picas shouting into the ether, deer and elk grazing in the meadows. And though I almost never see them, bears, wolves, and cougars stalking the ridges, searching for their next meal. This is where my soul longs to be. What more could you ask for?

My time up here has already been eventful. A few days after I moved back in, I woke up to glittering snow covering the lookout and the mountains around me. I was so excited. Normally, I arrive at the lookout once the snow has melted from the road, and I leave right before the first snows come. This was my first time experiencing snow up here and it was magical. There’s nothing better than curling up under a warm blanket with the fire roaring while the snow covers the hillside and the fog blots out the rest of the world. It feels like nothing else exists, and there’s nothing to worry about except staying warm and cozy. And although the snow only lasted a day, it gave way to perfect summer days exploring the forest and hanging out with friends.

I first learned about fire lookouts from a YouTube video in 2018. Being the flatlander from Texas that I am, I’d never even heard of them before. I specifically remember thinking, “That’s so cool. Too bad I’ll never do that.” But thankfully life had other plans. On the second leg of my walk from Boston to LA, I had the inward assurance that I would be a fire lookout the next summer. I just knew. I don’t know how else to explain it. I didn’t even apply. I simply woke up one morning in April, knowing that I had to start calling ranger stations. It only took ten phone calls for me to find an opening and end up in this place that makes me so happy. Sometimes you just know that things are meant to be, and this was one of them.

Now I’m going into my fourth season. I’m comfortable being a lookout now, confident in the skills I’ve been learning and honing since 2022. But I still have so much to learn, so much to discover, so many days to look out over this valley. It can be easy to take all of this for granted, but there’s no guarantee that things will always be like this. In fact, it’s guaranteed that things will change. And so as I sit here writing this, staring at the mountains I’m lucky enough to call home each summer, I’m filled with gratitude. Gratitude for finding this place, for spending the past three summers here, and for having another season. I strive every day not to take it for granted, but to be present and take each moment as it comes. This is going to be a great summer.

Love always,

Ben