July 17, 2022 - Delilah

 

 

Title: July 17, 2022 - Delilah
Hike Info : Description :  Extra Photo's : Animals

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

Description:

I slept well, very well. A little before 0500 I woke up, slept for 20 minutes more and then saw a glorious sunrise. Sunsets and sometimes-too few in my mind, sunrises are the payment we get for staffing a lookout like Delilah. Of course, yesterday and probably today, we will have our sins burnt out of us. But I am enjoying the “cool” 77 degrees of the morning.

I knew from last night’s experience that the lightning report was going to take a while to write. That turned out to be true. Lots of lightning in the high country. Also two strikes in an area where I thought I saw smoke last night.

Around 0800, we have breakfast. For me, it was too hot for oatmeal, so I had granola. Sherri wanted oatmeal, so she made it. And then we proceeded on to the new day. We have stashed our long term stuff down in the car, but we still have enough up here in the cab.

Delilah goes into service right after Park Ridge

Warm Lasanga Lunch

at 0930. I first go in service with Sierra, letting them know that I do not see any smoke from the area I thought I saw a smoke last night. A minute later, Sierra’s BC42 radios for Delilah. He copied my transmission and let me know that a reconnaissance plane would be up around 1100-1130. I go into service with Porterville.

And now it is doing the regular stuff. Doing scans, listening to radio, responding to any inquiries our way. At 1041, we hear the reconnaissance plane telling BC42.that they are not seeing any smoke, but there is one area they want to follow up on. A few minutes later, my hopes for a confirmation from last night are dashed--On the other hand, I am also relieved on what they found-a campfire from a dispersed campers. BC42 sends a patrol to find the campers and deal with them-they get a warning.

And now back to routine stuff. Well as routine as it can be when you are trying to find ways to keep cool. I will admit, it could be worse-we have been up here when it is worse, much worse. And yet, when you are in the heat, that is where my mind takes me. I am thankful for the breezes which come through Delilah. But remember Delilah has a tin roof and windows on all four sides. So when the sun hits the cab, it heats up. Enough griping and complaining.

 

 

 

Inside of the cab temperature

We have lasagna for lunch. I text a couple of people with a picture of us saying we are not having trouble keeping our lasagna warm. An advantage of having two of us up here is that I can take a nap. And that is what I do for an hour. I woke up refreshed.

Well, about as refreshed as you can be in the heat. Sherri has been standing watch, so I now get into the rotation as well. Not too much activity. Sounds like people are pretty much being peaceful out there. The clouds which were so prevalent yesterday are still gathering. But yesterday must have spent their strength. They do not seem nearly as ominous today.

As the time approaches 1800, we have our lunch, then clean up the cab. Sherri goes down first and loads stuff into the car which I send down with the pulley system. At 1800, I go out of service with Porterville and Sierra. And then I lock up and leave Delilah. By 1830, we are on the way home, arriving around 2000. Good to be in an air conditioned car and then better in an air conditioned home, able to take a shower and wash away the sweat.

 


Extra Photo's

Just an interesting cloud

Mt Hoffman and Finger Rock

Sunrise at Delilah, and one of the better ones, looking back into Split Mtn

Animals

July, 16, 2022 - Delilah

 

Title: July, 16, 2022 - Delilah
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons :  Extra Photo's : Animals 

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

Description:

A couple of months ago in my book group we read a book by James LaPine called Putting It Together. It was the story of how the play Sunday in the Park with George was put together. The second act of the play starts with the characters in the painting saying “It is hot up here!” That is how Sherri and I felt today-it is hot up here in the tower.

Gary on the lookout, trying to keep cool

But I am getting ahead of the story. Like most mornings, I get up and look to see if there has been lightning the previous day. Yep there was, mostly in the Kern Canyon area. Still it puts me a bit behind in my timetable to leave. Sherri and I left Fresno a few minutes before 0730. The trip up was nondescript. But already it is getting warm. By 0800, it was 80 degrees in Fresno. And 5,000’ higher when we reach Delilah at 0900, it is 80 here as well.

This is Sherri’s first time up this year. Between having a surgery four months ago and having foot problems for the past two months, she has not been in any condition to travel down 80 steps to go to the bathroom. So this is a big step for her-or should I say a lot of little steps. Got to admire that she even wants to try to do this.

We get our food, gear and water-particularly the water up into the cab. Just opening up the cab greets me with a flow of hot air from a closed glass building. The first thing I do is open windows and get a fan running. I am thankful we have solar panels to provide electricity for conveniences like this. Today, I would rate the fan being a necessity.

And now the day starts with going in service with the other lookouts. There are a couple fires left over from yesterday. The first is the Rock Fire, near Buck Rock. Sounds like it is a runaway campfire based upon the size and activity. Various patrols and resources will visit it throughout the day

The interesting one is the Cherry Fire. This is at Cherry Flat, to the southwest of Redwood Canyon. It is on private property, but it is a residue of the KNP Complex fire from last September. From what I am hearing this fire was in a pile or a mound of sawdust. It finally got going after ten months of appearing dormant. This is causing some concern. Park Ridge was able to spot it-that does not surprise me. That lookout spots everything. Interesting way with Park Ridge tackled calling out the smoke. He alerted that a smoke had been seen and an approximate location. This bought him time to get an azimuth as well as a legal location. All in all, this shows what experience will do. As a note, the residents were working on putting it out when Forest Service personnel arrived. But it would take several days of effort to completely remove all of the heat from the sawdust.

 A little after 1100, a vehicle fire was called out around Ruth Hill and Indian Guide Roads. Both Park Ridge and Delilah call out, no smoke visible. In our case, Pine and Dude Ridge block our view. Later on, at times I wonder if I can see the faint outline of smoke.

We return back to our normal programming until 1245 when a medical emergency is called out at Jennie Lake-this is where the kids and I went backpacking a couple weeks ago. But even without that point of interest, there is always excitement-maybe the same excitement as rubbernecking an accident on a highway. In this case, it will hold our attention for a lot of the afternoon. Which is good, because it is hot. Div 3 stations people both at Stoney Creek and at the Big Meadows Trailhead to meet the hikers, if they come out. The issue is a 19 year old has been vomiting for most of the night. Both Park Ridge and Delilah see a black helicopter fly by in the direction of the emergency. Park Ridge thinks it turned around at Poop Out Pass. In a few minutes it passes us and flys off in a NorthWest direction.

But we hear that was not the rescue helicopter. Another one is, CHP H40. This one I see on the FlightRadar24 app. It shows H40 heading towards Jennie Lake, circling it and then heading on.The app stops tracking at what looks like Twin Lakes in the Park. And that is the last we hear from H40 for a while. Div 3 has heard that H40 has talked with Ash Mountain, but there has not been any communication with the Forest.

I am wondering if I should communicate what I saw with someone. So I phoned Park Ridge to get advice. He suggested calling dispatch on the phone and explain what I saw, which I do. A few minutes later, I hear Porterville relaying on to Division 3 what I said. In the meantime, Division 3 has heard directly from H40. So all is good.

Finally at 1543 we hear that the patient is loaded and will be transported out by H40. But then he refuses hospitalization. I do not know how those people in the air or on the ground feel about this, but I feel if the person does not want to be hospitalized, or at least be examined by medical staff at a hospital, why is a helicopter bringing them out? But that is my own thinking and definitely not any official policy.

Hang Glider over Sontag Point

While all of this is going on, we have been doing our lookout stuff, particularly scanning around for smokes. About four miles south of us is Sontag Point-it is right about highway 180. Hang gliders use it to jump off at and float along the warm currents. A lot of times we can catch glimpses of them and we saw one there now. And then we realize that H40’s path seems to be following Highway 180. We get on the radio and call in what we are seeing. They relay it on to Division 3. Judging by the track we see H40 take, they seem to hove a couple of miles off of Sontag. So they must have seen the hang glider. Points for us.

And then the rest of the afternoon is pretty normal, that is except for it being really warm in the cab. But at least the afternoon breezes have come up. It is a hot breeze, but it moves the air. At 1800, we went out of service. We then have our lasagna dinner. Isn’t life in a lookout great?

 

 

Well it was, until I received a text from Wendy who asked what was happening in Shaver Lake/Blue Canyon. And just to be clear, what follows is more on me than anyone else. I really should have remembered Kathy’s mantra: Think, Breath, Report. I take up the binoculars and look in that direction, towards the northwest. To set the scene for you, and I really should have taken a picture, during the evenings, shadows really predominate in that area. You will remember a few blogs back about a fire in Auberry which I could not see because of the shadows, same thing here. I see a light cloud of white, then a small patch of solid white. SMOKE! I jump into action and get the information. Looks like it is at an azimuth of 337^o 10’ beyond Sacata Ridge, but I cannot see the base. So it is beyond 13 miles. I think it may be in Blue Canyon. Sherri also is looking, but is hesitant about what is over there.

AA430 in Flight

I radio’d in to Sierra what I was seeing. They wondered if it was a CalFire fire at Shaver Lake. No, it is not that far. BC42 gets on the radio with me and questions what I was seeing as well. Rumors had it that there were lightning strikes in the area and wondered if they were the result of it. By this time, what I was seeing disappeared. The conclusion was that a reconnaissance plane, AA430, was sent up.

A little while later, we hear from AA430-it is the first time I have spoken to aircraft as a lookout. The person wanted some information about what I saw and the azimuth, which is what I gave him. He then comes over Delilah and flies the bearing I gave him. He saw nothing. BC42 requests that he continue on to Shaver and Huntington as long as he is up and see if there is anything in that direction. Nothing. In the meantime, I pull a lightning report, with no strikes. I phoned BC42 with that information.

The rest of the evening was pretty calm, with me looking to the northwest occasionally to see if there was anymore smoke. We went to bed around 2100 with no glow in the sky from a fire.

Trail Lesson: Think, Breath, Report.

Extra Photo's

Evening sky to the northwest

Evening Clouds over the North Fork of the Kings

Evening Clouds over the North Fork of the Kings

Delilah's flag in the evening

Clouds to the Northeast

Clouds over Park and McKenzie Ridges

Cloud beyond Big Baldy

Mystery Helicopter

Gathering thunderclouds to the northeast

Animals

Young Delilah Doe

Young Delilah Doe

July 4, 2022 - Delilah

Title:  July 4, 2022 - Delilah
Hike Info : Description

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

Description:

I must have been either well rested or restless this morning. Since 0400 I have been waking up and going back to sleep. It got a bit cooler last night here at Delilah. Still, it was warm enough with the blanket. Even more comfortable after putting my socks on. By 0600, it was time to get up to meet a new day. But not too fast. I read for a little while, then I rolled out of bed.

Before going in service, I head down stairs, taking a load of stuff I will not need today.Then I do an inventory of consumable supplies we have in a shed for the lookout. By this time, it is time for a quick breakfast and to go into service. But before going into service, I have another brilliant thought. I have a BaoFang radio I use for backpacking-emergency use only. I switch it to Sierra’s frequency. I hear them and then go into service with the BaoFang. Sounds like I have a means to communicate somewhat normally. Listen on the handheld, but talk to Sierra on the BaoFang while talking to Porterville on the handheld.

Morning view. Even the Coastal Range is visible

I have a certain amount of joy having solved this problem. And now onto the rest of the day. It is more of the same as yesterday. Look around, hoping not to see any signs of smoke, but if there is any sign, I want to be the first to spot it. Listen to the radio-there is enough activity out there between illegal campfires and cars parked blocking the road and a few downed branches. Also our normal things like listening to the weather and staffing and checking in with Sierra.

At noon, I made myself the second hamburger. As I was finishing lunch, Kathy called me. She is going to come in tomorrow and wants to know about anything amiss. I tell her it has been cold in the afternoon, to dress warmly. She is scrounging around for a coat. And then I tell her about the radio and my solution to the radio problem. She does not have a spare radio with her, so she will use the pre-Sierra lookout check-in. I guess I will do that this afternoon as well, to get Sierra used to it. It is always fun and enjoyable talking with Kathy, so I do not hurry to get off the phone with her.

But when I do, and after about 10 minutes of silence-after doing a scan-I realize that the radio has been silent for a while. Wonder if the battery is dead. Yep. Replaced the battery, got the used one charged and then talked with Buck Rock to see if I missed anything-nope.

The problem with being alone for three days is that there are times I start thinking strange thoughts, hallucinations, if you will, that I have the ability to be lyrical in my writing. So I attempt things like this:

Having written my journal for the last couple of days, I have also become aware that one thing I have not touched on is how the landscape unfolds. There is something about today in particular where the land is becoming alive. From my perch, close to a mile above sea level, I look down towards Pine Flat Reservoir. The land just seems to spread out further, with the sun glistening off of the field of gold. The dried grass does not seem to be dead today, but having a resurrection to a new vibrant state. The ripple of the hills are more definite, like land waves on an ocean of earth. 

Looking westward, towards the Valley

While looking up the Kings is always wonderful to me. I look and see the Monarch Range standing even taller and more stately than usual. I can see all the way back into Split Mountain. Times like this are a strong reason why I love being in a lookout.These times make me glad that I know there is a God who creates these moments, even if it is only for me.

Looking up the Kings. The Monarch Range is in the middle; Split Mouutain in background, for left

 

  That is enough of inflicting you all with my attempt at something approaching poetic description. Now back to work. Just got word on the radio that all resources, including lookouts will be off at 1900. I was planning on leaving at 1800. I am getting a bit tired and somehow that drive back is looking longer.

But then at 1556, Division 3 radioed to Porterville that he had gotten a report of a fire in the Hartland area. This is a populated area with Christian summer camps there. He wants resources to start rolling until he can find out a bit more. Hartland is blocked from my view by a ridge, but I still scan in that direction for smoke-nothing. A few minutes later, he says that the fire is more towards Whitaker Forest, which is right outside of Redwood Canyon. I still cannot see, there is a bigger ridge blocking the view from there. Neither Park Ridge or Buck Rock can see anything. Firefighters arrive on the scene. A dead snag on a Giant Sequoia had been burning and had fallen to the ground, starting a fire in the duff surrounding it. The area itself is not big, I think they said 10’x10’. But I think people are concerned since this is just outside of the KNP Complex burn area of last year. When the lat/long is given, I compute the azimuth and distance for Buck Rock and Park Ridge and give them the information to assist them in looking for smoke. Later on, I hear a couple people talking on R5 about where did this fire come from? Is it a residue of the KNP Complex? There has been periodic smoke coming out of the general area from Big Baldy north, but nobody has been able to track it down. It would be interesting to know the determination.

And now, my day is coming to a close. I start packing up, cleaning up the cab, including mopping the floor and disinfecting the counter tops. Buck Rock calls me, asking how I got the azimuths. I explain to her my spreadsheet calculator and promise to send a link to it.

Looking towards Hartland and no smoke. Hartland would be middle left

 

By the time I get all set to go and do a final scan, it is 1830-halfway between when I thought I would be getting out and when resources are being released. The trip back home is not bad, traffic is pretty light. I only get behind a string of cars going slightly slower than I do. But when I did hit highway 180, I realized that I had forgotten to pack the stuff in the refrigerator. Too late to go back. This gives me another chance to talk with Kathy tomorrow. I get home about 2030, tired and ready for a shower.

Two additional notes:

Smoke in Fresno-outside of my area

• The base radio never showed up. Talking with Kathy the next day, there were questions about where the radio was.

• Also on Tuesday, Sherri talked about an article she saw about two fires on the 4th of July in the Pine Flat area. One of them is called the Fish Fire. I am concerned for two reasons. First, I should have seen the smokes from them-I look down in that area. Second, Sierra would have been called out on that and I did not hear them. Was I that asleep? Were other conversations going on that I missed? The answer is no on both counts. When I looked at the article, I noted that whatever brought it to Sherri’s attention, forgot to mention it was from 2021. We had spotted these smokes last year on the 4th. I feel so much better now.

 

July 3, 2022 - Delilah

 Title: July 3, 2022 - Delilah

Hike Info : Description : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Delilah life must agree with me. I woke up to sunlight streaming through my windows around 0630. Lately this is late for me. I pulled my data to see if any lightning happened yesterday. None-I did not think there would be any. Then I got ready for the new day.

At 0801 I went into service. with both Porterville and Sierra. And then it is quiet. This is not unusual. What I am particularly looking for is someone having an early morning fire. But I did not see anything like that-everybody in my viewing area seems to be behaving themselves. Until something happens, I spend my time washing the windows.

Delilah at Sundown

Before 0900, Micah comes along. She is going to refresh with me. Nine months between being at a lookout can leave a person a bit rusty about how to be an effective fire lookout. The Buck Rock Foundation likes to have everyone have someone to get up to speed with. Today, Micah is my victim. Last year was her first year in the tower. That did not scare her away. We went through what to do to open the lookout, then radio usage-this was interesting because of our ongoing radio problems, use of the fire finder and orientation points. We then walked through some sample fire reporting. All in all, I thought it went well. Not only is it good for her, it is good for me to be explaining things, so I have to think through what I do up here. As she was leaving, we talked about the emergency room .By the time she left, it was about 1345.

When I get back up in the cabin, I take a few minutes just to recuperate, not that being with Micah was rough or anything. I just had been on my feet a lot, and I am missing my after lunch siesta. And now back to my regular programming. Lots of unattended or illegal campfires being reported. And then there is gun fire reported around Rock Creek in Sierra NF-scary with all of the things which are going on these days. It sounded like nothing came of it.

Like I said yesterday, afternoons at Delilah gets cool. There is a pretty good breeze which comes up the canyon. Today is another story. It is cold! Winds are blowing in the 10-15 mph range. Not only that, there is a lot of moisture in the air and the temperature is in the upper 60’s. I close up the cab and watch the interior temperatures climb to tolerable. Plus I get on my long sleeve shirts and the bottoms of my pants.

At 1600 Sierra does a lookout check in; Porterville reports the fire indices. How can I do both channels off of one radio? I got so proud of my solution, I almost broke my hand patting me on the back. I radioed Sierra that I was having radio issues and would not be able to respond at 1600, so I am doing a pre-check in. Even Buck Rock thought that was brilliant. Then she asked if I had heard Sierra do a check in? Negative. Oh well, best laid plans,..

Tivy Mountain

More scans and stuff until 1800 went I fixed myself dinner. Chicken and melted cheese with pepper sauce over a tortilla. May not sound like much, but I was satisfied. Then more of the same, Andrea, my daughter calls me and we talk for 20 minutes-always good to hear from her.

Then a small bit of excitement. Sierra calls out a fire in Auberry at 1940 called the Gopher Fire. Wait I just got finished looking over there-seems like this happens a lot to me. I go back and take a look,with the coordinates they gave, the azimuth should be at 309 38’. Still do not see anything, but there is a lot of shadows and darkness which would make it hard to see. Shuteye Lookout chimes in and says there is no smoke visible from what he sees. I do another look and say the same thing. A few minutes later I hear Sierra call off their resources. Maybe it is because Auberry is now in some pretty dark shadows.

By then, it is time to go out of service 2000, and I am ready to take a break. I take care of some business downstairs. Sherri is having people over for dinner. I text her and tell her my schedule for the evening. I suspect I will not hear from her before I go to bed.

 

At 2100, Buck Rock and I try to duplicate last night’s light flash-tonight it is Michigan who is up there. We try, but she cannot distinguish my light from background lights. It is more hazy than yesterday. Maybe the additional amount of particulate matter is making a difference.

I read and do a few things before shutting my eyes. The stars are just magnificent, better than the fireworks in the Valley which I watched for ten minutes. Glad I am up here. Just wish Sherri was here to enjoy this time as well.

Animals

 
Flowers and Plants

Title: July 2, 2022 - Delilah

 

Hang Glider off of Sontag Point

Title: Title: July 2, 2022 - Delilah
Hike Info : Description

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

 

Description:

Sherri is still lame and will not be making it to Delilah this weekend. So I am up here alone.

My day started at 0540. I am already packed, except for a few things in the refrig. So I am able to take my time this morning.Sherri gets up and says goodbye to me before I leave at 0700. The trip up to Delilah is uneventful. I am thinking the roads after 180 are getting a bit more rutted. But that may be just my imagination. Coming in, I see a couple dispersed campers over at the junction of Davis and Delilah Roads. I will need to keep an eye there for any illegal smoke I get to Deliah at 0840.

I must be getting better at this packing thing as I think I will be needing only one load going up. Having said that, I discover I am missing one important piece: my sleeping bag. But I think I will be OK. There is a blanket in the car and I can wear my clothing if I get too cold. Still would have rather had my sleeping bag.

Where's my radio?

I get situated and take the weather. By this time it is 0915 and I go into service with both Porterville and Sierra. Today’s radio situation is a bit more complicated than usual. Each lookout has two radios: a base radio and a handheld. Our base radios are set up to listen to Sequoia National Forest and a few other channels-they can do a lot more, but that is the main thing which it does. The handheld at Delilah and Buck Rock is used to talk with Sierra National Forest-Park Ridge’s handheld is set up to listen to SEKI Park. At Delilah, the base radio went out. So all of the radio traffic is on that single radio. Most of the time, I am keeping track of who is talking. But I have gotten so used to knowing that if sound is coming from the handheld, it is Sierra. They tell me I will be getting a replacement today.

Life in the tower is pretty normal. Doing a scan of my area every 15 minutes, listening to the radio, going through my list of places. and just flat out enjoying being up here. Most of the radio traffic is illegal camping, illegal fires or resources changing locations.

Just a hint of Buck Rock

Usually the Kings River does not have a lot of activity. Today is the exception. There were a couple things which happened before I got in. But around 1030, there was a tense time, a medical emergency down at Kirch Flat. Even though it is close to me, 5.5 miles, it is behind a ridge. I can only hear the radio where a Skylift helicopter has been ordered and the responder will continue to do CPR. This situation continues on for about an hour, with Sierra calling in assistance for crowd control.

One of these people was just down the road, trying to help get a car out of the Kings. A medical emergency takes priority. So he leaves. A little while later I am hearing Patrol 31 and Division 3 talking. They are also down at the Kings, around Camp 4½. 

 

The rest of the day does not possess much in the way of excitement. In looking over towards Park Ridge, I see a glint just above the ridge. This is about the same place as I thought I saw an RV over the Memorial Day weekend. Wendy had noted that other Delilah Lookouts were thinking that they were seeing Buck Rock. When I take the azimuth, it is directly in line. Also when I enlarge a picture, it looks like the top of a lookout. (When I get home and put the image on a computer monitor, I am not so sure.)

Smoke as seen from Buck Rock

Same smoke from Delilah

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the afternoon passes pretty peacefully until 1600. Because of the radio situation, I hear the Porterville Indices and Weather-I already have the weather. But I miss Sierra’s lookout check-in. So I have to do a mea culpa with Sierra and say I miss the check in due to radio problems.

You would think that being away from everybody, COVID would not be a concern. But Sherri let me know that a friend of ours whom we were around this week caught COVID. No symptoms on my part and I have had both booster shots. So I am not overly concerned. But I am to give a refresh to another person tomorrow. So I called her up. She is still willing, but we both will be masked.

After 1700, I saw smoke on the Valley floor. It is out of our calling area, so I ignore it. But about 10 minutes later Buck Rock sees the smoke. But from his perspective, he cannot tell where it is. Park Ridge blocks his view. He can only tell it is at azimuth 255. Park Ridge Lookout chimes in about the smoke being on the Valley floor. Buck Rock calls me and we discuss where it is and what he is seeing. We conclude that is what he is seeing. He sends me a picture from his view. Both Wendy and I sent him pictures.

I take a small break and have dinner. Sherri made hamburgers last night. So I heated up a burger and ate while enjoying the scenery. Now it is more looking around and getting prepared to shut down for the night. At 2000, I went out of service. Then down the stairs and pick up the blanket it feels like it should be warm enough tonight that I will not have any issues.

Buck Rock calls me and we try to see each other's lights. But it is still too light. We will try again later. He can see the fireworks at Shaver. There are a few going off in the Valley. Around 2115, we tried the lights again. Success! At least partially. Buck Rock’s light is a bit too dim-he says he has a 40 watt bulb there. But he can see my lights. To confirm, I flash it off and on. Confirmation! We can see the two.

I talk with Sherri for a few minutes and then I close my eyes around 2200.