November 10, 2024 - Delilah

 

Title: November 10, 2024 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description :  Extra Photo's 

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

I got up even earlier than yesterday after a good night's sleep. The smoke which covered the land below us yesterday is still there, but not looking like a sea of white. Today the quality of smoke is more wispy.

The sun rises and we need to start packing. Today a crew will be coming in starting at 0930 to close Delilah. it is good to get our stuff out of the way.

 

We have breakfast after going into service at 0800. Then as Sherri us about to go down to put stuff in the car, I see a cloud of something over by Cherry Gap. Is this a fresh smoke? Smoke from the Happy Fire spilling through the Gap? Sherri is also looking. I realize this cloud is over from Cherry Gap, more like down from the Chicago Stump area. The cloud is more of a tan color and seems to be freshly descending. We realize that the cloud is dust, being raised from a vehicle on road 13S03. Scare resolved. This kind of false smoke is something we train on to detect, but it still gets the heart going, particularly initially. Also glad we do not need to deal with this while trying to close the lookout.

We do some cleaning up, wiping off the counter glass and mopping the floor. About the time we get mostly clean, the first person of the crew comes up, Judy, our friend. We talked for a while and observed the area. Then others come. In all, we have Richard, Mich, Kathy, Neil, Greg, Judy and us. Also P31 is here to help and as the representative of the Forest Service. Mich, who also works for the Forest Service, pretty much takes command of getting the cab broken down so that things are safe over the Winter. Yours truly tries to be helpful without being in the way. About half of us go downstairs and receive what we send down. Also they work on the shed.

Finally, everything is set in the cab. It is time to go out of service. Because I went in-service, I was chosen to go out. Going out of service for the season with Sierra is pretty straight forward and they are appreciative of our service.

But going out of service with Porterville is like the rest of the season with the radio--interesting. First, we had already pulled the base radio, so I used the handheld to get a hold of Porterville. No response. I tried several times. Then Judy tries. P31 is picking us up on his radio, so we know it is getting out. Then P31 looks at his phone and sees that Porterville is not able to respond to any radio communications, so we are to contact our duty officer. So I signal Division 3 and go out of service with him. About three minutes later, Porterville asks if we were trying to reach them. Affirmative and we officially go out of service for the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                     Video provided by Richard Kinney

During the last year, we have had two of our lookouts passed way. One of them was a very talented metal worker who spent a considerable amount of time maintaining the lookouts. He is missed, particularly since he was an all around good person. He would always be there to open and close the lookouts. One of the traditions was that at the end of the season, there was a pumpkin dropped from Delilah. Jim was the one who would have this honor. Today, the pumpkin was thrust into my hands. After Richard saluted Jim and did a countdown, I dropped the pumpkin. I was thinking I may not have gotten it far enough out, but it missed the bottom strut and the picnic bench. It was a successful drop.

                                                       Video provided by Mich Michigan

We then close up the cab and go downstairs. We enjoy a time of snacks. Nobody seems like they want to be the first to leave. But we do leave, about 1315 is when things break up. It is that kind of thing, being a fire lookout. We do not see people for most of the year, maybe about three or four times a year, if we are fortunate. When we do get together, we d not want things to end. There is a sense of community and a sense of enjoying each other.

Sherri and I leave and make our trip back to Fresno without incident. I had promised a friend that I would stop in on the way and look at her plumbing. But another friend has fixed the issue, so I am free. After I heard this, I was a bit relieved. Being in the lookout for three days, I am interested in getting home and taking a shower and then eating. Which is what we do.Our dinner is at DiCicco. A good way to end the weekend.

 

Extra Photo's

November 9, 2024 - Delilah

 

Title: November 9, 2024 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description :  Background :  Extra Photo's : Animals

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Dr Fiala in last Thursday’s OSHER class said that there is something about the sunrise which moves us in seeing the sunrise. I was anticipating a glorious one because of the smoke. Which makes me wonder do I chase sunsets and sunrises more to feed some inner drives of mine or is the drive to see beauty something innate in humans which connects the person to the source of this beauty? As I am writing this, I think it is the latter. Of course, with my beliefs, I think the source of beauty is my God, the Lord of All.

When I woke up this morning, I saw everything all light and I am wondering if like last night I missed this morning’s sunrise. But when I peeked out of the window-you cannot help but do that in a lookout--I see a sea of white. That must be the smoke I am lightly tasting. Delilah is slightly above this sea. The smoke is coming from the Happy Fire. I am seeing the pinks and slight oranges above Park Ridge. Then all of a sudden, there is the fiery ball of Sol. Not one of the more spectacular sunrises, and yet, it is always amazing. Each sunrise I see, I am reminded of William Law's statement, Receive, therefore, every day as a resurrection from death, as a new enjoyment of life; meet every rising sun with such sentiments of God's goodness, as if you had seen it, and all things, new created upon your account: and under the sense of so great a blessing, let your joyful heart praise and magnify so good and glorious a Creator.

I get up and go down to start the day. First, unlocking the gate which says, do not enter-this is our home. Then a lap around the lookout. By the time I get back up into the cab, it is about 0740. Sherri is up. I am glad she got a good night's sleep.

By the time we get things going, it is 0800 and time to go into service. Still no breakfast. I do a scan and pour myself a dish of granola. Sherri is more energetic in the breakfast department and fixed herself some hot oatmeal with toppings. That smoke which we woke up to? Well, it has not dissipated. Our visibility to the north and east is rather limited. Still we do our tasks of peering through the smoke for smoke which should not be there.

Today is also the last full day Delilah will be in service. Tomorrow a crew will come to close up. We have volunteered to do a few of the tasks today. We already talked about the number of visitors we have throughout the season-219. Buck Rock can get that in one day during the Summer.

We also take inventory of things which need to be accounted for. This does include pencils and pens, but also our supplies. I think this is so they know how much to bring up next season. Then there is the drudgery part--clean the outhouse. Actually, it is just dirty, not unsanitary. It is the dirt which has accumulated over the five plus months we have been open. Finally in the evening, we clean the refrigerator.

All of this takes most of the day, but we do our scans. I realized before we went to bed, I did not do our afternoon weather. I guess they can fire me-I do not think they will :-). But we do have a break in the action when three young men from Idaho come up. They are interested in all things lookout. One of them will be staying down in Yokut/Squaw Valley and teaching a class connected to a church there. He knows Marcus, a person I trained in June. Small world.Make that 222 visitors.

All of this makes the day pass quickly and when I look at the clock, it is 1532. Time to go out of service. I finish up the inventory and send the results to Mich and Richard.

It is a bit after 1600 now. Sherri and walk up Delilah Road. That makes up for not being able to go for my morning walk because of the 0800 start time. It is a delightful walk. We went about a mile up the road, and a 250’ rise. About the time we stop, the sun starts to set. We walk back in the fading, but glowing light. Enjoying the end of the day. Wendy texts me about things tomorrow. It is a conversation we have for most of the way back to the tower.

By the time we get up to the cab, it is dark. Sherri fixes a ravioli dinner. These meals up in the tower are usually simple, but special. No interruptions. We can see the lights starting to glow in Fresno. The rest of the evening is taken up with just getting ready tomorrow to vacate the tower. It is good to be here. Bed time is at 2100.

 

 

Background
The William Law  quote came from A Serious Call to the Devote and Holy Life, chp 14

Extra Photo's

Sunset from Delilah Road

Sunset from Delilah Road

Panorama shot lookout south from Delilah Road

Skies clearing up and able to see to the southeast

Early morning smoke with a hilltop island

Delilah

Hilltop island in a sea of smoke

View from the outhouse

Spanish Mountain

Sunset

Sunset

Sunset

Night Sky

 

 Animals
 

November 8, 2024 - Delilah

 

Title: November 8, 2024 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description :  Extra Photo's : Animals

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

View of Delilah from the road in

Description:

We begin our last time at Delilah for the season. The schedule is for us to be here for three days. With a friend coming up Sunday and having dinner with us. But until then, we need to get up there. I am a bit concerned with the cold which we might face. I think I have enough clothes.

I got up at 0525 and got myself ready. Had my normal breakfast. Sherri gets up at 0600. I have the car loaded by 0700. But we do not leave until 0715. I am thinking we are running late, so I do not suggest a stop at Clingan’s Junction. The road to Delilah has improved during the past year. Instead of taking 45 minutes from getting off of 180, we make it in just over 30, About 0850. Then it is the usual, hauling stuff up, both on our back and through the pulley system.

At 0928 we go in-service to both Porterville and Sierra. About this time I see where Richard, who is the Delilah lead, says that with the storm coming in Monday, Delilah will close a day early. Now to figure out arrangements with our friend.

At 1000, Sierra catches me a bit off-guard. At 1100 they do their lookout check in, but I guess with shorter hours, it is 1000. But I recover fast enough and answer their call. Shortly after this, I hear Porterville trying to reach the Happy Fire IC. I offer to do a relay and they take me up on it. But after several call outs, I saw No Contact and told Portville this. A few minutes later, there is a faint call from the Happy IC, but I cannot get a response from him.

Haze from the Happy Fire

 

Mystery Plane

Shortly after this, I hear Patrol 33 is going for a walk up to Weaver Lake. There is a small fire going through up there. An hour later we hear that the Weaver Training IC and two of his co-workers are also going up there. A couple hours later, the IC is at Weaver and notes that the fire is about 0.1 acres from a campfire. They dug a ring around around the fire.

Back to the Happy Fire. The IC initiated a test fire. This is to see if the area they want to burn will do what they want. It was successful. So they proceeded with today’s burn just before 1500, we hear that today’s burn was completed and that about 155 acres were burnt.

Afternoon Happy Fire Smoke

On our side, it was just good to be up here. We did our lookout stuff. In addition, we were asked to count the visitors we have had this year. The grand total was 219, assuming none come up tomorrow, from countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Iowa, Washington--well those last two are states, It is interesting that somebody will come half way around the world to get a view from this tower.

 

 

 

 

White Deer Road

 

While doing one of my scans, I hear a noise like a truck engine. I look around and do not see anything. But a little while later Sherri is doing her scan and is following a hawk. Then hears a sound like a helicopter. But when she points out where it is coming from, I see a very quiet plane. It leaves the area. But later on Sherri sees it again and it just goes over Pine Flat and turns back towards Reedley. Finally an hour later, I see it and it does the same thing. We are left wondering, what is it doing? My first impression was that it was helping with the Happy Fire. But after the other two patterns, it looks like it was either training somebody, mapping the area, or looking for marijuana plants. We will never know, so we are free to speculate.

Ravioli Dinner

Because of the shorter daylight time, we go out of service at 1530. Shortly afterwards, we go for a walk, down the hill Delilah is on. Normally we walk up the Delilah Road, but the White Deer Road looks like it is available and we only have gone down this road once and only for a short way. It is westward facing, so it catches a bit more sun in the afternoon.The one disadvantage to this road is that it goes down. But we go down the road, descending maybe 300-400 feet. When it gets to the place where it rounds the ridge, it continues the descent. Sherri and I looked at each other and said we have had enough downhill. We return and get back to the cab around 1700.

We read and talk and read some more. I am looking at one of Sherri’s books, Francis Collins, The Road to Wisdom. This is the optimal use of being alone, in the quiet of the lookout-to read, to think, to meditate, to pray. Unfortunately I am only good with the first. By the time I look up, it is dark. I have missed that moment of transition between day and night, that time which the setting sun exits. But we still have the moon.

Around 1800, Sherri fixed us the ravioli we were going to have Sunday with Judy. Tastes good. It is leisurely. Usually dinner at Delilah is looking out over the fading sunlight. This is darkness, a bit more intimate. We just enjoy each other’s company.

 

 Down to the outhouse we go, then lock ourselves in. Even with the moon shining pretty good, we enjoy a bit of stargazing. Then around 2100, we turned in.

 

 

Extra Photo's

Star over Fresno

Autumn Leaves

Fence Meadow Lookout

Autumn Leaves

Animal

Outhouse Spider