September 23, 2019 - Delilah Lookout

Title: September 23, 2019 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Menu 

Trail head: Delilah Lookout

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

I woke up at 0300 and looked at the stars and moon for awhile, then fell back asleep. They do have a tendency to bring peace to one’s self. I then woke up at 0600 to a line of sunlight just glowing above the crest of the Sierra. This is fortunate as I have a busy morning. I need to be back in Fresno around 1600 because we will have our House Church at Sherri’s and mine house tonight and Sherri is leading the study tonight and unless something happens, it would be good for me to be back for her.

Squirrel with a big bushy tail

So I get things together, stuffing my sleeping bag-finding a small hole. Then getting dirty clothes into a bag and a few other odds and ends together to send down. The idea is that the more I can send down now, the longer I can stay in service. On the heavier stuff, I will send down via a pulley system we have. But the lighter stuff will usually gently float down and if I am good, and in the bed of the truck.

Evidently I was not that good. When I tossed my bag it was right on target for the truck bed. But even though there was not even a breeze the bag started to float towards the tower. I am thinking, I hope it does not get stuck on the roof of the building below-it would have been better. It bumped against a cross-beam. The cover went on down and my sleeping bag got hung up 20’ above the ground. After the initial shock wore off, I tried to reach it with a broom-inches too short from both the stairs and the ground. Being a former Boy Scout, I lashed another pole to the broom and was able to reach my sleeping bag. But the lashing was not stiff enough. Finally after bungee corded the two together, I reached the bag and down it came. So much for my efficient morning.

After stowing everything, I had breakfast. Packed up the food and lowered it down, with some other things. Now to start the day. I took the weather reading and went in service with Sierra and Porterville. Pretty much the rest of the day was taking scans, listening to the radio and recovering from the morning. Truly not one of the exciting days in a fire lookout tower, except the obvious above. There was one bit of almost excitement. About 1040, I heard a large helicopter down towards the Kings River. I looked around and could not spot it. This is what passes for excitement at Delilah when I am alone.

At 1230, I have lunch-the usual stuff. Then I start getting packed as I am hoping to leave around 1330. But I am still on duty, so I do a scan. There is a silverish truck coming down the road. Interesting, wondering how badly lost this hunter is? They circle the lookout and park. Wonder what is so interesting here? A young man gets out of the driver’s seat and then helps two women and a baby out. That certainly does not seem like it is a hunter. I tell them they are welcome to come up and visit the tower, which all four of them do-I guess the three month old has no choice.

Turns out that they are part of a well-known local family. But the four of them had never been up here. They are enthralled with the view. Living on the other side of the ridge down in Squaw Valley, they see the stuff I cannot see, but have not really seen the area Delilah sees. Lesson here: We are so close, but so far away from places. Explore local. They spend about half an hour in the tower looking around, asking questions, just being amazed. Then it is their time to go down.

By the time they leave, it is time for me to go out of service and leave the tower myself. I had done most of the clean up before. So I am left with packing stuff up and being off. Originally I thought I would need two trips down, but I figured out how to make it one. In the process, my pack almost made a fast trip to the bottom, but I caught it in time and hooked it on a carabiner. I take one last look around and am content that I have everything put away and am ready to go. So I lock up and leave. More about this later.

I get everything packed in the truck and away I go. I will not stop until Fresno, at least I do not think I will. But as I get to turning onto Highway 180, there is a car stopped right in the middle of the Davis Road. They look lost, but when they see me, they hurry off. But a short ways later, I see them on the side of the road, consulting a map. So I help them figure out how to get to Visalia via Hills Valley Road. Off they went happy to be unlost and I go on. But I have the idea of stopping in Dunlap at the Hume Lake Ranger Station and ask them about Davis Road’s status. It is closed-I knew that from our white board. They do not expect to make it open to the public until they can work on it after the Winter Season. I ask about walking it. The officer at the desk said, she just got briefed on it a few days ago. Hikers and bicyclists can go down the road. Yipee. I know what I am doing this Winter. I go on and make it home by 1615, only a few minutes behind when I wanted to be home.

Note: I realized on my way home that I was not sure if I took the Park’s radio channel off of the radio we listen to Porterville with-I was listening to it because our normal channels were quiet. Also I had left several sticks of string cheese in the refrig. So Tuesday I called up Delilah to tell them about things. I had taken off the Park and a sticky will be put on the cheese. But, you know how I said it was quiet? Well, I left the base radio on, so the next person who came up was hearing voices. Not good, but not the worst of my sins. Also there is one shade which is hard to reach, so a cord had been wrapped around a mirror to make it accessible to those who may not be 6’3”. In cleaning the windows, I knocked it off and did not put it back. Oh well, I guess I do not have to live to the expectations of perfection. :-)

Trail Lesson:

We are so close, but so far away from places. Explore local.

Menu

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
granola.	Peanut Butter, Nutella Sandwich	Home	Nuts and string cheese