June 3, 2026 - Park Ridge Lookout

 

Title:  June 3, 2026 - Park Ridge Lookout
Hike Info : Description :  Background : Animals 

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Today is the first day of being in a fire lookout this season. I am going up to Park Ridge Lookout. The past couple of days I have been gathering my supplies and think I am ready as far as being able to be comfortable up there. Monday night Wendy sent me a refresh quiz, things I should know. When I looked it over, I was thinking how much have I forgotten and how will it come back?

Burn scar on Mt Campbell from a June 2nd fire

 

I get up at 5:35. I finished loading up the car with a few last minute things, plus the food in the refrigerator. I think I am ready to go. Now to get into the car, but first I need to find my wallet> When did I last use it? After a ten minute search I found it. I cannot even say it is old age.

I left a few minutes later than I thought I would, taking off at 6:50. The drive up goes fast. I realize I have not gone this way in a while. When I get to the entrance station, I am waved through, even though there is a line. Do they recognize that I must be royalty? Probably not, they just see my Buck Rock door magnet and know that I am volunteering up here.

Source of Faucet Problem

I get to Park Ridge Lookout at 8:40. One of the things which I was going to track down was if I could determine why the cell phones were not working. I called Sherri-I can contact Verizon. At 8:45 I entered the cab and then brought my stuff up for the next 36 hours or so. This includes food and water as well as a sleeping bag and clothing. Took me at least four loads. Much better than going up and down Delilah's 80 stairs.

I looked at the cell phone, just checking on the status and I saw everything was good. I then phoned it with my phone. I got through! Then phoned Wendy on the the lookout phone. She is happy that the phone actually works! We talked a bit more

 

I have ample time to do the things which I should do before going into service, such as taking the weather and scanning for smokes. Also I got my paper work all in order. When 9:30 hits, I go in-service with Ash Mountain Fire and Porterville.

The plumbers unit

While we do not use the water from the lookout faucet-it is considered soapy water and non-potable, we do use this water for cleaning. The water is running slow. Our Buck Rock Foundation maintenance team descended on the tank and pump which services the lookout.

Neil, George, Richard and Jan work on it for much of the morning. They will replace something and call up asking if that is how the flow should be. Sometimes there is a slight improvement, other times it goes from bad to worse. This gets a bit more frustrating to the team. I wonder if the issue is up in the cab under the sink and I play with the shutoff under the sink. But Neil comes up with the solution: the screen on the faucet is clogged with rust. Once he cleans it out, there is a good flow. The team thinks that one of the parts they replaced was the main culprit, but in fixing this, it dislodged the rust which clogged the screen. It works and everybody is happy.

 

 

Marmot Buddies

While all of this is going on, I still have the tasks to do which is why I am up here. At 10:00 both Ash Mountain Fire and Porterville both did their weather and staffing-at the same time. Plus there is the background plumbing going on. Fortunately I had most of the information off of a couple web sites I know about. Shortly after they finished, Buck Rock asks, who is the Hume Lake Ranger Disrict’s duty officer? I had seen it was Division 3, but I must have sounded unsure as Delilah chimes in to confirm.

I get back to the things I look out for: looking for smoke. I also regained familiarity of being in a lookout after a eight month hiatus. There is very few people on the District, hume Lake Ranger District, today. It is easy to keep track of where they are. Patrol 33 is all over the place-down in Eshom, then up to the Chimney Rock, and over to Big Meadow. From there, Patrol 33 goes to Hume Lake and then down into the Canyon. I wonder who she is giving the grand tour to? Later on I see a Facebook post where our friend Judy has spent the day with Patrol 33.

By 11:30 the plumbing situation had been resolved. Both Richard and Jan have gone on to Buck Rock. Neil and George decide to have lunch at the lookout. George comes up to the cab and we talk out on the catwalk. We both are feeling some of the effects of age. We commiserate that after we end our time in the lookout, we need some time to recuperate. It is good to talk with him.

Flag at Sunset

Around 12:30, Neil and George left me to be the sole commander of this outpost. The first thing I do with this immense power is to have lunch. By the time I finished with lunch, I did a scan then took the afternoon weather by 13:15. Then the rest of the afternoon is doing the basics-isn’t that what a lookout’s life really is? I did more scans, more quizzing myself on the landmarks which I see, and talked with visitors.

On that last part, I had a variety of them. Each year there is an annual inspection of the power lines for hazardous trees. One of the guys recognized me from last year and I recognized him. They came up to the cab and enjoyed the sights. Then a couple from Cleveland came up. They are interested in the hikes and places to go around the Park. Of course I provide. It must have been an Ohio day as a family from Cincinnati came up. As we talked about the wildlife-and no I do not see bears up here-they mention that there was a rattlesnake on the trail.

Towards the end of the shift, a couple from Boston doing the van-life thing come up. They spent the day doing things around the Visitor Center and wanted to go for a hike. That led them to this lookout. We talked for a while and I answered questions. Evidently he has a YouTube channel which is a blend of satire and travelog. He is interested in doing a short interview with me and I accommodate. He said it will take a while for him to edit and get it up, but I can find his channel by looking for Matty Appleseed.*

Before the end of the day, I did several things. The Forest wants to know if we are staying overnight in a lookout. At 16:36 I phoned Porterville Dispatch and told them I am overnighting. They wanted to know if I am going out of service now? No, not until 18:00. Then Jeff calls and asks about propane. I find what he is looking for. While the last visitors are here, I go out of service with Ash Mountain Fire, then with Porterville. I am out of service by 17:53. The last visitors leave at 18:15.

So what do I do with the remainder of the daylight hours? Jeff had planted the idea of going out for a hike. But first, I want to have dinner. Then my calendar alarm goes off and reminds me I have a family Zoom time. There is an advantage of being at this lookout-the Verizon tower is just 50’ away so I have great reception. Family takes priority over hiking-I love it that my children want to connect with us. David, Sherri, Andrea and I talk for about an hour while I eat my quesadilla. By the time it ends and I do a bit of cleaning up, the sun is low in the sky. Time for the reward for staffing a fire lookout: the sunset! And then darkness. By 21:30, I am in my sleeping bag reading and doing those kinds of stuff.

Background

*Matty had asked me what I did in my time. I rattled off a variety of things, including leading a House Church. This led me to a question of what Bible story do I like best.Questions like this, my mind usually draws a blank and it did this time. But for some reason Jesus’ parable of Lazarus and the rich man came to mind-which I butchered. But it led me into talking about the need for honesty and righteousness in one's life. This seemed to resonate with him. Luke 16:19-31.

Animals

Marmot