July 1, 2026 - Delilah

Title: July 1, 2026 - Delilah
Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's 

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

Description:

It was a warmer night last night. Even the floor was not cold when I got up at 0510. I checked for any lightning and found none. In the process, I realized that how I was interpreting EGP was incorrect. I need to investigate more. But I think that even when I specify a map set, it is not using it to what I specify rather what is on the screen. That explains that when I pull data, I get outside of the parameters that I specified

I have a leisurely granola breakfast and then go out for a walk. I go further than I have on my last several walks and had more of an incline. Does this mean I am getting into better shape? Probably, but neither does it mean I will be going out tomorrow with a full backpack going up a good slope for 10 miles. It is an improvement and I am glad for improvements.

I got back into the cab about 0830. While the walk was good, the trip up the stairs left me pretty tired for 15 minutes. By 0900 I was doing a scan, then took the weather and went into service at 0930, along with Park Ridge Lookout.

Not much went on in the morning. I continued to do the scans and stuff. Buck Rock did not hear who the duty officer was during the 1000 staffing report and asked Park Ridge who also did not hear. I had recorded the staffing and played it back, so I could hear who the duty was-BC31. When Buck Rock asked me, I could tell her.

On the day when I am leaving, I have my dinner at lunch time. Today it is a repeat of Monday: enchilada and Stagg chili beans. By the time I ate and washed up everything, it was a little past 1300. So I took the weather. The relative humidity is still high compared to how we usually are around here. Then another scan and time for a 15 minute rest time.

 

 

Goat Saddle area

A few more scans. I had just finished one of these scans at 1400 when I heard CalFire, FKU, say that there was a wildland fire called the Guide Fire. I could not decipher the location, but it sounded like it was local. I started scanning, but did not see any smoke. This is not unusual as Pine Ridge blocks about 80 degrees of the area to the south of Delilah. Then Porterville calls it out and the smoke starts to rise up over a branch of Pine Ridge called Dude Ridge. I am able to confirm the smoke. In about seven minutes, that puff was gone, before I could get a good picture.

The area I saw the Guide Fire smoke, mostly dissipated 

The rest of the afternoon is normal stuff. Well sort of. At 1525, while I was doing my scan, I saw something big fly across my binoculars field of vision. There are two hawks gliding around, flying the air currents. Then one of them sees something and makes a beeline into the trees below the tower. I never saw it again. But it was fast. Then the second dives into another set of trees to the west. I lost them then. I guess that is the end of the saw. When I looked up the birds in my John Muir Law’s book, I was wondering if it was an eagle of some type.

At 1600, I responded to Sierra’s lookout check in. There are four of us: Buck Rock, Delilah, Miami and Signal. A little while later Mt Tom went into service. It has been awhile since I heard his voice. I have never met the man, but it is good to have him back.

Sometimes during the afternoon, I heard a report of smoke from Miami Lookout. I have a special interest in Miami. We have hiked up to it several times, but it has never been open. I think starting last year it was being staffed. The lookout was reporting a smoke a half a mile from his lookout. A short time later, he gives a legal location, which puts it at Metcalf Gap. I think that is pretty close to the road we walked up to get to the lookout. If I was him, I would not be very comfortable. Sierra and MMU get right on it and nobody sounds panicked.

As the time of 1800 approaches, I get my stuff together and then clean up the lookout. Of course, I am doing my scans. But the last few scans I may not have been as diligent as earlier in the day. I go out of service with Porterville and Sierra. Then take my stuff down, while locking up. As I am about to climb into the car, I find I still have the lookout keys around my neck. I now had to go back and put them away. Then it is time to drive home. I arrived a few minutes before 2000. That shower felt good.

Extra Photo's

Morning view from the outhouse

The early hummer gets the sugar water

Early morning view of the crest of the Sierra. Split Mtn is part of this view

June 9, 2024 - Delilah

 

Title: June 9, 2024 - Delilah

Delilah in the Morning

Hike Info : Description :   Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Once again a 0500 wake up. But I did lay in bed until 0520. Then did the lightning report-only three strikes yesterday, two up near Marion Peak and one close to Cloud Canyon. After that I get packed to leave today. Then my morning granola breakfast-I think I poured too much out. I had my quiet time, including a reading from John Bailie’s book A Diary of Private Prayer.

Then it is time for a walk. I reached the foot of Delilah a little after 0800 and set out. This is my first real walk along the road on this trip. The thing which strikes me immediately is how the flowers are out. This is a lovely time to be at Delilah. Something which strikes me as I look at these flowers is first, nobody else may be seeing them but me. They may wilt and disappear before others do my walk along the road. But then the second thought is, how many flowers bloom and nobody sees them? Anywhere. I look over miles of area where few or no one goes and surely, there are flowers blooming there. Are they wasted beauty? And then I see a tiger swallowtail. Another thing of beauty. Is all of this beauty wasted? Why have beauty if humans are not around to comprehend it? I suspect the answer is someplace that we humans are residual beneficiaries of beauty. All is created for God’s enjoyment and amusement. Maybe when we see beauty it is a glimpse into the world which could have been instead of the fallen world which I inhabit. O Lord! Help me to remember that what I am in awe with, you are surrounded by. Our extraordinary beauty you have us catch a glimpse of is because it is a reflection of you.

Enough now, I have a job to do, even if it is a volunteer job. And it is 0900. Time to get the weather going and prepare for John’s arrival. Before I can do the weather he arrives. So I have him do the things which I would normally do-take the weather, raise the flag and go in-service.

While yesterday was training a brand new lookout, today is a returning lookout. Over the Winter there is a tendency for rust to build up, particularly if the person is a new lookout. So the Buck Rock Foundation wants all returning lookouts to have at least a half day refresher with a trainer. That is what we will do today. We talked and walked through the radios and how to do things. About 1145 Buck Rock comes on and wonders if we heard Porterville respond to her going in service. I have John handle the responses to this. To me the most scary thing about the lookout is the radio usage. It usually takes me a little while before I feel like I am not a babbling idiot when I talk.

Hummers

We also go over how to set up the radios. Since the handheld is new, we talk about how the objectives are the same, it is more a matter of going through a bit different procedure. Fortunately there is a good cheat sheet on how to do this.

Then it is on to looking at landmarks and helping him identify places. We go through how to report a fire while mimicking a smoke report. This includes map reading which is where a lot of people need to refresh their map reading skills.

View of Eshom

Around 1300 John leaves and I have the next five hours in the cab alone, just me, the hummingbirds, and the radio. I am getting back into the rhythm of doing scans every 15 minutes. Until yesterday, I had not made hummingbird water and now I go for a second chance at it.

At 1430 I see some clouds of white through the haze in the Eshom area. I am not sure if they are clouds or smoke. While not terribly far on a clear day with the haze I cannot discern what I am seeing. If Park Ridge was in-service, I would have called them, but they are not. I ask Buck Rock what she is seeing. She does not see what I am seeing, but said when she drove in she saw a few patches of smoke from a prescribed burn they did a few days ago. So I let it go and just monitored the area. Turns out that was wise. Later on in the day, the haze lifted and the white splotches were still there-chunks of granite.

On the whole, doing scans can be routine. But then again, I am easily distracted. There's an interesting outcropping! Over here I am seeing something which I had not seen before. Is that a vehicle moving down Davis Road? And then there are the birds. As I am looking towards the west, I spot a magnificent large bird. I think it is an eagle. When I lower the binoculars to check to make sure where it is, the eagle takes a dive, not to be seen again.

At 1500 my time of tranquility ends. Buck Rock calls and asks if I am listening on the CalFire channel. No, should I? There is a fire breaking in back of Dunlap called the Bar Fire, only 6 miles from me. But Dude Ridge blocks my view of it, so I just listen on the radio. Shortly afterwards, I hear Porterville calling out firefighters to respond.

Bar Fiew

I called the next lookout who will be coming in tomorrow just to let them know the status of the tower. It is still standing after my three days. Also about the Bar Fire. The only other thing is we have about a week’s worth of AA batteries-the new handheld radio gobbles those things up like crazy.

Closer look at Bar Fire

While it is exciting to hear the response in our area, I still need to do my scans. I responded to the 1600 Sierra lookout check in. After that, it is the start of preparation to leave the tower. I clean up the counters, pack the remaining stuff and mop the floor. I still did not find my name badge. After going out of service, a couple minutes before 1800, I leave the tower, locking things up. By 1815 I was on the road.

On Sundays we have a family Zoom call. When I hit Highway 180, I stop at a turnout and see the Bar Fire across the way. I take a couple of pictures and then get on the Zoom call. This keeps me company all the way to Fresno when the call ends. As I get on the on ramp to get onto Highway 41, I have my first opportunity to report a fire. There is a grass fire in a patch between on ramps. But there is a CHP car right there so I assume they responded to a call. I get home at 1945, ready for a good shower.

 
Flowers and Plants

Sulfur Flowered Pea

Dandelions, of course

Golden Bordiaea

Butterfly Mariposa Lily

Butterfly Mariposa Lily

Common Madea

September 2, 2023 - Delilah Lookout

Title: September 2, 2023 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description :  Background : Extra Photo's 

Hike Info:

Type:Lookout

Description:

I woke up a couple of times last night to go pee. But at 0400 I woke up again and realized a couple of things: I needed to go pee again and it was raining. The first I try to ignore, but the second becomes urgent when a light flashes across my eyelids: lightning! The opening of my lightning report says it well

Clouds below Delilah

There is nothing like the gentle patter of rain on a tin lookout roof to awaken you at 0400. And then the flash of lightning at 0415 to get your heart beating faster. And now there is the gentle sway of Delilah in a pretty good wind to get me going. And when I opened the door this morning, there was the smell of smoke-but none observed yet coming from the ground. So you are getting this lightning report straight from a direct observer as well as my usual source. Even as I am writing this email, the area around Buck Rock is getting additional lightning-looks like on Spanish Mountain.

For the next hour I sat on a lightning stool. Sherri stayed in her bed. Once the threat of lightning went away, I fired up my trusty laptop and put together my lightning report. And now my troubles begin getting out the report. I got a couple of strikes from yesterday, which does not surprise me. But where are the strikes from this morning? Maybe I tried too quickly? I inquired again and again for another hour, and still got nothing. So I issued the report with only yesterday’s lightning with the caveat that this morning’s lightning was missing.

Where is Smith Meadow

We have our breakfast of oatmeal, granola and a cinnamon roll. Then after Buck Rock goes in service at 0728, we go in at 0730. Buck Rock does not have visibility-and as it turns out this is for most of the day. We both have had precip-he reports wind and we report lightning. And now begins our long 11 ½ hour day on duty.

 

 

Gary trying to see smoke from Smith Mdw

Most of this time is spent doing scans, listening to the radio and lounging around. Our visibility is about 10 miles, But there are so many water dogs and low clouds that I am not sure we would be able to find a fire even if there was one. Several of them give me pause, such as one on Dude Ridge where the water dog looks like it comes from a stack of wood. I stared at that for a long time before deciding it was not a smoke. We also took the weather-no worries about low humidity.

Ar 1000 there is a report of smoke at Smith Meadow. Where is that? Once we figure that out, we start looking for smoke in that area. Smith Meadow is just south of Wishon. We cannot see into the meadow, but the area around it. There is a big, long, gray cloud stretching from where the meadow is westward to close to Black Rock. We radio in what we see. Also if this is a smoke plume, which we have our doubts, that what we are seeing is a smoke. Sierra gets a response team to identify where the smoke is. There is an occasional question throughout the next several hours on what are we seeing? Just more clouds. Also one of the patrols emails me and wonders if I have anything further on the lightning from this morning-nothing. By mid-afternoon, clouds have come into the area. Also the roads in the area have been impacted by Hurricane Hilary. So they have looked over the area, they call off the search for the fire.

Could you spot the smoke? Bottom frame-filtered

While we are looking into this area, we scan in other areas with negative results-like a COVID test, this is good. But we do pay attention to what is going on around us. Near Woodward Creek, there is a tree threatening the General’s Highway. So Division 3 gets a crew together, including a borrowed frontloader to bring down the tree and clear the highway.

Or later on that afternoon, there was a report of a lost group down in the Millwood area. So a patrol is sent down road 13S70. He eventually found them: in Abbott Creek. First the people had gotten hung up on a log and in the process of freeing the vehicle, it ended up in the creek. This was a job for tomorrow to bring in a tow truck to get the vehicle out. Tomorrow there will be a continuation to the story.

Then at 1627 there was a report of a fire in Watts Valley. We should be able to see this. But there is a lot of haze today which is blending anything white with it. But after looking for about 5-7 minutes we are able to see it coming over a ridge to the east of Hog Mt. We report what we see to Sierra. It is a Fresno-Kings CalFire incident. So we tune into a CalFire station. We see the smoke decrease and disappear.

We usually go out of service at 1800. But being a holiday weekend, we have been asked to stay on until 1900. This is better than the 2000 which we do on other holiday weekends. Nothing else happens to us. There is a fire in Sierra National Forest called the Providence fire, but it is beyond what we can see. Sounds like it is a single, large tree.

We have our dinner, a pulled bar-b-que pork for dinner. No, Sherri did not roast it up here, but had made it Thursday night for dinner. Still tasty after a long day. After going down, we hit our beds around 2100. It has been a tiring day.

Background 

 Lightning Stool. I should add or chair. While the lookout is pretty well grounded, occasionally a lookout is struck, after all, it is a steel structure sticking high up in the air. To doubly secure the lookout, there is both a stool and chair in each lookout with the old glass electrical insulators attached to its legs. The idea is that if there is any electrical seepage from a lightning, the glass insulators will provide a barrier to electricity.

 
Extra Photo's

Evening Clouds

Looking east from the base of Delilah

Clouds by Goat Saddle

Park and McKenzie Ridges

Where we were trying to spot a smoke

Pine Ridge Clouds

Clearer picture of Watts Valley Smoke

July 5, 2020 - Delilah Lookout

Title: July 5, 2020 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons : Background :   Animals 

Trail head: Delilah Lookout

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

I want to start off this blog by thanking Wendy who guided us through the tense times described in this blog. The Buck Rock Foundation is really people who want to offer a bit of fire protection by being able to detect fires early through the use of lookouts. But it is more than that, there are people with vast experience in this area who will monitor the radio and make sure that the people in the lookouts are as safe as they can be. That is what Wendy was doing. I feel the safety net we have gives us a sense of comfort that people like Wendy has our backs.

====================================================

Woke up around 0500. Read for a while before Sherri got up. Today we start taking stuff down to the car as it is our last day here. We have our breakfast and get ready for the day.

Our view of Balch Heliport

Sherri takes the first scan of the day. We go into service at 0759, followed by the rest of the lookouts, at least on the Sierra side. One of the things about an early morning start is that there are a lot of shadows-see the picture in our July 3rd blog.. The shadows seem to be hiding things, so I am not sure that we would see a small, single column of smoke if it is in these shadows. On the other hand, a smoke to our west would stand out like a sore thumb. We do not seem to have the opposite problem in the evening, at least until about an hour before sunset.

More scanning and listening. This gives us time to examine the terrain a bit more. I am working through a list of names I have gotten from GNIS. The next one is Balch Camp Heliport. This is a subject of debate about what we can see and what we cannot. I suspect it is behind a small ridge. But Sherri is following a pipe over to see if we can see the actual port. After careful examination, I think I see a small road which leads to the heliport. By the way, this is a little over 7 miles away, with an azimuth of 355^O.

Gogle Earth view of Balch Heliport

Smoke over Dude Ridge

This goes on for a while. Scanning, then picking out a place. And then at 1234, I am doing a scan having looked into our narrow window of Squaw Valley and moved on past Dude and Pine Ridge over to Bear Mountain Tulure, when we hear the sound of three beeps from Sierra. What are three beeps? This is to alert the first that there is an incident, mostly a fire, which needs an immediate response. So we all listen closely. The first question which I always ask is where is this incident? I do not think it is something which I should see since we have been diligent in doing our scans.

The answer comes quickly: Squaw Valley. Wait! I have just looked there and saw nothing! Is there a different Squaw Valley? Did I miss it. I take a quick glance over there and it all seems peaceful. And why is Sierra calling out resources for something so close to Sequoia National Forest? Then Porterville starts up the same calls. But the answer comes in the form of a phone call. Wendy calls right in the middle of this and says that the fire is about a quarter of an acre and Delilah cannot see it as it is on the other side of Dude Ridge.

I get the coordinates of where the fire is from WildCAD on the Sierra side-bless them, they almost always supply that. Wendy has said it is on Highway 180, and the coordinates agree. It is an azimuth of 210^o 47’ and a distance of 4.1 miles. Say that is pretty close. The fire has been named the Kings Fire because of being along the Kings Canyon Road (Highway 180).

From AA15

Next thing we know, it is about 40 acres and all sorts of aircraft is being called in. This leads to the question about how large will this fire grow? Will it go up Dude Ridge? If so, Sequoia Highlands Camp is right in the path. But more personal is that there is only one road out of Delilah and the Camp is right on the road. Eventually, about ten minutes after the first report of the fire, smoke climbs over the top of Dude Ridge. Now we know this is more than just a small fire, but something which should be taken more seriously. I call in that we can see the smoke now, not that they need any confirmation. Maybe it may make some good to be a small contributor. At least people know we are alive and watching.

Wendy is the first to work through the scenario that we may need to evacuate. She prepares us about this need. The light bulbs goes on in our minds and we start to evaluate how to make an exit in case there is this scenario. We start packing and getting things together. Sherri goes down below and I lower our stuff down to her. In the midst of this, we have dinner-remains of the lasagna and gnocchi. But this is so we can also pack up the food as well.

We hear multiple aircraft being called up: Air Attack 15, A heli-tanker and a couple helicopters. This is sounding like CalFire wants to take care of things before it gets too big.

We get done packing the car so we only have one backpack full in the tower. It is 1400 by this time. Around 1440 we start hearing that the air support has done their job and that much of the fire is controllable now. We are breathing easier. Wendy comments that it looks like that an evacuation will not be necessary. So we stand down from the tenseness of the situation, but we do not unpack the car. Things are decidedly more “normal”, more relaxed.

Wendy and I text back and forth about the status. While things are not winding down, they seem to be moving into a different, more controlled phase of the task of putting out the fire-that will not be completed for several more days. Sherri and I go back into more of a lookout routine of scanning for additional fires-just because there is one, does not mean that there may not be more. Also we have added listening to CalFire radio in addition to Sierra and Porterville.

The 1600 Sierra lookout check in happens. with all of us reporting. I have gotten the weather and indices online. Both Sherri and I are pretty inactive, still doing the required duties, but not as energetic as we were six hours ago. At 1735 we started sanitizing the lookout for our departure, making it ready for the next person. Sherri goes down and cleans the outhouse, I start wiping down all of the surfaces we touch, such as windows, radio’s, handles and pens. By 1755 I went out of service with Sierra. A few minutes later with Porterville.

Now for the last of our stay and exit. After sanitizing everything, I exit the lookout and start locking up. There is a gate leading into the catwalk which I lock and then wipe down. And then the wind catches the wipes and blows them onto the catwalk where they dance around so nicely, out of my reach.. Sherri has the keys, 72’, 80 steps down. I am not feeling energetic enough to go down and back up again. So the next person will need to track them down. At least they are not a virus issue.

We drive out. When we get to Highway 180, it is still blocked off and we are directed down Millwood. Not a problem. A bit twisty and steep, but not bad. Some traffic comes up and we are able to peacefully negotiate the road with them. And then everybody comes to a stop. There has been an accident way down the road. We are stuck here for about an hour. But as compensation, we have phoned into a family Zoom call and enjoy talking with our kids and my brother. We finally get moving again and get home tired, a bit after 2100.

Trail Lesson: Be prepared for emergencies. Not everyday is going to be fun.

Background

King Fire.  Some of the detail on this fire is that it ended up being 67 acres with 100% containment on July 7th. The cause is under investigation. They brought in some heavy hitting aircraft, including a Sikorsky.

Video from Wendy

It took us about an hour to get everything down from the cab, 72' up to the car-not a continuous hour as we needed to work through other items in the lookout.

If we did need to evacuate, there was some things which we were taking with us: a handheld radio, the fire shelter and the log books, as well as water. As those in the Foundation said, if we needed to get out of there, we would sort out how to get the equipment back to the lookout after the danger passed.

As I told the people on our text messages, particularly Wendy, it was so good to know we could rely on the experience and wisdom you folks provided. We found out that Wendy was very close to making the call to say leave Delilah.

We figured out that Wendy should have also been very concerned about herself-she was a mile away from the fire with aircraft going right overhead.

Animals

Hummingburd

Hummingbirds from the bottom