Title: September 18, 2026 - Park Ridge Lookout
Hike Info:
Type:Lookout
Description:
Today, I go up to Park
Ridge Lookout
for two days. Sherri is staying home, so I will be a
semi-bachelor-more about this qualification-later. I am trying to get
an early start so I can enjoy a little walk before going into
service.
I got up at 0510. There was no
lightning yesterday, so nothing to report. I had put most of my stuff
in the car last night. After I had breakfast, I loaded things like
our refrigerated food and medicine into my pack and then, I was off
at 0640. There is not much traffic. I see is a pretty nice sunrise
which gives way to some glare on the windshield. When I get to the
Park, there are three or four cars in line at the entrance station. I
get waved on through. Why? Because I am special? No! It is because I
have a magnetic sign which says that I am with the Buck
Rock Foundation.
When I get to Grant
Grove,
a paving operation is going on in front of the gift shop. I just pass
through and start on my way to Panoramic
Point.
But just before the parking lot, I turned off to go onto the gated
service road. The excitement began right after I started down the
service road, past a meadow, I met up with a buck with a pretty good
rack. Even though there is no hunting in the Park, the National
Forest is close by. I hope the buck gets a life to be able to add to
his rack. Then about ¾ of a mile later there is a young buck with a
couple of other young ones.
I made it to Park Ridge
Lookout at 0830. I spend the next 20 minutes ferrying up my stuff.
Not as bad as Delilah
as I only need to go up 20’. Even before I go in service or take
the weather, at 0854 I get a call from Terry at Buck
Rock
asking me to find out from Porterville who the Duty Officer is. I
contact Porterville, find out that it is a person from Angles Forest
and get the contact information. I let Porterville know that Buck
Rock is having phone issues. I tried to phone up the Duty and only
got a voice message. Texting with Buck Rock we decided to let it
ride.
I then take the weather, raise
the flag and do a scan before going into service at 0929 with
Porterville and 0931 with Ash Mountain Fire. Buck Rock has gone into
service before I do; Delilah after me. Not much happens for the next
half an hour. Porterville does the weather and staffing at 1000.
One difference between Delilah
and Park Ridge is that Park Ridge gets visitors. Turns out that I
will get as many visitors today as I did all three days during the
Labor
Day
weekend at Delilah. While Porterville is doing the weather-which I
got off of a web site- three visitors from Fresno came up.
After talking with them, it
was 1040. Sherri had a doctor’s appointment. So I called up, like
a good husband, to find out how it went. Sounds like things went well
and the doctor is providing good guidance.
After that, things are
normal,which is good. It is good to be bored as a lookout. But
boredom should never be taken for complacent or not caring.
I had invited two lookouts to
have dinner with me. Kathy is away, so she cannot join us. But Judy,
who has wanted to join me at Park Ridge, is available. She comes up
shortly after 1200. While not training Judy on this lookout, we
talked about life here. We have much of the same stuff as Delilah,
but because we have power through a wire instead of solar panels, we
can do a bit more, such as having a microwave and instapot. Delilah
has much better maps, but we are among trees versus the grasslands
surrounding Delilah. I enjoy being at both of them.
A group of five men from Pismo
Beach came up. Both Judy and I talked with them, telling them about
what a lookout does. They seemed interested as they stayed with us
for about 20-30 minutes.
Then it is back to being with
Judy. We talked, sometimes even about lookout stuff. Judy is a hiker
so we pay special attention to the places she has hiked. Confession:
I probably was not as diligent as a lookout as I should have been.
Still, our eyes are looking. While looking at these points, we also
look for smoke-but fortunately, we do not spy any.
But what we do see is that
there was a bird flying to the north of Park Ridge. It caught my
attention when I was doing a scan with my binoculars. We got eyes on
it and realized it is not a hawk. Could it be an eagle? The head
looks like it. Judy thinks it may be a young eagle and at one point
we see the top of the wings flashing golden. We thought we were
seeing a golden eagle until we lost it.
 |
| Park Ridge Lookout at Night |
By 1630, we think it is time
to prepare dinner. I had brought lasagna, bread, carrots, bleu
cheese, and red wine. Judy brought salad, garlic spread, bleu
cheese-not dressing, and some classy cups. We have enough food, and
tasty food to go with it, for a feast.And if that was not enough,
there was overlap between what Judy brought and I brought. Definitely
not going hungry.
Setting on Fuzzy’s bench,
looking west, the ambience cannot be beat, maybe if we had waited
until sunset. But what beats the ambience? The company I was able to
enjoy. After eating, there were some cookies I had baked and pies
Judy had made.
All good things do come to an
end and Judy needs to get back down the hill and I need to get back
to being a lookout. There is only about half an hour until I go out
of service, which I do at 1750.
I rested for a while. Then
cleaned up a bit. There is enough time to go for a short 15 minute
walk before the skies darken. We lookouts say we get paid by sunsets.
But evidently I did not do enough to get paid as the sunset was sort
of bland. I do try to take some star shots. I need to get a better
understanding of that. At 2025, I told Sherri I was available to
talk. About ten minutes later she phoned and we talked for 45
minutes. I then read for a little while before going to sleep.
 |
| The Valley at night |
 |
| Stary Night |
 |
| Evening at Park Ridge Lookout |
 |
| Silhouettes against the evening sky |
 |
| Setting Sun |
At 930 I go in service, noting
I would be on until 1300. Normal stuff for most of the morning. I
did have a couple of older visitors from Seattle. I talked with them
for about 20 minutes. Then back to routine stuff.
