Doing a story on a fire lookout watchman has long been on my bucket list. I can now check that box.
I have to say, though, this was not an easy story to do. First of all, only about a third of the state’s remaining 93 fire lookouts are staffed. I talked to several rangers with the U.S. Forest Service. No dice. Finally, one ranger suggested I contact North Cascades National Park. A spokesperson with the park directed me to the guy who mans the famous Desolation Peak fire lookout, which also happens to be the only one in the park that is staffed.
My intent was to hike to the lookout for the story. But I soon discovered that was going to be challenging. It’s roughly 50 miles round trip from the Ross Lake east bank trailhead off Highway 20. An easier option is to take a water taxi from Ross Lake Resort to Lightning Creek Campground. That puts you at the trailhead to Desolation Peak, a 4,400-foot climb in elevation over 4.7 miles. But the water taxi option comes at a price — $145 each way — thereby gobbling up much of the money I was to be paid for this story.
So I reached out to Desolation’s watchman, Jim Henterly, by phone. At first he was reluctant to be interviewed. He thought other reporters from various media had misrepresented him. He gradually warmed up to me. He was a wealth of information and a great quote.
Oh, and Desolation Peak isn’t just any fire lookout.
Here’s my story in The Seattle Times:
The Inside Scoop 