The "Necessary House," otherwise known as an outhouse or toilet, is an essential part of the accommodations needed to set up a safe and efficient environment for the people who staff fire lookouts. They must be neither too close to nor too far from the lookout. In some areas, because of lack of space and/or rocky terrain, they are built over the edge of a cliff. While most are of wood construction, some are of stone, concrete, or man-made molded materials. This volume contains photos of outhouses along with photos of the lookouts they are paired with, and the surrounding environment. Also included is a short rhyme depicting some aspect of each site.

A page-turning memoir about a young woman's grueling, revelatory summers working alone in a remote lookout tower and her eyewitness account of the increasingly unpredictable nature of wildfire in the Canadian north. While growing up in Peace River, Alberta, Trina Moyles heard many stories of Lookout Observers--strange, eccentric types who spent five-month summers alone, climbing 100-foot high towers and watching for signs of fire in the surrounding boreal forest. How could you isolate yourself for that long? she wondered. "I could never do it," she told herself. Craving a deeper sense of purpose, she left northern Alberta to pursue a decade-long career in global humanitarian work. After three years in East Africa, and newly engaged, Trina returned to Peace River with a plan to sponsor her fiance, Akello's, immigration to Canada. Despite her fear of being alone in the woods, she applied for a seasonal lookout position and got the job. Thus begins Trina's first summer as one of a handful of lookouts scattered throughout Alberta, with only a farm dog, Holly--labeled "a domesticated wolf" by her former owners--to keep her company. While searching for smoke, Trina unravels under the pressure of a long-distance relationship--and a dawning awareness of the environmental crisis that climate change is producing in the boreal. Through megafires, lightning storms, and stunning encounters with wildlife, she learns to survive at the fire tower by forging deep connections with nature and with an extraordinary community of people dedicated to wildfire detection and combat. In isolation, she discovers a kind of self-awareness--and freedom--that only solitude can deliver. Lookout is a riveting story of loss, transformation, and belonging to oneself, layered with an eyewitness account of the destructive and regenerative power of wildfire in our northern forests.

NORTHWEST.

Some lookouts were able to be constructed because of fundraising efforts or by private donation. Some were placed on existing structures: Hotels, banks, barns, water towers, etc. Some were of very unusual design. When no longer needed, some were destroyed, abandoned, sold to the highest bidder; or sometimes reconstructed at a different site. These volumes contain many historic photographs; some of the older photographs and picture postcards are of poor quality, but were included for their historical value. This book is not in narrative form, but is a collection of news articles and official forestry reports in their original form, products of many years of research by of original documents by Ron Kemnow for his website ronkemnow.weebly.com.

This completely updated edition of the first complete guide to the cabins and fire lookouts available for rent in Oregon and Washington now covers a total of 61 properties (29 new!). Ranging from a luxurious cabin just off the road to a remote 60-foot tower deep in the wilderness, these scenic, secluded, and historic structures can be your own private place in the woods.

This new guide to hiking the fire lookouts of Washington’s Cascades and Olympics is the quintessential Northwest guide and will appeal to a wide range of hikers. Features of Hiking Washington’s Fire Lookouts include: 44 fire lookouts—those that feature access by trail All lookouts are accessible during the typical summer season Only lookouts that are still standing—no hiking up to a barren mound of broken concrete! Routes are not technical—hikers just need boots, trekking poles, and, probably, lunch Lookout history, anecdotes, and full-color photos throughout Each lookout description features the year it was constructed; access details, including overnight stays and winter access; location and land manager; roundtrip distance on trail; trail elevation gain; lookout’s elevation; map info; trailhead GPS coordinates; information about any permits or fees; and driving directions to the trailhead. Introductory chapters provide an overview of Washington State’s lookouts, as well as information about their upkeep, lookout architectural types, and general hiking tips, while an appendix provides an overview to a handful of additional lookouts in the state that are not hikable.

A finalist for the Chapters/Robertson Davies First Novel Award, Burning Ground has established Pearl Luke as a fresh, original voice and a writer to be watched. Burning Ground is the story of Percy, a fire watcher ensconced in the cocoon of her tower, scanning the horizon for "smokes." Completely alone, and wrapping herself in a fire-proof blanket of routine, Percy tries to insulate herself from the much more dangerous fires that burn from within. It's the intrusion of the past that haunts her, as she struggles to escape disturbing family secrets, and the loss of Marlea, her best friend and sometime lover. As she reaches out to a new frienship, Percy faces a searing battle of the elements -- both emotional and physical -- that will redefine her whole life, her loves and losses. Cinematic in its style, erotic in tone, Burning Ground boldly explores desire, sexual identity and emotional risk, rising to a powerful ending, not easily forgotten.

Lost Fire Lookout Hikes & Histories: Olympic Peninsula & Willapa Hills includes only routes to forest fire lookout sites and includes the carefully researched history of each destination.

Once vital to fire prevention and detection, most of the Black Hills National Forest historic lookout towers now serve primarily as hiking destinations. The first crude lookout structures were built at Custer Peak and Harney Peak in 1911. Since that time, more than 20 towers have been constructed in the area. The first lookout towers were built of wood, most replaced by steel or stone. The Civilian Conservation Corps was instrumental in constructing fire towers during the 1930s and 1940s. One of the most famous and architecturally and aesthetically valued towers is the Harney Peak Fire Lookout--situated on the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. Harney Peak is among a number of Black Hills towers listed on the National Historic Lookout Register. Over 200 vintage images tell the story of not only the historic fire towers but those who manned them. Perched atop high peaks in remote locations, fire lookout personnel spent countless hours scanning the forest, pinpointing dangers, often experiencing the powerful wrath of lightning strong enough to jolt them off their lightning stools.

Details about my life on fire towers after graduation in Union, Oregon. Taking care of a little sister Julie, while another sister Bonnie was dying of a malignant brain tumor. Times have changed. There maybe a cure for her type of cancer, and fire towers are mostly used as rentals. In Idaho I know there are still has some in use. Glass Hill, La Grande, Oregon, is no longer standing, it fell in 1984. The property was sold to someone to use as a cabin. My story, a family story, as oldest child of 4 girls, a lot was required. I was just starting life, and taking care of sisters I loved, I experienced courtship from Dick at the second fire tower, Tip Top at Kamela, Umatilla County, Oregon. We dated for 3 months, and then a marriage was arranged for me by mom. It didn't last, a heart loves who it loves. I married my childhood sweetheart, and my 3 children and I lost him in a Railroad fire. God sent Kelly to us in 1992 through my little sister Julie. Together we have 5 children, 4 with children of their own.