By Ed Moreth 

Lookouts prepare their posts

 

Ed Moreth

READY FOR THE SEASON – Forest Service staff members Jack Bandt and Luke Santore hand down a panel to team leader Cody Jermyn and Eddy Mountain Lookout Craig Phillips, who was helping open up Patrick's Knob Lookout.

It's like a lighthouse in the woods, but instead of guiding mariners to safe passage, the keepers of the Forest Service's lookouts - Patrick's Knob and Eddy Mountain - are the first line of defense against fires in Sanders County.

Both lookouts are manned for the season as of this week. Veteran lookout Craig Phillips of Thompson Falls opened Eddy Mountain Lookout on Saturday - Independence Day - to deter people from shooting fireworks near the lookout, as they did last year. Newcomer Ken Richardson of Plains started his seasonal tour of duty at Pat's Knob, as it is often referred to, on Tuesday. The two will remain at post until around mid September, according to Phillips, who has manned Eddy Mountain Lookout for 15 years. He was the Cougar Peak Lookout in 2000. "I love it. It gives me a chance to work on my paintings," said the 66-year-old Phillips, who just completed a full length sculpture of frontiersman Daniel Boone that is destined for Kentucky.

Crews from the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District got Eddy Mountain Lookout ready for its forest sentinel last Thursday and Pat's Knob on Friday. Forest Service staff members Jack Bandt, Luke Santore and Cody Jermyn, the team leader, helped Phillips and Richardson open the lookouts. The crew at Pat's Knob Friday unlocked the trap door and removed the dozen wooden panels covering the large windows and the one on the door, a task that took the group less than an hour. The panels were lowered from the second story observation deck to a crew on the ground, where they were stacked against the wall and tied together to keep from being blown away. Inside, the crew found water from a leak in the roof, which will need to be repaired.

Richardson moved from Oregon to Plains four and a half years ago after his wife, Kris, got a job as a hydrologist with the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District. "I like to try different things," said the 55-year-old Richardson, who has already done some seasonal work for the Forest Service. "This isn't for everybody. How many people get to be a lookout," he said. "And you can't beat the view." Richardson spent the first few days cleaning the lookout and getting its maps and paperwork in order. Phillips provided training on the radio and other equipment. He and Richardson installed the Osborne fire finder, which is a kind of alidade used at lookouts to get a position of a wildfire. Phillips said that he and the other lookout, as well as the Camels Hump Lookout in Mineral County, are in near constant communication during a fire. 

Pat's Knob is located abut 15 miles south of Plains at an elevation of 6,837 feet. A tower was first erected in 1934. It was replaced by the current 16x16-foot two-story tower in 1976. Eddy Mountain Lookout was first built in 1931. After its demolishment, it was replaced with the present tower in 1982. The lookout, at an elevation of 6,957, is located about 21 miles southeast of Thompson Falls. Eddy Mountain and Pat's Knob are the only active lookouts in Sanders County. Both were placed on the National Historic Lookout Register in 2009. On a clear day, the lookout can see more than 100 miles. Phillips can view Glacier National Park from his tower. From Pat's Knob, the lookout can see Mineral County and Idaho.

The lookouts will be on station five days a week and off two, although they'll be on call in the event of lightning strikes. Pat's Knob was unmanned last year after the person selected failed to show. Forest Service staffers went to the tower after lightning storms to scan the area for smoke. A lookout's primary job is watching for fires, most of which are started by lightning, but twice daily they provide weather reports to the dispatch center. They watch for people illegally burning during fire season and keep tabs on railroad tracks after a train transits the area because a spark on the tracks can produce a fire. Because lightning strikes can sometimes take days to produce a fire, lookouts document the location on the map and keep a close eye on the spot. They sometimes help direct firefighters to the scene of a fire. "We can save them walking miles, especially in remote areas," Phillips said. 

Several years ago, Phillips saw lightning hit Pat's Knob Lookout while Austin Urion was on watch. Phillips called Urion to make sure he was all right. He said it gave him a scare, but he was fine. Phillips said lightning hits his tower every year. During a storm, he turns off the radios and closes the door and windows. Each lookout has a chair with insulators in its legs so it would be grounded. Lightning hitting the tower can be scary, Phillips said, but he loves the work. The isolation gives him a chance to paint and read.

The lookouts routinely get visitors who want to get a tour of the tower and see the mountaintop view. Phillips had 170 guests in 2019. But this year, the lookouts might be more alone. Because of the coronavirus epidemic, the towers will be closed to visitors. People can still go to the lookout, but can't get a tour inside, said Richardson. The two lookouts are similar. Pat's Knob has electricity and Eddy Mountain runs on propane, but it has solar panels on the roof to power its radios. Phillips said a wood stove was installed at his lookout last year. "It gets pretty cold up there," said Phillips. "Last August a bunch of bananas actually froze."

Ed Moreth

MAP INSTALLATION – Eddy Mountain Lookout Craig Phillips, who was helping open up Patrick's Knob Lookout, helps Ken Richardson, left, install the Osborne fire finder, which is used to pinpoint a wildfire's position.

Richardson said his job is just a contribution to the bigger picture of catching a forest fire before it spreads. He's planning to do a lot of reading during his off time at the lookout. "I'm looking forward to this," said Richardson. "I think I'll have a good time up here."

"Lookouts in this area have long played a critical role in early fire detection and suppression. We are lucky to continue to be able to staff our two key lookouts on the district," said Erin Carey, ranger for the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District. Carey said she has no prediction of what this year's fire season will bring, but having the lookouts in position is a start.

Like the days of the old lighthouse keepers, fire lookouts are also becoming a thing of the past. Phillips said lookouts are going by the wayside due to modern technology. He said they've been eliminating lookouts for a lot of years, especially in the 1960s and '70s. But for now, Richardson and Phillips will man their post high atop a mountain looking for fires.

 

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