After many hours of exploring and making my way through the woods, I finally made it to my destination, the Warner Mountain Lookout. It's one of only two working lookouts in the district and one of a handful in the state. As it's still a working lookout, I was very cautious and quite approaching. I stayed on the ground and photographed everything I could. There was a Jeep parked below the tower, and I could hear the radio from the inside, but I was unaware if anyone was home. I slowly started making my way when I heard "the view is better up here!". That's when I met Herold, a 17-year fire lookout veteran on the verge of retirement.
Herold knew more about those mountains and forests than anyone I've ever spoken too. He spoke of his experiences in the wild fondness as a father would talk about his children. He told me of sunsets/sunrises too grand for words, storms that would shake the whole tower, lighting storms that would strike so close it would knock you to your feet, and of wild animals and bears sometimes coming too close for comfort. It was a pleasure meeting him and getting to spend some time in his lookout asking questions.
