21: lookout

Dear Friend,

What were your first waking thoughts this morning? (I wondered where I was, but that isn’t unusual).

I hope that you’ve been snug and fit this week and on a positive plane of health and stamina.

As I mentioned in last week’s blog/letter, we were stopped for a few days in a forest near a lake in Northern California.

Last Wednesday, Frank left our forest campsite and drove further into back-country. He found a grove of Sequoia trees that he’d heard about. They’ve been protected since 1892 but have been growing for hundreds of years. May they continue to be protected!

The largest in the grove is 225’ tall and 12’ in diameter.

This stand of trees has survived logging, wildfires, drought, severe winter winds and weather. What motivating resilience!  

This scar is called a catface.

When leaves and sticks and other decaying materials pile up against the trunk of a tree and then a fire sweeps through and that pile of material is allowed to smolder on, it can cause this sort of a scar in any tree.

Most of the time, a tree will heal itself, growing another new layer of wood on its trunk every year. Sometimes the burn-scar leaves the tree too vulnerable to insects or simply weakens the tree’s stability and gravity will win, the tree will fall.

Frank met with John, a Forest Service Fire-Lookout. He’s been working at the same tower for 17 years up in the Sierras near Tahoe. Though the world of technology is promising to replace human beings at this job, there is nothing better than human eyes on a horizon, checking for and reporting at the first sign of smoke!

The view from his lookout is spectacular. He has a 360º view of California. From Lake County to the eastern ridges of the Lake Tahoe Range, northwest to the Sutter Buttes and south to Yosemite.  

John is one person that has dedicated his life to the safety of others, including nature. Nature hasn’t always depended on human beings for protection. The more of us human beings there are, the more nature will need our help.

We had returned to this campground after the forest had been cleared of years and years of debris. Kevin, our camp host and friend, told us that because of the clearing, more flowering plants were growing, a bigger variety of insects were showing up and there were more birds hanging out in the area. We noticed a difference in the variety of forest birdsong and the lake water was much clearer.

Whether these plants and little friends know it or not, there are people that care about their survival, and are so very appreciative of their existence. When we're out in nature, we have to be hyper-vigilant about fire safety because 90% of all wildfires are created by people. We can all look out for ways to help nature. Whether it is by picking up litter, helping creatures have access to clean water, driving more carefully through wildlife areas... so many ways, so many reasons!

We arrived at a new campsite yesterday in the midst of a south-eastern Oregon wind-event. There was no cell signal so we plugged in to our Starlink to investigate a huge cloud billowing to the north. It was, of course, smoke from a fire. We kept an eye on it throughout the night.

The wind has stopped this morning, so there’s smoke (because there’s still a fire). Right now, as you probably know, there are many fires burning in Oregon (and so many elsewhere, too). But more on that next blog/letter.

In the meantime, we want to thank you for being here to read Tracks by the Post. We are very grateful for your thoughts and connection!

If you have any questions or would just like to keep in touch, Please Write, and thank you in advance for your email! (I do apologize, for the past two weeks, my replies have been on hold - I'll be writing today)!

Please know, we always enjoy hearing from you!

Wishing you a week to savor!  

Gently Be,

Leslie and Frank

PS: Our giant thanks to John for his watchful eye, keeping the forest lands safe from fire, and for all of the years he has sacrificed his comforts, as being a lookout is not at all a cushy job.

Pps: Here is the link to an informative YouTube video

The Osborne Finder