Why do I keep going back?

North Twentymile is the Washington fire lookout that took me more failed attempts to reach than any other. Fire. Smoke. Heat. Snow. All caused four years of failure before I finally stood on the summit. And now, I keep returning. 

This week’s story is about one of Washington’s most unique fire lookout sites, it’s rare D-6 cupola, a young mustang’s first fire lookout, and the strange way certain places get under your skin and refuse to let go.

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington's historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com

You can't have just one.

A cattle dog who grew up on a mountain. A one-eyed Mustang from Oregon. A Quarab mare who doesn't have time for your produce aisle. And a five-year-old South Steens Mustang who could pass for his big brother's mini-me. Eight episodes in, it's time to properly introduce the herd—and the story of how horses and fire lookouts turned out to be more intertwined than I ever expected.

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington's historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com

A Lookout and Wilderness on Trial

A Montana-based watchdog group. A federal judge. An 80-year-old fire lookout listed on the National Register of Historic Places, restored and then ordered removed. This is the story of Green Mountain, the lawsuit that nearly took it down, and the larger question underneath all of it: what does wilderness actually mean? And who gets the last word?

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington's historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com

A starry night, midnight surprise, and mysterious gravestone

The conclusion of a three-attempt journey to what might just be Washington State's most remote fire lookout. After two failed attempts in Part 1, this is the episode where I finally make it to the summit of Holdover Peak. 300 downed trees, some of the largest animal tracks I've ever seen, a spectacular sunset, and one of the most extraordinary nights I've ever spent on a fire lookout catwalk. And... a gravestone with a story that deserves its own Friday.

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington's historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com

One of Washington's most remote fire lookouts has a blowdowns-per-mile problem

Monument 83 sits on the US-Canada border on a summit called Holdover Peak, and it might just be the most remote fire lookout in Washington State. Getting there requires navigating miles of beetle-killed blowdown so legendary it has spawned its own trail metric: blowdowns per mile (BdpM). This is the story of my first two attempts—and why Monument 83 was fully prepared to make me wait.

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington's historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com

The history of the lookout that was almost lost

Buck Mountain is where this whole journey started. A low-snow January, a map, and a phone call with my dad. But what I didn't know was how much history was packed into that one small DNR tower above Loup Loup Pass. Or how close it came to being lost forever.

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington's historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com

Nobody staffs this fire lookout to read books

Most people imagine staffing a fire lookout as a quiet summer spent reading books and watching sunsets. Goat Peak is not that lookout. This is the story of one of Washington’s busiest remaining staffed fire lookouts, and what it’s actually like to spend a summer alone on a mountaintop with a radio, endless visitors, lightning storms, wildfires, and a cattle dog named Hudson.

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington's historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com

There's a fire lookout there?

After visiting all 93 of Washington State's remaining historic fire lookouts, the question I get asked most is: which one was the hardest to reach? This is the story of the most physically demanding day I've ever had in the mountains, and the century-old fire lookout waiting at the top.

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington's historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com

The journey to visit Washington’s last standing fire lookouts

In January 2014, a low-snow winter, a map, and a phone call with my dad set off a chain of events I never could have predicted.

This is where it all started. The story of how I ended up visiting all 93 of Washington State’s remaining historic fire lookouts and some of what happened along the way.

Fire Lookout Friday is a weekly podcast and newsletter about Washington’s historic fire lookouts—their stories, their history, and the ridiculous things that happen when you decide to visit all of them. And then staff one.

whereinthewildischris.substack.com