Photo ©2008 and Commentary ©2025 by Chuck Davis
Monday, June 16, 2025
Built in remote locations, on peaks that provided uninterrupted views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, Fire Lookouts provided a haven for the personnel that kept watch for signs of forest fires. While most lookouts lie dormant today, a few continue to serve our public lands. The U.S. Forest Service maintains the Granite Mountain Fire Lookout as an active resource.
This idyllic sunrise view of the lookout and Mt. Rainier belies the tremendous storms that routinely assail the summit of Granite Mountain. Inside the cab is a small stool with glass insulators upon which to stand during a lightning storm. Winds compress as they rise from the valley and then release unimpeded to buffet and shake the cab to its foundation piers. Alpine fir trees that cling to the ridge top are battle worn with their roots buried deep amongst the granite boulders that give the mountain its name.
Their experiences in the mountains inspired Moses and David to write. “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2 KJV).