May 26, 2008

Frostbitten Strawberries

The cold, stormy weather canceled our camping plans for Memorial Day weekend, but I still spent a couple days working at the Strawberry Lookout.

We got a couple inches of snow on Friday, and we couldn't see past the guardrail. That gave us plenty of time to finish the In-Tower Training, but we really couldn't look for any smoke.

It was like sitting in a 15' square room with white walls and no windows. Well, kind of. The more I thought about it, the more I came to think of it as a time-share cabin on a mountain top. I worked with other volunteers on Friday, but I had the tower to myself on Monday. In between visits with the public, I was able to get a lot of reading and homework done.

Of course I had to go for the obligatory, geeky pose in the tower. I promise I won't do that again. This isn't about the uniform, or the ego. This is about public service in something other than my usual role as a paper-pushing bureaucrat. That, and getting away from it all for a few hours every month.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aye Capt'n, two more degrees to the right and we have them in our sights!
Bridge, shield up, faizers ready!