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I looked over the impressive views of the planet from my seat 7,000 meters into the air. The jagged peaks of Sierra spans hundreds of miles, including Yosemite National Park. I had to signal a one hour drive on unpaved forest roads to Peak Lookout. The last corner was to achieve a sharp U-turn vicious circle broken slate path to a small helipad. With luck, I was accepted for this summer job, as I had recently returned from living in Baja California and could not bear to traditional work. I tried looking for a different life, there is some life “outside the box.”

I slipped easily into the routine of relief Fire Lookout. I worked to pass two separate locations, the other viewpoints their days off. I felt like I was on an eternal camping, packing and unpacking all my needs. The required work can not for a long time, and the ability to only in an isolated environment. At the same time a need for an intense voltage: to be regarded vigilance in the art. It can never be complacent view of possible fires to be. Often, a fire would start at first sight of the smoke to rescue hundreds of hectares of forest fires. I had mine was on the clock for 8-9 hours and the rest of the time on the mountain.

Solitary morning were my favorite time. I began a ritual, before the sun rose and the steep peaks to the east were still in black silhouette against the dawn. I write in my diary of the self-assessment, are still as the sun rose, and enjoy my first cup of coffee. A huge pile of books waiting for my spiritual awareness. I found it a wonderful read without interruption luxury that many have not done. I was missing on the other hand, hour-long trip times and stinking highways. The work began by making a call in the Sierra National Forest ranger station to check in, and it was the way I ended a quiet day. But I was in great surprise.

That afternoon I saw a storm moving my way. I was hoping to miss this experience. Only, I looked at the heavy, dark cells before me. All my flight reactions overtime. Flashes of light, cloud to cloud, were accompanied by deep rumbling. Then a mile away, the first light blue-white field to strike the world. BOOM. I have a grease pencil with a trembling hand to grab and marks the point on the azimuth. Often these strikes would result in a fire, a few blocks further smoldering or weeks later, when the weather is warm and dry to ignite.

I could not believe what I saw. Marching in the direction of a line of mine was on the floor. One after another came into the world cloud connects to land. The thunder was deafening. Furious, I tried to mark the way for you to know that the transfer of responsibility. Flash. BOOM. I felt the hairs raise on my arms, meant to start the look-out a charge, so that the tower was a likely target for a hit. I could only pray that it would soon be over! For the life of me, I could not understand the other viewpoints love these things. Well, maybe a little understanding. It was an exciting display of force of nature.

I grabbed the microphone.

“Sierra, signal.” I said, trying on my voice trembled.

“Signal, Sierra.” Responded telegram from her office safe dry.

“Signal is out of service until the storm is over.”

“Copying signal.”

And so I’m all on my own. “Damn,” I breathed aloud.

I made sure the window shutters were closed, and the radio is connected. I was free of all metals and waited. A flash of lightning. My hair was really far. I held my breath. The tower shook violently from the compression of the crushing sound. Dan – everything was quiet. The cells went. If the clouds, I saw a curl of smoke about a quarter mile from the tower. I went back in operation and reported there was a fire in the vicinity of the search.

Later, a firefighter wife gave me a very bad time about the way my voice heard on the radio. I was a little rattled for the experience. It seemed like a person was not considered an experienced eye out until some of these storms on the clock and was able to impress the audience with their heroism. For myself, I was good with only a single experience. Clouds back to the creation of a white out. There was nothing left for me other than to enjoy my diary to myself, to a quiet sun washed Baja Beach on the Gulf of California think. With the rainy season, fire lookouts lost her job, and I would pack up and move south with the birds.