Mount Pilchuck Fire Lookout

A Relic from the Past

Scattered around some of Washington's tallest peaks are a small selection of repurposed fire lookouts. Built in an era without widespread use of satellite imagery, planes, and helicopters, these fire lookouts once protected the region's most prized possession... Our forests. Many of them either collapsed from lack of use or were disassembled, and the ones that remain are protected and kept up by local mountaineer clubs. No longer needed for fire spotting, these precariously perched "cabins" if you will, serve as a nice backcountry destination for backpackers and hikers alike.

Pilchuck Lookout glowing red in the evening sun

This one, on top of Mount Pilchuck and aptly named Mount Pilchuck lookout, is one of the more popular ones in Washington due its relatively easy approach. For such an easy hike (6 miles round trip with about 3,000 feet of elevation gain), the views at the top are nothing short of spectacular.

Ali boiling water for our evening backcountry dinners, well after sunset

On an early November day my girlfriend and I decided to hike up and spend the night in the lookout with the hopes of being the only ones there since it was so late in the hiking season. Upon arriving, we were greeted by a couple day hikers who were only up there for a short while. We got our wish and ended up being the only ones up there for the night but looking back, it was clear the reason why... In the fall the lookout shutters close giving the appearance that the lookout is closed but in fact it stays open all year, you just have to reach up and open the door! Apparently this isn't common knowledge so when we woke up in the morning to some eager sunrise hikers, they were quite shocked to see us come out from underneath the shutters.

Glacier Peak

The sunset and sunrise were to die for and after many many hikes before and after this one, I've yet to find a better spot in the mountains that gives you such breathtaking views of both. Winter was already starting to show its face in the form of brutally cold winds that shook the lookout all night and all morning. I like to think of weather like this as character building... My girlfriend on the other hand doesn't quite feel the same way.

Mount Rainier in the early morning pastel light

While running around taking sunrise photos I met a guy named Derek who was just getting into photography and up at Mount Pilchuck for the first time. It was awesome to see his enthusiasm about just being up there despite the cold and reminded me of just how lucky we are to be here experiencing things like this. I think about this often whenever I'm out in the wilderness and I just can't seem to find good light or the weather is nasty... It could always be worse and it's good to be reminded of just how beautiful this world is.

My new friend Derek, stoked on life

All in all, it was an amazing trip and little did I know at the time this lookout would end up being really special in my life more ways than one. The first one being that one of the photos from this trip (the one at the top of the post) was the first photo any business wanted to use of mine. The licensing of that photo, which you can find on Happy Mountain Kobucha bottles by the way, sort of kick started me into pursuing photography as a full time job. The second being that just a year later in the same lookout, Ali asked me to marry her and I said YES!

Mount Baker erupts in color as the sun comes up

It's always interesting to me how life comes full circle sometimes, seemingly innocuous trips can end up being some of the most important memories of your life. I'll always look back on this lookout and remember the huge array of emotions I've experienced at the top of it. It's a beautiful place filled with beautiful memories and every time I go up there, I can't help but have a huge smile on my face...

If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed reading my story about one of my favorite places. As always, thanks for reading and happy Thursday!!