Gird Point Lookout

See that building on the top of this mountain? That's where I stayed last night! It is a decommissioned fire lookout station, available for rental. 

The road to it, after you turn off the paved road, was about 13 miles long. It took over an hour and a half to drive - it was that bad. I knew there would be a hike to the station, but had failed to think through the need for it to be at the top of a mountain. So, that took a while to haul myself and stuff up there.

Once I was settled - it was amazing. It's a 14' by 14' room, with glass windows all the way around, for easy viewing of the entire area. This is in the Bitterroot National Forest. 

There were photocopies of several old handbooks, and a copied excerpt of a book written in the 1930s about the massive fires in 1910. It was terrifying to read. I read through the handbook on how to look for fires, and spent some time doing that. 

Later, I settled into my usual nightly routine of sewing on the quilt, and watching Dr Who episodes on my Kindle. (Oddly, I watched the same two I watched while alone in a tent in New Hampshire.)

Overall, it was a awesome visit - in every sense. Check www.recreation.gov for other interesting rentals!