We left town on a Thursday afternoon. The smoke was pretty thick and we hoped that it would clear as we drove into the mountains. It did not. Jess had a photoshoot booked at a lookout tower near Lincoln, MT and we decided to stay the night.
We left early to give Jessica plenty of time to scope the area out and get the boys settled into the lookout. We had only been up in one lookout tower before, in the Cascade mountain range of northern Oregon. It was still in service as a fire lookout and the man attending the station invited us up. This was pre Fitz and Elijah wasn’t too thrilled to be 50+ feet off the ground.
This time around though, we’d be staying the night. We got ourselves and our supplies up into the tower, removed the shutters and started dinner. Jessica’s clients arrived and she set to work. I was on parent duty and we had a blast exploring around the tower, trying to not get in the shot. Eventually, I put Fitz to bed and Elijah and I got our beds ready for the night.
Jessica was done with her shoot and was so excited by the session, she settled in to import some photos. Meanwhile, I got a fire going in the little stove while Elijah watched contentedly. Jessica eventually joined in after posting some images and we all relaxed by that fire. For a while there, we forgot about the turmoils of the world, the pandemic, civil unrest and wildfires, and we just sat there. Elijah drifted off to sleep, far beyond his normal bedtime. We weren’t long to follow.
We drove for an hour, packed ourselves and supplies 30 feet up into the air for one night. It was WORTH IT! Though, I will say in retrospect, that it saddens me that it takes such an endeavor to unplug and feel the word turn beneath us. While we plan on making this kind of trip a more regular event, I think it prudent to think of ways to achieve the outcome of mindful rest and relaxation. Our home is quite old and as such, has a wood fireplace. It isn’t particularly efficient, but for what it lack in efficiency, it gains in ambiance. It’s one way Jessica and I unplug after putting the kiddos to bed, and now that it’s winter, we are enjoying it more. No evening TV and a healthy amount of cribbage also helps.
But back to the lookout…
The night’s rest wasn’t quite as peaceful as the preceding evening. Winds came in and rattled and vibrated the structure. Not in any alarming way, but the cables would buzz with the stronger breezes, keeping me awake. Still, the rest I had the following morning was better than I had experienced for weeks prior. Fitz decided an early morning call was due and we hung out with headlamps and lanterns of for a little bit as we waited for the sun to come up. Breakfast was made and Jessica took Elijah out for a little photo session, an annual tradition to document each year of his life.
We cleaned up, closed down and left our little one night refuge and headed back to town. It may have been a Friday, but it felt like Sunday, and a good weekend well spent.
