For those of you
who have experienced being on a fire lookout, you know that it is hard to put
the experience into words. The people who man or woman these towers of
strength are rare indeed. On July 7th this past year, the Park Service lost
one of its most beloved fire lookouts, Mattie Sims.
Mattie was the voice of the lookout at Park Ridge for over 25 years. Each spring she would receive her notice from the National Park Service and would “move” her home to that outcropping above the trees until the snow would come in the fall. She loved being a fire lookout. She loved the solitude, the animals, the view and the people she worked with.
Soon after she died, I found one of her radio logs with dates and times that she communicated with other rangers. Often she was the only voice heard by the back country rangers when they checked in once a day. For them, she sounded like an angel reaching out to let them know that everything was okay.
I, too, remember those years at Park Ridge for not only was she there doing her job, but she raised me on that tower. Those experiences and the love of the forest that was instilled in me by my mother remain to this day. Thanks Mom, for sharing your love with me of those special people who guard our beautiful forests.