Hikers Carole Miller, Don Taylor, Karen Gray, Karen Schickedanz and Ruth Caldwell (guide). Photo by Ruth Caldwell.
Ruth Caldwell
Five hikers enjoyed a wonderful trek on the Meadow and Mt. Lemmon trail loop on June 11. The hiking was great because of the seventy- to eighty-degree weather when the temperatures in SaddleBrooke reached over 100!
Tall ferns and much taller ponderosa pines, beautiful flowers and vistas surrounded the trail. The big surprise came toward the end of the hike, though, when the forest service fire ranger, Jeff, invited us to come up for an impromptu tour of the fire lookout. The structure is his 24/7 residence for four-week stints. The Lemmon Rock lookout tower was erected in 1928. It is the oldest tower still in use in the forest. The current lookout structure was constructed according standard plans of the 1920s. The building contains a work area, kitchen, sleep area and a fire finder in the same room. The lookout tower, used for almost a century, still plays a valuable role in protecting our forest resources. And it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nice to find such places along our trails.