Hi all,
Over the three day weekend a total workforce of 20 were onsite at Hi
Mountain Lookout, coming and going at different times. Several camped
out one or two nights. Much was accomplished, assisting contractor John
Porter with installation of lightning protection, electrical grounding
and other safety improvements.

John Porter was a safety contractor for many years working for the
Forest Service on many Sierra fire lookouts, and was referred to us by
Kathy Ball from Buck Rock Lookout in Sequoia National Forest. John made
the long drive to Hi Mountain from his residence near Lake Isabella in
the southern Sierras.

With the use of a jackhammer, pick and shovels four trenches
approximately 80 feet long were dug from the corners of the lookout-
with great exertion by our volunteers- to bury the copper grounding
wires for lightning protection. Installing electrical conduits and
welding the copper grounding wires around the lookout before burial also
kept the workers occupied. Other group projects included: levelling an
uneven rocky surface- using the jackhammer- that was difficult to walk
across and using that rubble to fill in the depression around the
Visitor Center entranceway; installing a chainlink mesh to fill in the
lower gap on the stairway to prevent potential injuries due to falling
through; brushing the slope below the lookout; setting-up a bluebird
nesting box and bird feeder; cleaning the Visitor Center and redesigning
the framed wall hangings; telemetry training for new volunteers, and
other helpful projects.

For the potluck dinner Saturday night, the upstairs oven and stove were
put to good use by Michaela and Lisa making dinner preparations. The
group socialized upstairs by candlelight into the night, as the full
moon and Jupiter were rising in the east and Venus was high in the west.
A persistent 20 to more than 30 mph wind from the NE blew most the day
into the evening, yet there was not a breath of wind just a few miles
away below in the Pozo Valley (more amazingly, during the Feb. 25th
heavy rainstorm the weather station recorded a maximum wind gust of 135
mph!!)

Thank-you to all for all the hard work and great accomplishments this
weekend. Hope to see many of you at the May 8th picnic for staff and
volunteers.

Steve Schubert