Strawberry Lookout Indian Summer

Yesterday we had wind speeds of 8mph coming from the South, fairly steady and cold. Most of the leaves are gone from the deciduous trees in the Forest, but the pines are still green and full with pine needles, and huge hanging clusters of pine cones.

The marine layer was fairly thick down below in the inland valleys, and the Pacific coast and Santa Catalina
Island were obscured in heavy grey white mists. From 6800 feet elevation the marine layer appears like low cloud hugging the earth, thicker over the sea, and flowing up against the sides of the San Gabriel Mountains to the West.

Cold updrafts blew up the canyons and cliff faces to the South and the ravens practiced aerobatics on the winds. The usual complement of chickadees, nuthatches, finches, and some Juncos flew to the feeders on the Lookout tower to feast on offerings of tasty mixed birdseed, and drink the fresh, cool water I put out for them in suspended containers.

A large group of kids hiked up from PineCrest, the Christian camp to the West, and their camp leaders escorted them on tours of the Lookout. They always want to know if I live there, when they see the bed and stove and sink, like a mini-house. I always explain that the Lookout used to be manned full time and the Lookouts lived in the cab. Now it's just a nine to five during fire season.

The highlight of the day was the sighting of the Bobcat. I may have missed him but one of the hiker guides
spotted movement and there was a majestic full sized bobcat casually ambling across the leafy dry dirt meadow to the East below the communications towers. I got a good look at him through my binoculars
just before he moved off silently and smoothly into the leafy cover of low brush and oaks.  Our eyes met for a second, even at seventy five yards,  and I'm sure he knew he was being looked at intently. He (or she) had that wide open gaze that  knows no fear and says clearly that he belongs there and that his kind will always be there, despite the heavy populations of people and cabins and houses that now are part of this forest.

That alone gave me enough reason to have climbed out of my warm bed early in the morning in a cold November dawn and make my way up to Strawberry Peak for Lookout duty. Just to know that we still have big, healthy bobcats wandering our forest made my day.