ENCOUNTERING SPACE: THE FIRE LOOKOUTS OF MONTANA

"Working deep in the back country of Montana’s rugged Rocky Mountains, Pittsburgh-based photographer Tom Persinger photographed three men who spend their summers perched high atop peaks keeping watch over some of our nation’s most pristine places miles from the nearest road or modern convenience. Day and night they scan the horizon for curly gray wisps of smoke rising from the forest below: a tell tale sign of fire."

Read more about the project and check out some of Tom's beautiful photographs by visiting his site.  And make sure you watch his short video interviewing the 3 lookouts.

I found out about this project after I got home from my 8 day trip to Glacier National Park back in August.  During my second day in the park I hiked to the Swiftcurrent Lookout at the summit of Swiftcurrent Mountain.  The following photo shows me standing in front of the fire lookout and Alex Hassan is standing on the steps behind me -- small world.  Hands down, this was my favorite spot in the park.

PENN'S EASYTRIM

How did Dick Proenneke cut his hair out in the wild?  With a Penn's patent "Easytrim" of course.

July 7th. An odds-and-ends day.
I put out a good-sized laundry to flutter and snap in a warm wind. Did some mending. Wrote letters and tossed them into the pile ready to go out on Babe’s express. Then a visit to the Twin Lakes’ barbershop. That little Penn’s Easy Trim is the best investment I have made for a long time.

-Excerpt from "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey"