Fire Lookout Life: Cot with a Chief Joseph Blanket

[Bo Zarts]

Idaho Panhandle National Forest
©2024 Bo Zarts Studio

[Deuxcents]

1. A treasure, I'm sure

[Eko]

2. I will fight no more

Forever.

[erronis]

4. Thank you - tears in my eyes.

[blm]

3. Gorgeous

[Botany]

5. You are a wealthy man.

Was that image of where you live?

[Bo Zarts]

6. Nay .. but I spend what I have wisely.

And yes, I live in this fire lookout tower 24/7 during the fire season in the Idaho Panhandle.

[Botany]

7. What kind of big critters do you have there?

Wolves, mt. lion, wolverines, elk, moose, goats, sheep, ground squirrels? Grizzly, lynx, or
ravens?

[Bo Zarts]

9. Lots of critters out here in the wilds ..

What I have seen: Elk, deer, moose, mountain lion, Black bear, ground squirrels, and assorted birds ranging from LGBs (little gray birds) to Bald eagles.

What I have heard (often): Wolves .. two packs on opposite sides of the mountain

What is possibly in the area, but I have not seen: Grizzly bears (a few vagrants come down south of I-90), goats, sheep, bobcats, porcupines .. and ???



I photographed this big American black bear in late August of 2024. A couple of days later a bow hunter, hunting elk, was charged by a big bear about 3/4 mile from the lookout tower. The hunter and I think that it was the same bear. The bears come up the mountain in late August as the huckleberries ripen at the higher elevations (2024 had a bumper crop of huckleberries).

[Botany]

10. Thank you! What a great image of that bear.

You can tell it is a thinking being. Were you outside with the bear when you took that picture?

How close to Mr. Bear were you? Years ago I was camping in KY and when I was sleeping
a friend woke me up to tell me that was a bear in camp and asked what we should do? I
told him I was going to stay in the tent and whatever the bear wanted to do was fine by me.

[Bo Zarts]

11. I was about 75 feet away, with a long lens. And since you are Botany, here is a list of my trees:

NORTH IDAHO EVERGREENS
Douglas-fir (Red Fir)
Englemann Spruce
Grand fir (White Fir)
Lodgepole Pine
Mountain Hemlock
Pacific Yew
Ponderosa Pine (Yellow Pine)
Subalpine fir
Western Hemlock
Western Larch (Tamarack)
Western Red Cedar
Western White Pine
Whitebark Pine

NORTH IDAHO BROADLEAF TREES
Black Cottonwood
Quaking Aspen
Western Paper Birch

My mountaintop has predominately Subalpine fir, which just so happens to be my favorite species of tree.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. What a beautiful blanket, my dear Bo . . . Just glorious to see. nt