Quick Ascent Nets Astounding Views at High Rock

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A convincing, and fairly straightforward, argument can be made that an unobstructed high elevation view of a snow slathered mountainside is the greatest of all sensory payoffs at the terminus of a trailhead.

Luckily, in Southwest Washington there is an endless array of hikes that can provide picturesque sight lines to the side of some great peak or another. The only problem is that those intimate vistas tend to be hemmed in all on all sides by the towering wave of evergreen trees that keep the Evergreen State green.

In East Lewis County though there is at least one place left where just a short stroll through the woods ends with a panoramic view of every peak within 100 miles. What’s more, its very existence stems from concerns over the wellbeing of those same pesky timberlands that make a better door than a window.

The High Rock Fire Lookout was constructed in 1929 as part of a region wide effort to combat wildfires more effectively through a network of full time lookout stations. While it was last actively utilized as a fire lookout in the 1990s, the historic structure still stands some 5,685 feet above sea level at the pinnacle of the aptly named Sawtooth Ridgeline.

When the structure was built supplies had to be packed in with horses and mules from Mineral. Today, hikers can access the trailhead from either Ashford (16 miles) or Packwood (23 miles) off of Skate Creek Road, also known as U.S. Forest Service Road 52. Once at the trailhead only 1,365 feet of elevation gain and 1.6 miles of trail stand between hikers and unrivaled views of Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and even Mount Hood on clear days. From that lofty perch, several alpine lakes can be seen close by. Cora Lake sits roughly 1,800 feet straight down off of the sheer north cliff, while Greenwood Lake, Bertha May, Granite and Pothole lakes are scattered along the other side and Mineral Lake looms large on the west.

According to representatives from the White Pass Country Historical Museum, there were roughly 56 fire lookouts located in the Rainier, Columbia, and Gifford Pinchot National Forests during their peak usage during the 1930s and 1940s. Additionally, its believed that there were five fire lookouts in the Mineral District of the Snoqualmie National Forest just northwest of High Rock Lookout.

“Basically, their goal was to have eyeballs on every inch of ground. So at one point there were an awful lot of lookouts,” said Matt Mawhirter, resource manager for the U.S.F.S., while standing atop High Rock last Tuesday.

According to Kevin Flores, archaeologist for the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, there could have been even more fire lookouts during the 1940s but records are spotty due to forest lands changing jurisdiction over the years. He noted that many lookouts consisted solely of tent camps so that they could be put up quick and in more rugged territory. Some lookouts were even used to spot for aircraft during World War II.

Over time though, technology began to push the fire lookouts to the brink of obsolescence and today there are only a handful still standing in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

“On our forest they went away from fire lookouts around the 1950s as they went to aerial detection. So a lot of these old lookouts were abandoned or burnt,” explained Flores.

Along with High Rock, Burley Mountain (south of Randle) and Watch Mountain (north of Randle) are two of the only other intact lookouts in East Lewis County. Elsewhere in the GPNF, Red Mountain Lookout can be found near the edge of the Indian Heaven Wilderness, and Observation Peak is located near the Lewis River. Parts of a former station on the western summit of Mount Adams can be seen in the summer, although it is said to be caked in snow and ice and officially categorized as a ruin by the U.S.F.S. Additional ruins are visible near the Columbia River Gorge at Grassy Knoll.

According to Tracy Calizon, community engagement staff officer with the U.S.F.S., the concrete foundation of the former structure is not the only mark of human efforts still visible at Grassy Knoll, located between Trapper Creek and Trout Lake in the GPNF.

“If you go at the right time of year you can see daffodils which are not a native plant. But, as the story goes, someone who was staying there planted them and they continue to do what they do,” said Calizon.

High Rock Lookout is currently undergoing urgently needed repairs in order to prevent its collapse and make it safer for the public to enjoy (see Tuesday’s edition of The Chronicle for a story on the High Rock Lookout restoration project). With the logistical challenges presented by its location though, Flores says that many people have wondered why the High Rock Lookout has survived as long as it has already.

Flores said that, ironically, the isolated location of the High Rock Lookout likely played into its preservation. As one of the first lookouts to be constructed, coupled with the sheer audacity of its perch, High Rock has garnered a transgenerational reverence of sorts.

“For this one I think the decision was made to keep it because it offers such great views and because of its unique architecture,” added Flores, who had a copy of the original blueprints on hand last week to aid the authenticity of the restorative efforts.

The lookout was manned by Packwood native Bud Panco for 17 years up until 2004. Panco passed away in 2014 but his legend and contributions to the lookout still live on.

“There were people who Bud was their favorite and they would pack in treats for him. Water was a big deal of course,” said Jan Grose of the White Pass Country Historical Museum.

Grose, who worked at the Burley Mountain Lookout herself in the 1970s, noted that there was no refrigeration at High Rock so lookouts had to get creative to get by between their fortnightly resupply trips.



One museum volunteer staffing the trailhead last week in order to get the word out about the “Save the Rock” project, Loren Melton of Packwood, said he used to pack in a case of “cold Dr. Peppers” for an ever appreciative Panco.

“It was amazing to me that Bud Panco had that many visitors because you really have to put in a lot of effort to get there,” said Grose.

She noted that Panco published a book filled with his lookout experiences titled, “This Old Hat”.

Grose said she started working for the U.S.F.S. as a secretary in order to make money to pay for college and quickly worked her way into the field where she had more fun and the pay was better. In the office she made $1.65 per hour on a regular schedule, whereas the lookout work paid $2 per hour.

“And I was on 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Grose. “I did detect fires, but half of the job back then was about dispersing information to visitors.”

Grose said that Panco called it quits at High Rock when he was around 72 years old after vandals kicked the door down to the station while he was away and threw his bed off the cliff. In the years since then, a lack of regular upkeep and an increase in vandalism due to a lack of official presence have combined to push the lookout on the brink of collapse. What the “Save the Rock” project strives to do is repair the structure to the point that it makes sense to staff it regularly with an interpreter.

Grose says the project is set to take five years, with work slated to take place intermittently between July and September each summer, and annual maintenance scheduled thereafter.

“I think as the project progresses toward the goal and next summer that we will have more volunteers. Hopefully we will keep some money coming in and by passing out information, our goal is to let people know why there are people up there with supplies and how they can help us out,” said Grose.

She said there have been talks with the Backcountry Horsemen as well as military connections in an effort to procure additional resources. Grose added that day-to-day visitors can help to protect High Rock Lookout by packing out garbage and reporting any acts of vandalism or graffiti they witness.

Whereas High Rock Lookout used to be a semi-secret location shared among locals, all interested parties agree that visitation to High Rock has increased dramatically in recent years. Last Tuesday more than 50 hikers trekked to the top of High Rock and Grose says that it is not uncommon for more than 100 people to hit the trail per day on a holiday weekend. Much of that upswell in interest has been attributed to social media shares and online hiking guides.

“It is a very popular hike because, yes it’s steep, but it isn’t all that long and it’s just a spectacular view. It’s just breathtaking when you get up to the top and you can look 360-degrees in all directions,” said Grose.

While the hike is steep, it is also shaded most of the way by tree cover and a cool breeze regularly wafts across the ridgeline. Wildflowers like trilliums and penstemons pop up along the trail, along with bear grass and huckleberry bushes. There is no water to access on the hike so visitors should bring their own.

Currently there is no fee to access High Rock Lookout and the parking area is a no-pay site. This summer members of the White Pass organization are trucking a portable toilet up to the trailhead nearly every day in order to provide relief for hikers and cut down on the toilet paper litter that has accumulated around the parking area. Grose says the museum would like to generate enough money to put in a surveillance camera system at the trailhead and at the lookout structure itself in order to deter destructive behavior.

The U.S.F.S. also asks that visitors keep a respectful, and safe, distance from workers while repairs are underway at the lookout. While there are no official regulations regarding hours or months when visitation to High Rock Lookout is allowed, overnight stays are discouraged since vandals tore down the lightning rod.

“The weather dictates it more than official rules that we have,” said Calizon.

She says it's possible that in the future, the site could include restrooms at the trailhead and other amenities typically offered at recreation sites in the GPNF. Other nearby lookouts that are in better condition are even rented out by the night. Currently though, High Rock Lookout is not classified as a recreation site, which is why it’s both free and fairly primitive.

“For now it’s just a rewarding destination at the end of your hike,” said Calizon. “Looking toward the future, if we are able to completely restore it and have an interpreter here, then there may be a few more restrictions but it’s a little early to predict that.”

Donations to the “Save the Rock” project can be made online through PayPal or through the White Pass Country Historical Museum website at www.whitepasscountrymuseum.org. Checks can also be sent to the museum at 12990 U.S. 12, Packwood, WA, 98361, ATTN: High Rock.

Additional information on the project can be obtained by contacting the Forest Service, or by calling the White Pass Historical Museum at 360-494-4422.