Jeff Schmerker
$30 and 15 minutes
It was Debra's idea to stay in a fire tower. She had been reading Casey's blog for a while, and finally had had enough and made a trip to Utah. For some reason, the Gird tower was available on relatively short notice (two months instead of the usual six), so we had a date. She came up from Utah on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon we were bouncing up the long slow dirt road to Gird. No signs for miles -- and no people to ask -- had us wondering if we were headed the right way, but eventually the air cooled, we made a turn, and there the tower was. From the parking lot to the lookout was a huffing 15-minute hike through a recently burned forest.
I got there first and Debra shouted out the combination lock code, then we were in. This tower was only about 10 feet off the ground, but definitely not for claustrophobics -- it measured about 16 feet square, with no running water but a wood stove and a small cooking area. Towers like Gird dot Montana's mountain tops; they are available for rent for surprisingly low fees through recreation.gov. They tend to be spartan -- but you're not there for the plush pillow top mattresses. It's the view that counts -- that, and a memorable experience.
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