Season Start: July 22
Season End: September 24
Days of Service: 54
Fires Reported: 2
I returned to Goat Peak for my second season in 2022, opening later than usual in late July due to a lingering deep snowpack. Over the course of the season, I welcomed more than 1,000 visitors, reported two fires (Sandy Butte and Tamarack), and monitored multiple lightning-strike wildfires burning in the Pasayten Wilderness. I also played a key role in backcountry communications, relaying critical updates during severe weather, fire activity, and fire-related trail closures.
This season brought some of the most spectacular lightning storms I’ve ever witnessed. For the first time, I watched cloud-to-cloud lightning zip past my windows and saw bolts striking the mountain, sometimes dangerously close to the lookout. In fact, I got zapped by cloud-to-cloud lightning not once, but three times this season! The sheer power and unpredictability of the storms were both mesmerizing and humbling.
It was yet another unforgettable season on the mountain. A summer filled with fire, weather, and the ever-changing rhythm of life at the lookout.
