Keep a diary

Buying a calendar was one of the first things Austin did when he started working as a lookout. Each day, he wrote down both what he had accomplished and what needed to be done tomorrow. He continues the practice to this day, insisting that the act of writing provides a task and makes one think ahead. While social distancing at home, he keeps the habit going by keeping a diary of the day’s happenings on his phone.

“[When I started] I just kept kind of a calendar and kind of a really little diary of each day, and that really helped a lot,” he says. “Instead of just sitting there going ‘oh what do I do, what do I do?’... and you know setting goals for yourself even though you can't go anywhere.”



Get a hobby or five

“Take up a hobby or two or three to keep you busy,” he says. “You have to keep yourself busy. You can't dwell on the situation.”

Austin’s days up on Leecher Mountain usually begin before sunrise. He wakes up and immediately heads to the catwalk lining the outside walls of his lookout tower to begin his first hobby of the day: photography. He shoots in sunrise to capture the best colors filling the sky. Once completed, he climbs down for a quick hike to get doses of activity and fresh air before remaining in the tower for the remainder of the day, where he will scan the valley for smoke every 15 minutes and check in with supervisors over the radio.

In between valley scans, keeping the fire going and visits from hikers, he paints, crafts or plays musical instruments like guitar or harmonica (he plans to bring drums this coming season). He makes handmade zipper pulls with leather bands and trinkets. The day usually wraps up with watching the sunset.



Learn something

Austin says every day brings an opportunity to learn something new, work and nonwork related. To better understand the valley he protects, he studies maps and practices using the Osborne Fire Finder, a large fire-sighting tool occupying the middle of his cabin.

“My job is to know the land out there, and there's more learning in a lifetime,” he says. “I'll never learn all these mountains and stuff.”

While sheltering at home, he watches YouTube videos on his phone to get better at ukulele and drums, experimenting with new styles of painting, learning to cook and staying fit by taking to his treadmill and home gym instead of hiking.

“I try to stay busy trying to make myself better,” he says. “You’ve got to definitely stay in shape — not just sit there, eat a bunch of food and cry. You’ve got to give yourself a good attitude.”