The Lookout Fir
The Mountain Homestead (in Coquille, OR) has captured me once again!
I got here last Wednesday and spent the first few days getting settled, reuniting with old friends, going to sweat lodges, picking blackberries, and “plugging in” with the kitchen crew that I’ll be working with for the next 3 weeks. The course started on Monday, and I was up bright and early (6am) to make breakfast with Julie.
For the first 3 days of the course, Julie and I made breakfast (among many other things), and we got into quite a rhythm: she’d wake up at 5am on her own because she’s totally insane (in a good way) and have just about everything done by the time I walked into the kitchen around 6. I’d make some coffee, heat up some water, and that’d be about it. Easy peezy.
This morning was different though because I didn’t have to make breakfast! I know what you’re thinking: time to sleep in? Normally I would say yes, but I had other plans: the Lookout Fir.
I got up at 6am, ate a quick bowl of mueslix, and was off to see the wizard! I left the homestead going north, hiking up the ridge for about 30 minutes until I arrived at the high point in the land. It was there that I found the Lookout Fir: a really tall, really straight, easily climbable fir tree that offers some amazing views of the Coquille River Valley. And… a cellphone signal!
A few days ago Jeremy & Nikki, two other members of Team Nourishment (the cooks), hiked up to the Lookout Fir and talked on their cellphone for an hour with a full signal. I was really excited to try it out.
I found the tree no problem and started climbing. There were lots of branches, evenly spaced, making it probably the easiest tree I’ve ever climbed. It wasn’t long before I couldn’t see the ground anymore, probably 100 feet off the ground, with the top of the tree slowly rocking me back and forth. The fog filled the valley below while the sun warmed my face. It was going to be so much fun to call all my loved ones from such a setting. I couldn’t wait!
I took out my cellphone and turned it on. No signal.
I waited about 15 minutes. No signal.
Damn.
I climbed back down and hiked back to the Homestead.
