Backpacking: Sleeping in a Fire Tower

Getting to the Trailhead

Niko and I were up before the sun, excitement levels high as we ate a quick breakfast and clambered into the already packed car. We listened to the steady breathing and occasional snore coming from the huskies in the back seat in an otherwise comfortable silence.

Now I am very much a sing in the car, jam out to music type of person — but sometimes Niko prefers the quiet, especially in earlier hours of the day and I have honestly come to appreciate it a little bit as well.

I sipped on my coffee and took in the changing landscape and low hanging clouds flashing by my passenger side window. We eventually turned off onto a gravel road, climbing in altitude, the trees becoming more dense. As we approached the trailhead, our excitement took a big hit. There were already four or five parked cars, one of which had a group of three backpackers actively gearing up. Niko and I had every intention of sleeping in the first come, first served fire tower, but our odds were no longer looking that great. We briefly spoke about whether or not we should lug all of our overnight equipment up the mountain or simply complete the trail as a day hike. Ultimately, we came to the decision that it was too early in the day not to shoot our shot. The trio disappeared into the wooded forest as we spilled out of the car into the crisp morning and began to get ready. Everest’s excited howls broke the tension coating the air, the huskies taking the lead at the start of the trail.

The Race to the Tower

This forest was beautiful. The rich brown color of the dirt and bark were such a stark contrast to the glistening ferns and leaves, wet with morning dew. We kept our heads down and our pace steady. Before the first mile marker we passed the group we had seen from the trailhead as the forest opened up into a beautiful valley. The treeline dwindled immersing us in tall vegetation. There had been several recent black bear sightings in this section of the hike so our conversation picked up, making sure our presence would come as no surprise as we hopped across a creek and began switchbacking uphill. Niko and I were breaking trail, or at least it felt like we were based on the large amount of spider webs we were brushing off our arms and faces. Anticipation was fast building — our odds seemingly much improved. We had put some solid ground between ourselves and the other backpackers, enough that I had let my guard down a little and turned my attention to the trail.

The tall greens that were once at my neck and shoulders had tapered down to my knees over the last quarter mile. Wild flowers of every color were sprouting up around the footpath. I glanced uptrail to where I knew mountains towered, the incline of the trail proof enough, but the details of the peaks were lost in a shroud of fog that was only just beginning to burn off. The morning light was encapsulated by the fog magnifying the intensity of the red, blue, green, white, and purple hues. I knew the fire tower was a long way from becoming ours for the night, but our immediate surroundings sent a spike of euphoria coursing through me. I knew I had to take a few minutes to capture the raw beauty of the pacific northwest.

Before long, we found ourselves above the clouds with only a few switchbacks remaining. We encountered a pair of backpackers who were on the way back to their car having spent the previous night in the backcountry. They confirmed that we were the only individuals on the trail with overnight packs, but that there was one other pair of hikers ahead of us. The thing about sleeping in a fire tower is that you don’t need to bring as much gear, and if you have high end gear you could fit everything you need into a daypack. In a fire tower you are almost always privy to a basic bed and oftentimes people leave behind useful supplies as a donation such as sleeping bags, water, and snacks. While this is not a great mentality in preparing for a fire tower sleep out, it did mean that there was a small chance the other pair had the same goal as us.

Approaching the ridgeline we could see the two men ahead of us. I turned my gaze to the right but I didn’t find the trail we had just hiked. A blanket of clouds coated the valley beneath us and the sky above us, vibrant green trees and snow capped mountain tops peeked through the partial inversion. We caught up to the gentlemen in front of us and chatted for a minute or two, immensely enjoying the show mother nature gave us.

Luckily the last several miles were uneventful. We followed the ridgeline, crossing the creek for the final time, eventually coming face to face with a huge boulder field on top of which sat our highly sought after fire tower. We followed the trail up and up, winding our way around the large rocks.

Sweet Success

We made it to the summit — the beautiful hidden lake and panoramic views of mountain peaks greeted us along with a completely unoccupied fire tower. We set up our sleeping pads and bags to stake our claim for the night and began to get together a snack. Day hikers filtered in and out and friendly conversations made the time pass quickly until they became few and far between. Before we knew it we had finished our premixed margarita and the books we brought along.

Niko and I rehydrated some dinner, fed the dogs, and wrote an entry in the fire tower log book. The sun was nearing the horizon so we went exploring through the boulder fields to see the landscapes give off a constantly changing glow from yellow, to purple, then blue. We captured some photos of each other to add to our ever growing collection of memories, and made our way back to camp for the night.

Heading Home

On backpacking trips, we usually prefer to watch sunrise in the backcountry, eat some breakfast, and hit the trail before it gets too hot; this way we also have plenty of time to unpack and decompress from a trip once we’re home before heading back to work and daily tasks. We passed a pair of hikers nearing the start of the ridge and assured them they would score the tower that night so long as they didn’t get passed by. We chatted for a few more minutes and sure enough, given the time of morning and being the first on the trail, they had caught a glimpse of the black bear cresting the ridgeline a few hundred yards from the trail only a few minutes prior. The clouds were high in the sky that morning revealing the bits and pieces of trail that were hidden away the day before — especially in the valley. It was absolutely breathtaking and even more enjoyable since there was no sense of urgency this time around. We may have not gotten to have the humbling experience of seeing a bear from a safe distance out in the backcountry, but we checked off two major bucket list items having experienced sleeping in a fire tower and seeing a cloud inversion.

We got the the trailhead in the late morning, packed up the car, and started our drive home. We stopped at one of the very many espresso shacks for some post-backpacking treats. This was by far the best shack we have ever stopped at in regard to both drink and food — we still talk about it from time to time a whole year later.

Fire Tower Etiquette

Here are just a few tips to help you adventure more responsibly and be better prepared for a fire tower adventure!

1. Be prepared to share “your” space.

This is especially true for the public, first come first served fire towers. Even though you landed the tower to sleep in, hikers you meet on-trail still have every right to tour the structure and hang out for a bit inside if they choose to. Many fire towers have log books and artifacts for people to see and they are a lot of fun to poke around in! If this makes you uncomfortable, it might not be the best adventure to choose.

2. Read the rules and regulations.

Many fire towers have a list of rules — some are general and some are more specific. These are not suggestions, they are guidelines that if not followed could have a direct impact on accessibility to the public in the future.

3. Leave no trace.

While some people choose to leave behind useful items as I mentioned in the blog, there is a big difference between doing so, and having the motive of wanting to lighten your load for the trek back to the trailhead. Please don’t leave behind any trash, any items in excess, or obscure things that serve no beneficial purpose other than for your convenience.

4. Rule of thumb: treat fire towers like a lake.

In other words, the same rules apply when we need to go to the bathroom or set up a tent: we walk at least 200 feet away. This particular tower did have a privy with signage to get there. It also had explicit rules not the urinate on the nearby boulders. While urinating on rocks is typically best practice (goats lick urine due to its salinity so if you go on plants or gravel, they will eat said plants or gravel), the boulder field immediately surrounding the tower will begin to smell like a portable restroom if this rule is ignored. I think I can speak for the general public in this case and say that nobody wants that to happen.

5. Know before you go: do your research!

Calling the local ranger station for more information before your trip is always a good idea. Sometimes structures are closed for maintenance and some fire towers require a permit. A key detail for this trail is that hidden lake actually falls within the boundaries of North Cascades National Park. Due to this, dogs are not allowed at the lake, and a permit is required to tent camp near the fire tower. Other places you may be able to find information is through blog posts or trail reviews such as on AllTrails.

Note: information posted by the public may not be the most up-to-date and it could be inaccurate.