On Top of the World

This past summer, I got to experience something pretty cool. I rented Bolan Mountain fire lookout on the very border of southern Oregon and northern California. The manfriend had a last minute invite to a 24 hr mountain bike race, so I let him go and invited my youngest brother Max to come along.

It was one of those experiences that feels so precious and rare. We were literally on top of the world, or so it felt. We could stand at the fire lookout and see everything for miles in a 360 degree radius.

We picked up the keys at the Ranger Station in Cave Junction, OR and then made the hour or so trek up to the tip top of the mountain.

Unfortunately, the gated 2 mile fire service road up to the lookout was terrifying.

It was narrow, super rocky and steep. Let's just say I was thanking the heavens my brother is a good driver and has a decent truck (and that we hadn't brought my little Corolla).

None of my photos did the road justice. There were tight turns where Max had to make 3-4 point turns.

And the final challenge, was the 100 or so stone steps you get to haul your stuff up to the lookout (or come down to use the outhouse).

 And there we were - 6,242 feet above sea level.

On top of the world. That little road in the lower left is what eventually brought us to the lookout. 

After looking around and putting away our stuff, we read a little history about the lookout.

And with nothing else to do, we decided to hike the 2 miles down to Bolan lake.

We even took a dip in the lake, which wasn't too icy cold. 

As the sun went down, the temperature dropped quickly. We made a gourmet meal of things I figured wouldn't need a cooler/fridge. Annie's mac 'n cheese w/ almond milk, broccoli and red onion. 

While we had cell service (there was a tower right next to the lookout), we entertained ourselves by playing a few board games that were left behind, by headlamp. And then stargazing on the deck. It was nice to unplug and just hang out with my bro.

The sunset was awesome, but the sunrise was epic.

Crazy how the mind gets quiet without all the distraction. 

From up here, life seems more precious and the possibilities seemed endless. 

If you ever get the chance (and are willing to brave the drive to one), do it. $50 or so gets you one hell of a nights' stay and some serious solitude in a world of flurry, goals and stress.


We read stories (in the guest books) of folks who had returned to this exact lookout year after year to celebrate anniversaries with spouses, have a personal retreat or just unplug. Pretty cool. So there you go, 24 hours of adventure on top of the world. 

What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done? Or a moment of complete and total relaxation?