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Bootpathguy
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 5:19 pm 
Hiked HLLO yesterday. ( A first come, first serve Lookout ) 2 people set up in the lookout. On our way down my wife and I were talking about etiquette and courtesy. ( Let me say, we had no plans of staying. It was a day hike ) I noticed it was occupied and actually knocked before I entered? I dunno. Would have felt weird just to walk in We were both curious about a few things. If it's already occupied, then you should leave if you had overnight plans? If others wanted to stay, do you invite yourself? If you are the first to arrive, you should have the attitude that the possibility of overnight company is a probability? Tell them they are having overnight company ( weather they like it or not ) Ask, "do you mind if we stay" and if they say "yea, we kinda do mind" what do you do?

Experience is what'cha get, when you get what'cha don't want
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Randito
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 5:40 pm 
IDK if there are special rules for lookout, but the mountain huts built and maintained by the Varsity Outdoor Club of the University of British Columbia have a policy of "always room for one more" The purpose of mountain hits being safety. I'm of the mind that folks seeking solitude are misguided going to a place like a hut or a lookout. Folks using a hut or lookout should adopt a "welcome to the party!" attitude towards additional visitors.

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Stefan
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 5:57 pm 
My opinion. For lookouts ONLY: Summer: During the day: Open to everyone. Summer: Nightime: Open to first people there....others can ask. Winter: Open to everyone at anytime. Mountain Climbing Huts: Open to everyone at anytime....unless reservation required.

Art is an adventure.
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bk
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 6:56 pm 
Talked to a guy coming down from Three Fingers lookout (about 2009), on my first day-hike venture up there (just to Tin Can Gap). On the subject of etiquette, when asked if he would have turned back because there were others in the lookout (or something to that effect), he replied there was no way he was not sleeping up there after all the hassle to get there. (Vague memory on this point, but probably: he hiked up there the day before; others were there; he joined them. So it was indeed just like he described it.) So maybe hard-to-get-to lookouts (where you just can't sleep outside) have more of an assumed welcoming theme? (Maybe that's just Three Fingers?)

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 6:58 pm 
Agree w/ Stefan. Shouldn't even have to knock during the day. It's not their property, they should expect company.

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Chico
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 7:31 pm 
And if you in a place where YOU paid money to reserve for YOUR stay? What then? I say no!

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 7:38 pm 
Are there some popular lookouts that you pay to reserve? I'm not aware of these. There are a handful of first come, first serve type that I've visited. Sometimes there are people staying in them, sometimes not. Stuff like Pilchuck, Hidden Lake, Park Butte....Figure it's fine to go in those during the day if you've hiked up there.

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KekistaniProphet
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 8:19 pm 
Point your anus to the wind if you need to fart

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Randito
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 8:49 pm 
olderthanIusedtobe wrote:
Are there some popular lookouts that you pay to reserve?
In Washington, only Evergreen Mountain Lookout is reservable. In Oregon and other states -- there are a good number of reservable lookouts: http://www.firelookout.org/lookout-rentals.html

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 9:26 pm 
Looks like Oregon and Montana are leading the charge for rentable lookouts.

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AlpineRose
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 10:49 pm 
Some lookouts are reservable for overnights by various processes. Evergreen LO is reserved through recreation.gov for $75/night plus processing fee. I think there are other WA LOs reservable through recreation.gov, I just don't know what they are. Suntop, Kelly Butte and Granite Mt. LOs are reservable for free by entering a lottery in the spring. Shriner's Peak LO has some sort of volunteer system with which I'm not familiar. Any reservable LO is reserved for overnights for those with reservations. If you want to overnight in a LO, it's up to you to know which LOs are reservable and which are first come-first served. During the day, I think it's courteous to ask about entering a reserved LO, even though I think daytime visitation is usually OK. I don't actually know what the daytime rules are. If a LO's overnights are first come, first served, and you are not first come, you should plan to camp elsewhere. LOs are really small and comfortably sleep only two, three if you are good friends or family. Maaaybe four if you are really, really good friends or family.

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joker
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PostMon Jul 17, 2017 11:35 pm 
Anyone who wants privacy or even personal space should be thinking of somewhere else to camp besides non-reserved public shelters with really nice views. That's how it is in lean-to shelters in New England and I don't see why lookouts here would be different. If another sleeping pad can fit, there's room for one more. I've been in some pretty darn packed shelters...

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treeswarper
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PostTue Jul 18, 2017 6:16 am 
The only "etiquette" I know of is don't bust the door down, don't break the windows, and shut the door securely when you leave. Oh and don't burn it down! Even when lookouts were used, people were rude. I remember waking up at sunrise and already seeing somebody walking up "to visit". The windows had no curtains. Burley Mtn. is on the ground so no trap door to keep folks out. To me, etiquette would have required folks to visit at a later hour of the morning. A question for you users. Does the lookout smell like mouse poop and do you sweep it out before using? Do you cook inside? Burley has been used professionally, as are others, when wildfires are burning for keeping an eye on the fire and as a communications relay. There are still places where radios need a relay to the base stations. Please take care of the lookouts.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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drm
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PostTue Jul 18, 2017 7:37 am 
I was surprised to read that there are still unreserved, first-come, first-serve lookouts. On first reading I thought the question was about people assigned to the lookout for fire-watching duties (not many of them left), and second was that people had rented it and so deserve some privacy. Since there are apparently some fc-fs lookouts further north, I think you kind of need to know which of the three variations apply to the lookout you are hiking to.

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cdestroyer
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PostTue Jul 18, 2017 7:57 am 
does this etiquette also apply to any of the old cabins you might find in the back country?

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