[lookout bob]

Kelly butte lookout is a very special place for me. I spent 5 summers leading the restoration project up there. So,today, when I had time and the weather was cooperative, I headed there again. I've probably been there 40-50 times now with work parties and scoping work. Today was just for me.

Noone on the road and nobody at the trailhead. I wore a red cap just in case. ( is it hunting season?) There was a touch of snow where I parked and it began to snow again just as I left the trailhead. Every step of the road and the trail is a memory. I know all the bad steps and the lousy parts of the trail. About half way up the switchbacks, I realized I had company.

the tracks were very fresh but no visible critters. The upper meadows had more snow, probably about 3 inches or so. I did not see the lookout as the fog and snow was blowing around.

I did not see the lookout until I was almost there.

I was dismayed to find the door shutter broken off and the lookout door open.

The inside is o.k but there was a lot of trash and food. I packed up most of it, swept out the lookout and warmed up quickly. The plaque that I had made to commemorate 3 volunteers who passed away during the renovation is still there. ( I made it very hard to remove....) I don't know who Eric is but I'd like to explain to him about the sanctity of such places

It makes me sad that people are so destructive. The lookout needs help again. No one fastened the shutters down and I had no tools to do it. I hope that someone steps up to work on the lookout again and brings it back from neglect and stupidity that seem to haunt many lookouts and Kelly Butte too. It is still a lovely walk and I'm sure I'll go there again. If you go up, please take your trash home with you and don't leave food in the lookout If you decide to go up there, I'd suggest you go very soon. the forecast is for lots more snow soon and I doubt Kelly will be accessible much longer. 4 miles and 900 foot gain. Lots of solitude to be had

[Brushbuffalo]

Thank you, lookout Bob, for your dedicated work at Kelly Butte. It is unspeakably frustrating that thoughtless people are bent on destruction of what they have no stake in, like that "Eric" scrawler.

[patrickb87]

What would one need to fasten the shutters.. wood screws? Having been up here many a time, hate to see things deteriorate. Hopefully its accessible in spite of the coming snow.

[lookout bob]

Brush buffalo....thanks for your kind words. It was a labor of love but the FS did't reciprocate so I'm no longer involved. I don't know why lookouts are such a target for graffetti and vandalism. Perhaps it's just because no one is around to stop it. At staffed lookouts, there is almost no vandalism at all. Kelly is very accessible and easily targeted. Patrickb87....I quit supporting Kelly after being mistreated by the FS so a system to secure the lookout was never installed despite the FS saying they would undertake the project. Normally, a lockable set of 2x4s is installed on the window sill with locks or cable to hold the shutters closed. A door shutter is built and is secured the same way. At Kelly, they continue to screw the shutters down to the structure which works in the short term but creates more work in the long run. The primitive door shutter they installed didn't work at all and the first person to 'have to get in' to lookout tore it off. They also tried to rebuild one of the shutters that broke on the south west side and didn't measure. It doesn't fit, isn't primed or painted and isn't secured so it'll likely tear off in the winter weather. If you care about Kelly, a call to the Enumclaw ranger station wouldn't hurt. I'll try to rant about it too. Thanks for caring. p.s...I'll never go up there again without a hammer and a bag of nails....

[HikerJohn]

Hey Bob, Thanks for your leadership of efforts on KB. My daughter and I closed the lookout up for the winter back in October-- sorry to see that vandals hit the door. We did note that the shutter on the SW was not secured well, so I tried to trim it to fit and then we screwed it in with major screws and reinforced it with nylon line-- hopefully it will hold until spring. We also had plans to stain the deck and rails, but weather didn't cooperate. We did note that a family had come up to leave ashes for their deceased relative who had worked on the Lookout and decided to commemorate him by leaving a plaque (okay), carving his name in the rails (not okay), and carving his name in the Wallowa Toilet (not okay). We're sorry this young man is gone, but this lookout is not a memorial to him-- it's a memorial to the men and women who operated the lookouts across the entire west. We we sanded as much of the grafitti off as we could, with hopes that we'll be able to finish the job next spring or summer. We're also planning to Water-seal the shakes on the roof and perhaps even paint the outside... but much will depend on time! Thanks again for your work! Yours, John

[Magellan]

It's tough to see our hard work be disrespected. I love Lookouts, and this just breaks my heart. Thanks again for your service.

[Brushbuffalo]

Thank you also, Hiker John, for your work.

[lookout bob]

Hiker John...thanks for your care for the lookout. If you need hands to do repairs on the lookout, please let me know. Also....water seal is not the correct product to use on the shakes. Believe it or not, diesel oil is the right stuff. Thanks for your caring.

[nordique]

Hiker John, Kelly Butte is one of my favorite lookouts--thanks for helping to repair and preserve it!

[HikerJohn]

Perhaps we should declare a "KB Work Party" next June and do all of these things all at once (which may include a lot of trail repair to fix erosion problems...).. If there is interest, I'll talk to the MBSNF folks about setting it up... Happy Thanksgiving!

[lopper]

Thanks, Lookout Bob, for your trip and the report. It's sort of discouraging to learn about the current neglect. We've been visiting the L.O. since the 80's. Good times with good folks helping to get it spruced up. The structure is in lots better shape than it was in for many years. I hope that with responsible users and some USFS oversight, it can be kept that way.

93KButte

[lookout bob]

thanks for your kind words lopper. And the picture! Wow....that's what the lookout looked like in 2005 when the project started. And,Hiker John....thanks for your efforts too! Hopefully you'll get the FS involved and have them buy wood, paint etc to fix the place up again.

[Tempus Puget]

I was up at Kelly Butte on the 19th of October. The door was locked and it was a bit nippy so I did not linger long. I try to visit at least once a year. Like Bob I have a special connection to the lookout, having spent the summer of 1968 there. I guess I'll have to stop in at the ranger station and ask about how they are maintaining the place. (If I know the USFS, the key phrase is "reduced budget" or some similar thing.) I had given up on another trip after last weekend's snow hitting the mountains and I don't expect to try it again until next spring once the snow has melted, at least off the road. I really feel for Bob, as I know how much time and care he put into the rehabilitation of the cabin.

[Brucester]

To anyone headed back up, I'd like to come along, another place I've never been..... Unfortunately not everyone see the world like we do. They serve themselves. All you can do is keep plugging along. Never Stop Caring! I always make room in my pack for garbage. Maybe on trips to lookouts, carry a kit of repair tools and an assortment of extra screws? I have a special connection to lookouts myself. One of my fist real hikes was to Mount Kearsarge North lookout in North Conway, New Hampshire with my dad in the mid 80's. That lookout looks much better now than I remember it according to a TR Aug 13, 2006 summitpost.org TR by Eastking.

[Tempus Puget]

Brucester I'm not sure about access to the TH now, nevermind the trail being a bit dicey on the steep parts (especially for an older hiker like myself), but if you PM me your email address I'll try to be in touch when I head up to Kelly Butte next time. (Probably late spring/early summer?) Dan