Preserving the lookout experience for years to come

SEELEY LAKE – Standing on top of a mountain in a lookout 20 feet in the air can be an experience of a lifetime. However, those that have stayed in one overnight had the opportunity to relive what it was like to be a lookout, watch the sun set around them and make memories they can hold onto forever.

This unique opportunity to rent the Double Arrow Lookout west of Seeley Lake nearly became another point in history after it was determined that the lookout had deteriorated to the point where it either needed to be fixed or permanently removed from the cabin rental program to ensure public safety. While the popular recreational site has been closed this season for maintenance, the Seeley Lake Ranger District looks forward to reopening the Lookout to the public once they complete Phase 2 of the project next summer.

Double Arrow Lookout is a 14 x 14-foot L-4 cab structure on a 20-foot pole tower. It was built in 1932, the second of the 31 renditions on the Lolo National Forest. It was originally designed in Missoula and was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in 2019.

After sitting idle for more than a decade, the Seeley Lake Ranger District and Northern Region Historic Preservation Team restored the Lookout for public use in 2006. It became a part of the Forest Service's cabin rental program. It is available for around 120 days from May through September and sleeps four people. People can also hike up to the Lookout for photos.

Double Arrow Lookout is one of the few lookouts that has electricity and includes a small mini fridge. This makes the experience a little less rustic than some of the other backcountry lookouts available in the rental system and is one of the most popular rental cabins in the Lolo National Forest's Rental Program.

"It is great that we can provide that type of mix and diversity and experience across the Forest," said Kate Jerman, Lolo National Forest Public Affairs Officer.

The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) of 2020 established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) to address priority deferred maintenance projects on federal lands. In March 2021, the GAOA awarded $285 million for projects on National Forest Land including 12 projects on the Lolo. While the Lookout project was already in the works, this funding helped push it to the top.

"To us this was a no brainer. It was in bad need of a lot of maintenance and we thought it would be a really attractive project," said Matt Walter, Seeley Lake Ranger District recreation manager. "People love lookouts and this was a historic lookout. We thought it would be a strong proposal."

The two-person Historic Preservation Team, Lead Exhibits Specialist Cathy Bickenheuser and Exhibits Specialist Jackson Poppen, led the effort.

Forest Service Region One started the Historic Preservation Team in the late 1990s. The team's job is twofold. First, they fix historical buildings using traditional tools, historical methods and match all materials as closely as possible. Second, they teach others in various disciplines and specialties within the Forest Service how to continue the tradition.

Bickenheuser joined the team in 2006. Poppen started working with the team seasonally in 2009 and officially joined the team in 2017. They are the only Forest Service Historic Preservation Team in the nation and work on 12-15 projects a year across the country.

"Region One has done a good job of making [hands-on preservation] a priority for this region," Poppen said. "We are effective at what we do and we are able to cut through a lot of that red tape."

"There was passion from inside and outside the agency to get it going," said Seeley Lake District Ranger Quinn Carver. "These [structures] were built in a time when we had skills that we don't have anymore. I think it is kind of a hats off to Region One's past leadership and retirees that made this happen to where it is a more of a priority for us than it is for other regions."

The renovation plans for the Lookout began last winter. Having never replaced legs and cross beams before, the Team studied the lookout plans for the region.

On the Double Arrow Lookout, the four legs are tipped inwards eight degrees. There are eight cross beams and a staircase to the catwalk. The cap logs were replaced in 2006. They were still in good condition as well as the concrete pads for the legs.

The Preservation Team tossed around a lot of ideas with the Forest engineers before settling on the plan. They built structural scaffolding up to the cap log. Once all the connectors were removed, they raised it less than an inch to free the leg. They used rigging, a chain hoist and fiddle blocks to lower the leg.

They had the new log measured and sized correctly. They shaped the log and put it back in place.

"Essentially this is how they would have done it back then. It is shockingly easy but it is the whole process of thinking it all the way through," Bickenheuser said. "That is what we did all winter. [This summer] it was heavy physical labor but done safely and done effectively."

"These two really figured it out and I think came up with the only plan that would have worked to get the work done as historically and intact as possible," Walter said.

The Preservation Team ordered the materials. Due to timing and availability, Bickenheuser specked out the lodgepole logs and purchased them from a Bitterroot log home company. Seeley Lake Ranger District Developed Recreation Specialist Aric Burt cut the logs for the stairs off the District. In addition to the logs, Bickenheuser purchased modern strength, historically appropriate nuts and bolts from a company in Portland, Oregon.

The Preservation Team hired retired Forest Service helitack Nate Raff from Framing Our Communities, a non-profit based out of Elk City, Idaho, to help with the project through a short-term employment agreement. They had six to 12 Forest Service employees and volunteers working on the project each day and did not experience any of the worker shortage issues other contractors experienced.

"[Cathy] and Jack have been able to share a lot of their skills with our employees that have never done any similar types of work," Walter said. "I think they all really enjoyed it."

"Everywhere they go they leave a legacy of how to do this," Carver added. "As an Agency, that is going to be critical."

They started onsite in July. It took them a week to haul all the materials up to the Lookout. It took another week and a half to set up the scaffolding and ensure everything was safe.

Bickenheuser said the first leg took them all day to replace. By the time they got to the fourth one it took about an hour. The eight cross beams were a very similar learning curve getting exponentially faster.

"The appearance is matching the original and we are following all the historical preservation principals. We didn't move anything, we just replaced parts," Bickenheuser said. "As with all structures it just needs some maintenance. We can do that safely, effectively in a historically appropriate manner and share it with the public."

One of the biggest lessons learned on the project was measure twice, cut once.

"Lots of measuring, lots of thinking and it is always group thinking," Bickenheuser said explaining that she and Poppen approach things from a particular mindset but the "offhand comments" from the group often generated the solution.

"We came with a plan. The plan worked and we stayed on schedule," Poppen said.

Bickenheuser credited their success to Poppen's planning, having all the tools they needed, being able to get the parts they ordered and having people available to help.

"We had scorching hot weather and [the District] took very good care of us," Bickenheuser said. "It is stunningly rewarding. This is going to stand for another 100 years, it is available to the public, it is available to Seeley, they learned new skills and we learned new skills. The big thing is it is available to the public and we can show off the Forest Service's history."

Carver said the stairs and railing should be installed this fall completing the heavy-duty construction. They will begin Phase 2 of the project early next year. This includes oiling the understructure, tuning up the railing around the catwalk and the Lookout House and repainting the entire building. The goal is to have the Lookout open to the public again next summer.

Carver said while this project still may have happened without the GAOA funding, many other projects would not have happened. In addition to the Lookout maintenance, the District is working on improvements at Big Larch, Seeley Lake, River Point and Lake Alva campgrounds as well as working on the Seeley Lake Campground boat launch and traffic flow issues in the boat launch parking area.