Ultimate BS Jobs
- Thread starter xtrhvydty
- Start date
I gather some parks service's still employ fire spotters.
Basically sit on your duff all day, dust off the old bino's every few hours......might have to use a radio occasionally and have a basic knowledge of mapping though.
Heard some stories from the old days, where they actually camped/lived there out in the wilderness, and filled in time hunting or fishing.
Excruciatingly boring i gather, but its probably more involved than that now.
Very high duff factor.
Basically sit on your duff all day, dust off the old bino's every few hours......might have to use a radio occasionally and have a basic knowledge of mapping though.
Heard some stories from the old days, where they actually camped/lived there out in the wilderness, and filled in time hunting or fishing.
Excruciatingly boring i gather, but its probably more involved than that now.
Very high duff factor.
Actually, for 10 years I have been and am one of those fire tower lookout persons for anywhere from 20 to 30 days per year here in Wisconsin depending on how severe the fire conditions are. Usually I work through April and part of May.
Many people try out for this job and only last a day or two. It takes an unusual personality to be able to cope with it all. It somewhat reminds me of watching a computer looking for a trade to set up, when not much is happening.
No reading is allowed in the towers, the worst is when there is almost zero to very little visibility waiting for the weather to clear and better visibility which may not come for the day at all. By the end of the season I am ready to get out of there but right now I'm chopping at the bit to get up there. With better than a foot of snow on the ground it looks like it will be a while yet. The most exercise I get is climbing up and down a very steep hill every day about a half mile along with climbing up into the tower. Otherwise I stand up most of the time in the tower until I get really bored, then I sit. Mostly I play a mind game trying to catch the smokes before the other towers call them in. Sometimes its painfully boring but most of the time it isn't that bad.
Many people try out for this job and only last a day or two. It takes an unusual personality to be able to cope with it all. It somewhat reminds me of watching a computer looking for a trade to set up, when not much is happening.
No reading is allowed in the towers, the worst is when there is almost zero to very little visibility waiting for the weather to clear and better visibility which may not come for the day at all. By the end of the season I am ready to get out of there but right now I'm chopping at the bit to get up there. With better than a foot of snow on the ground it looks like it will be a while yet. The most exercise I get is climbing up and down a very steep hill every day about a half mile along with climbing up into the tower. Otherwise I stand up most of the time in the tower until I get really bored, then I sit. Mostly I play a mind game trying to catch the smokes before the other towers call them in. Sometimes its painfully boring but most of the time it isn't that bad.