Elevated Adventure to Devils Head Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado
Created by Paul Signorelli, W0RW on 2023-07-20
Elevated Adventure to Devils Head Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado
It was summer, 2013, Ed Breneiser, WA3WSJ, had just arrived in Colorado Springs. He was going to accompany me on this classic hike in the Rocky Mountains. We drove along the Rampart Range road to the trail head, Road FS300.O. The hike is 2.8 miles to the Fire Lookout at 9748 feet, an elevation gain of 950 feet. The Fire Lookout Tower is really a big Faraday Cage with a big ground wire umbrella over the roof. It has a big cable going down the rocks 100 feet below to an earth ground. That is the lightning protection system.
Devils Head Fire lookout was named because the mountain range looks like a Sleeping Indian on his back with a sharp angular head. Information is at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Head_Lookout
Ed and I were going to operate Pedestrian Mobile, CW, all the way along the trail and then from the top. We were slowed down a bit when it started to rain halfway up the hill, so we stood under some pine trees (During a storm, at high altitude, with whips on our backs, yes, we knew, but we had dragging ground wires).
Ed had an ICOM 703, 5 Watts, on 20 meters and I had my PRC319, 50 Watts with a 10-foot whip on 17 meters. We had to stay a hundred feet apart to avoid desensitizing our receivers. As soon as we got out of the parking lot and up on the first ridge, I got a call from DJ5AV, EA4CWN, DL1UBN and JA7QVI, Wow good conditions. I Also worked about 30 other US Stations.
When Ed made it to the end of the trail. He started up the last 143 stairs to the tower when He hit a brick wall, (He had just arrived from his home at sea level). The altitude grabs his throat, and He is stopped dead in his tracks. After a few minutes He recovers and finally gets to the top, 9748 feet. He felt a little lightheaded and sick, but He full recovered after 15 minutes, this was the highest elevation he has ever hiked in his life.
The famous USFS Ranger Billy Ellis, who worked there, just retired at age 87 after 35 years of service. He issued out thousands of the “Ancient and Honorable Order of the Squirrels” visitor cards over the years. If you hiked up to Devils Head, you probably met Billy.
See newspaper report at: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/06/25/devils-head-fire-lookout-billy-ellis-retires/
Hiking details and pictures of devils Head are at: https://trekkingcolorado.com/devils-head-fire-lookout/
You may want to explore the other Vanishing Fire Lookout Towers in Colorado:
https://www.coloradocountrylife.coop/exploring-colorados-vanishing-fire-towers/
Paul, W0RW
| W0RW | 2023-07-28 | |
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| Elevated Adventure to Devils Head Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado | ||
| The PBS TV Program "Life From Above" has video and the story of Billy Ellis at Devils Head Fire Lookout. Paul w0rw | ||
| W0RW | 2023-07-27 | |
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| Re: Elevated Adventure to Devils Head Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado | ||
| Thanks for you service John. i operate 480 kHz and would love to connect to one of those 400 foot LORAN towers. i was keeping a watch on Old Ed, but you never know how you are going to react to high altitudes. The hike to Devils Head is rated as Easy, 2.7 miles and 870 feet elevation gain. Yes, that was Robert Landry of Carencro, Louisiana, who died at ROMO. An autopsy indicated cause of death consistent with an acute coronary event as well as high altitude pulmonary edema. He was hiking around Mount Ida. It is located about 13 miles west of Estes Park near the Continental Divide in the middle of the national park. The 9.6-mile roundtrip hike is rated as strenuous, starting at an elevation of 10,759 feet and gaining 2,465 feet to the summit. The death marked the third fatality in the park in the past 16 days. My Radio got zapped in ROMO a few years ago… See Yes, that was Robert Landry of Carencro, Louisiana. An autopsy indicated cause of death consistent with an acute coronary event as well as high altitude pulmonary edema. He was hiking around Mount Ida. It is located about 13 miles west of Estes Park near the Continental Divide in the middle of the national park. The 9.6-mile roundtrip hike is rated as strenuous, starting at an elevation of 10,759 feet and gaining 2,465 feet to the summit. The death marked the third fatality in the park in the past 16 days. My Radio got zapped in ROMO a few years ago on the Continental Divide. See https://reflector.sota.org.uk/t/high-altitude-precipation-static/17173 73 Paul w0rw Reply to a comment by : KD0JPE on 2023-07-25 It sounds like Ed had classic symptoms of altitude sickness. A 51 year-old fellow from Louisiana died last week in Rocky Mountain National Park from after ignoring similar symptoms. | ||
| KD0JPE | 2023-07-25 | |
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| Elevated Adventure to Devils Head Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado | ||
| It sounds like Ed had classic symptoms of altitude sickness. A 51 year-old fellow from Louisiana died last week in Rocky Mountain National Park from after ignoring similar symptoms. | ||
| W0RW | 2023-07-23 | |
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| Re: Elevated Adventure to Devils Head Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado | ||
| Good news… Actually i have 'Discovered" a new Summit at Altman, CO, 10,000+ feet where there was none before. The Cripple Creek mining guys have built a new mountain by dumping the Gold tailings into a big pit (where the old town of Altman was) and have built up a really big new mountain. It is just about 1/3 mile east of the American Eagles Mine. However it is still off limits for visitors and hikers. [Google Maps 1] 38.738 -105.137 https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7382755,-105.1369631,2955m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu As has been the custom of all great explorers i have named this new hill after my self: “RW Hill”. It is not every day a new 10,000+ foot hill pops up. Paul w0rw Reply to a comment by : KC6RWI on 2023-07-20 Forgot to say, is there anywhere else were you might make 10k ft? | ||
| KC6RWI | 2023-07-20 | |
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| Elevated Adventure to Devils Head Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado | ||
| Forgot to say, is there anywhere else were you might make 10k ft? | ||
| KC6RWI | 2023-07-20 | |
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| Elevated Adventure to Devils Head Fire Lookout Tower, Colorado | ||
| Cool story, I would love to have a 2meter radio to give a few calls on simplex. They say the amount of oxygen around the planet is like the thickness of the orange color of that fruit. I would certainly be aware of the thin air and move slowly if that helps, | ||
