“This first-time author has written a vivid account of his time as a fire lookout in a very remote section of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. A bartender in Manhattan during most of the year, come the start of fire season Connors is back at his post at his lookout, escaping the madness and crush of people in NYC for the peace and solitude of the wilderness with just his dog, Alice. Connors moves us through his season, from his arrival in April to his bittersweet leave in August. He chronicles his days, the people he encounters in this remote spot (mostly hikers passing through), as well as the history of fire fighting in the US and the role of lookouts. Connors’ writing is poetic and filled with the wonder he experiences working in such a place. You feel as if you’re there with him.”—Sue, Paulina Springs Books, with locations in Sisters and Redmond, OR
Face Out
Fire Season: Field Notes from a Wilderness Lookout by Phillip Connors
June 23, 2011