• Fire Lookout Guide
    • Standing Fire Lookouts of Washington
    • Former Lookout Sites of Washington
    • Visiting all of Washington’s Historic Lookouts
    • Staffed Fire Lookouts of Washington State
    • Washington Lookouts Open for Overnight Stays
    • Lookout Maps
  • Fire Lookout Journal
    Fire Lookout Journal

    Stories and reflections from trip reports, work parties, and more from visits to Washington State’s last standing historical fire lookouts and lookout sites.

    Fire Lookouts and Mother Nature: North Mountain and Darrington Ranger Station

    McClure Mountain Lookout Site

    Larches and Lookouts

    • Fire Lookout Trip Reports
    • Former Fire Lookout Sites
    • Fire Lookout Restoration
    • Fire Lookout Staffing
  • Staffing Goat Peak
    • 2023 Fire Season
    • 2022 Fire Season
    • 2021 Fire Season
  • Blog
    Blog

    Random thoughts, mostly about the outdoors, conservation, and adventure.

    Musings of a Serial Soloist

    Goldmyer Hot Springs and Forces of Nature

    What I Learned From a Weekend of Silence

    • Peakbagging
    • Backpacking
    • Bicycling
    • Historical Sites
    • Essays
    • Nature and Wildlife
    • Travel
  • The Off-Grid Life
    The Off-Grid Life

    Stories about building an off-grid homestead in North Central Washington’s beautiful Methow Valley.

    An Off-Grid Airstream Winter

    Investing in Energy Independence

    Off-Grid Lessons: When Winter Says “Nope!”

  • About
trailchick
JoinedSeptember 29, 2023
Articles131
Comments5
Living a beautiful off-grid Methow life. Twisp, WA ?
Fire Lookout Journal

Thrapp Mountain Lookout Site

The Thrapp Mountain fire lookout site may not be the most photogenic summit but lookout footings still remain and it's a worthy objective for peakbaggers and lookout enthusiasts.
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Fire Lookout Journal

Chiliwist Butte Lookout Site

The Chiliwist Butte fire lookout site near Malott is a great early season destination and the Chilowist area also has some really neat history.
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The Off-Grid Life

Off-Grid Lessons: When Winter Says “Nope!”

I knew the chances were slim I could survive off-grid in my Airstream all winter on my land and indeed, here are some of the fun stories from my last two weeks of craziness involving exploding water, Bigfoot horror, frozen septic valves, failing batteries and crashed drilling rigs, well... I reluctantly pulled up the stakes and headed to the RV Park in Winthrop. I won't lie: full hookups feel like luxury 5 star living!
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The Off-Grid Life

Internet Coolers and Thermostats

When little to no snow accumulation becomes more like 10" and for the first time you feel really good about your decision to live in an Airstream all winter!
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The Off-Grid Life

I Believe in You

I learned a lot during one of the most challenging and demoralizing weeks I've had thus far while off-grid RV living and bounced back with one of the best weeks I've had so far!
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The Off-Grid Life

A Taste of Winter

I finally settled my Airstream onto my own land not quite two weeks ago in late October and then was promptly hit with a new set of challenges: a snow storm and record low temperatures.
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Nature and Wildlife

For the Birds

I am so excited to have completed my first landowner nature project with the installation of several beautiful bird nest boxes made by Valley local Patrick Hannigan from Nice Nests!
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The Off-Grid Life

Investing in Energy Independence

With winter slowly turning to spring, it's time to start thinking again about my home building project. Yesterday I made a big investment in a 2kW solar system and officially made the plunge into energy independent living.
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The Off-Grid Life

Condensation Conundrums

Winter RV living in a snowy climate definitely seems to be a balancing act between insulation and air flow. Too much of either is bad, too little of either is bad. So far it seems that staying warm is the easy part! Who would have thought?
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The Off-Grid Life

Digging in My Heels

After several weeks of preparing for winter, working on the property, and learning a lot of hard lessons, last week was full of progress and play. Things are slowly falling into place!
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The Off-Grid Life

A Wild Ride: First Lessons in Off-Grid Living

When a few hours of strong north winds send everything to hell in a handbasket.
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The Off-Grid Life

Closing on a Dream

For more than 20 years I've dreamed of being a landowner and building my own little home. After many years of dreaming and planning, despite a crazy real estate market this year, I finally became a landowner in the beautiful Methow Valley!
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Hi, I’m Chris, aka TrailChick

Photographer, storyteller, and seasonal fire lookout. Living life off-grid in the beautiful Methow Valley of North Central Washington with two horses and a cattle dog. 🌻☀️

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Goat Peak Fire Lookout - 2025 Calendar
Goat Peak Fire Lookout - 2025 Calendar
by WildChris

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  • About
  • Fire Lookout Guide
    • Standing Fire Lookouts of Washington
    • Former Lookout Sites of Washington
    • Visiting all of Washington’s Historic Lookouts
    • Staffed Fire Lookouts of Washington State
    • Washington Lookouts Open for Overnight Stays
    • Lookout Maps
  • Fire Lookout Journal
    • Fire Lookout Trip Reports
    • Former Fire Lookout Sites
    • Fire Lookout Restoration
    • Fire Lookout Staffing
  • Staffing Goat Peak
    • 2023 Fire Season
    • 2022 Fire Season
    • 2021 Fire Season
  • Blog
    • Peakbagging
    • Backpacking
    • Bicycling
    • Historical Sites
    • Essays
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    • Travel
  • The Off-Grid Life
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