Devil's Head

Last weekend I hiked to Devil's Head, a high mountain vista in the Pike National Forest that culminates at a vertical stairway to a historical fire tower.  Originally built in 1912, this tower has undergone some renovations over the years, but its role has been steadfast in the detection of forest fires in the forest and surrounding areas.  The hike is only a mile, but it climbs rather steeply.

Part way up the trail
 

End of the trail, beginning of the monster stairs!

 

The fire tower

 

The fire finder: this awesome contraption is outfitted with a map, 2 sights, and a line...if you spot smoke, you line up the plume with the sights and a prominent geological feature, and it will correspond to an approximate location on the map...pretty sweet!

 

This guy has been a smoke watcher in this tower for 28 years!

 

 The view from the top