Three Fingers Lookout, Fire lookout tower in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, United States.
Three Fingers Lookout is a historic wooden fire lookout tower perched on the rocky summit of Three Fingers Mountain in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington State. The cabin is bolted directly onto the bare rock of one of the mountain's three jagged peaks, at a high elevation with no road access.
Harold Engles and Fred Benesh built the tower between 1930 and 1932 as part of early efforts to detect and control wildfires in the region. To lay a stable foundation on the bare summit, workers had to remove large amounts of rock by hand.
The lookout is maintained by the Everett Mountaineers, a local climbing group that took over its upkeep after it was abandoned for financial reasons. Its name comes from the three summits of Three Fingers Mountain, and the cabin sits on the southernmost pinnacle. The interior keeps its original beadboard paneling, and a chain with turnbuckle spans the ceiling between the east and west walls to brace the structure against wind.
Getting to the tower requires mountaineering experience and proper gear, as the route crosses steep rock and involves some technical climbing. The best time to go is mid-summer, when snow has melted and the trail and rock faces are dry.
Workers used pack animals and a hand-operated tram to carry heavy building materials up the mountain, since no road or mechanical lift existed. Each beam and plank was hauled up piece by piece before being assembled on the rock face at the top.
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