Tatoosh

by Martha Hardy

This is a lively, authentic account of another world and time, another way of life; the first-hand story of a "schoolma'am" who spent the summer of 1943 as a fire lookout for the U.S. Forest Service. Her post was Tatoosh Peak, near Mt. Rainier in Washington , where she lived in a glass walled hut at 6300 feet, keeping fire watch on the timber of the Columbia National Forest.

Genres: Nonfiction, Outdoors

239 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

Reviews

[Eileen Breseman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tatoosh is certainly a period piece, written in 1943 by a woman who spent a summer on the slopes of Mt. Rainier, WA as a Lookout for forest fires within a small cabin. Clearly she's a hardy soul, resourceful and capable and yet she paints herself within her adventures as a bit meek and at times lonely. I had a hard time with the "school mar'm" weaker sex act that she self describes with almost every chapter, from firing a gun, to worry over lightning hitting her cabin, night noises (a mouse), nailing a shutter on a ladder, hanging a telephone line, the banter with the supplier, to her fussing with cabin cleanup and baking all day for a rare visit. I'm sure she knew what she was signing up for and had all kinds of capabilities to meet the job demands. On the plus side, she describes the stunning daily scenery, critters, wildflower meadows and weather changes from storms to fog to brilliant sunny days on snow covered slopes which made me a little jealous.
I encountered this book on a Go Hiking site list of books to read, then follow through with a hike in that area around Washington State. Looking up the fire lookout in present day, there is only the remains of the former site, but it would be fun to go there someday soon for the view she had on a daily basis. The illustrations were also an entertaining time piece collection of art!

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have such a soft spot for these historical memoirs from forest service team members in the early to mid-century. They have such a distinctive voice and are a reflection of their time and place. The stories Martha tells remind me of spending time with my grandma or great grandma. Her fears are relatable and her adventures aren’t SO dramatic as to be unbelievable. I’m working on my collection of these books from The Mountaineers - I find them completely charming. Great to read by the campfire somewhere in the big outdoors.

[Meilee Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of a woman living in a fire lookout for a summer high in the mountains during the 1940s intrigued me. Parts of the dialogue written in slang/jargon were not fun to read but otherwise it was fun to see pages filled with Packwood, Cowlitz, Rainier, St. Helens, etc.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were moments of interest within an odd combination of Lucille Ball goofiness, unintelligible hillbilly jargon, and stories that didn't seem to add up.

[Lisa Jo Frech · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted this to be me!

[Bill Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read