On the lookout in Angeles forest

I had expected a deserted and dilapidated structure. Instead, I found a picturesque lookout staffed by a retired warrior with a gentle soul and a riveting past.

Vetter Mountain Historic Fire Lookout straddles a peak 5,908 feet above sea level at the southern edge of Angeles National Forest, a mile west of the Angeles Crest Highway. I had seen it on a map, and as wildfires ravaged Griffith Park, I decided to visit the lookout.

Public access to the squat wooden building is restricted to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders by way of a partly paved fire road or a 1.4-mile trail. Both routes originate at Charlton Flat, inside the mountainous Chilao Recreation Area, which is home to three campgrounds about 35 miles north of La Canada Flintridge. I chose the trail, and it proved a smart choice.

The ribbon of khaki-colored soil, carpeted with pine needles, oak leaves, twigs, dirt and pea-size granite chunks, was mostly bordered by dry creek beds. It snaked through stands of live oaks, Douglas firs and Coulter pines, the latter dangling football-size cones, among the world’s largest.

At times, the trail passed through areas where rangers had felled trees killed by bark beetles, and at other times it weaved though rock slides and bisected slabs of granite fissured by earthquakes, landslides and exposure to sun and ice.

Though hours since sunrise, the moon shone in an otherwise empty blue sky, wind off the Pacific having cleared the air of clouds, smog and smoke from the urban blaze miles away. Ground squirrels and black lizards scampered, and robins, jays and mockingbirds darted. Occasionally, the path crossed charred logs and burned-out stumps, remnants of 300-year-old cedars destroyed by a forest fire in 1878.

The wind carried a soothing fragrance of pine and sagebrush, the seeds of which are a favored food of sparrows, goldfinches and kangaroo rats.

Except for a booming “Good morning!” from a muscular mountain biker -- the sole human besides the old warrior I encountered during four hours on Vetter -- the only sounds on the trail were the crunch of my steps, flurries of birdsong, the shushhhh of wind through trees and the crash of what sounded like a 10-pound Coulter cone.

Trees shade most of the length of Vetter Mountain Trail. It’s not until the last quarter of a mile that they give way to chest-high manzanita -- “little apple” in Spanish, its name derived from the berries the plant produces.

Also during the last quarter-mile: The smooth trail gets rooty, the incline ratchets up from 10 to 30 degrees, and switchbacks appear. The going’s tougher, but with fewer trees there are views of surrounding peaks. And the red-brown branches and thumbnail-size leaves of the manzanita are beautiful, as are the occasional yuccas, all bearing sword-shaped yellow-green leaves and many jutting bone-dry gray shafts adorned with clusters of brittle white flowers.

The lookout came into view after 1.2 miles, a square white wooden box atop a pile of boulders, windows and a catwalk on all sides, reached by concrete stairs. An American flag snapped above it, and no sooner had I appeared than a man inside called out to me to come on up.

In trim, thoughtful sentences, Jim McGowan described the history of this lookout and others in the forest. Photos of the lookouts as well as a “resident bear” adorned the walls of the 14-foot-square room. Radios burped brief exchanges between rangers. There were a cot, maps, lots of handouts. Outside, a red-tailed hawk rode thermals.

“Our primary purpose is being a docent, and our secondary purpose is being a lookout,” the muscular 67-year-old said, referring to the Angeles National Forest Fire Lookout Assn., of which he has been a member for about five years. Patrolling by Forest Service personnel and helicopter patrols have reduced the service’s dependency on McGowan and other volunteer fire spotters.

Still, the big man scanned the mountains and valleys with binoculars, occasionally pausing to fill a bird feeder and lay down a line of seed for appreciative ground squirrels. We watched the speckle-backed creatures fill their cheeks with seeds, race to their dens to offload and race back for refills. “I spend more on their food than I do on mine,” he said, smiling.

The views of surrounding valleys, Mt. Baldy and other peaks -- even, on a particularly clear day, Catalina, more than 40 miles away -- are captivating.

McGowan’s not one to talk about himself, but he also isn’t one to dodge queries, and I peppered him with questions. Over two hours, I learned about his own story, about his time in Special Operations in Vietnam -- and his adventures in and affinity for the forest.

Just before leaving the area, I spied a doe and her fawn. They were not more than 30 yards away, and we made eye contact and held it for a few moments. Then, in a heartbeat, they sprang into the brush and were gone. Their sighting capped a perfect day.

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Setting up camp

BASICS

Camping at Chilao Recreation Area is restricted to Little Pines and Manzanita campgrounds. Both are first come, first served. Campers self-register at a cost of $12 per site. Amenities include tap water, vault toilets, but no showers or sinks. RVs up to 40 feet OK; no hookups. (A third, Coulter Campground, is a group site; reserve at www.recreation.gov, $100 per night.) Charlton Flat, a day-use area, includes the trail head to Vetter Mountain. Open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Adventure Pass required ($5).

For overnight camping, Manzanita Campground offers shade at Sites 2, 3, 4, 5, 34 and 35 but little privacy, and there’s road noise; sites 9, 10 and 11 have privacy, views and shade; 23 offers a nice view in a boulder setting. At Little Pines Campground, 6, 7 and 8 are shaded; 9, 12 and 15 offer some privacy; 16 has privacy, a view, nice breezes; 19 through 22 have shade, some privacy.

DRIVE TIME

From the 210 Freeway in La Canada Flintridge, the turnoff for Charlton Flat is 23 miles north on the Angeles Crest Highway; the turnoff for Chilao Recreation Area is 10 miles farther.

INFO

Angeles National Forest, (818) 899-1900, www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles.