By Brenda Sexton

The Courier-Herald

Dan Kettner says volunteering at Suntop Lookout is like being on top of the world.

This is the Enumclaw resident's first year as a volunteer for the U.S. Forest Service program, but it won't be his last.

"Now I'll be up here every chance I get," he said.

Kettner, who moved to the Plateau from Wisconsin a few years ago, stumbled across the program during a visit to the popular lookout in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest about a 45-minute drive east of Enumclaw. He brought his 12-year-old son with him on the first overnight stay.

"It's unreal," Kettner said of the view. "Especially at sunrise and sunset. There are no words."

On a clear day the panoramic view is spectacular. Mount Rainier looms 10 miles south. To the north are the Olympics and Mount Baker, about 150 miles away. The drop from the top is 3,000 feet and leads to the White River on the east and Huckleberry Creek on the west.

According to Mary Coughlin of the White River Ranger District in Enumclaw, about four years ago the Forest Service's fire management office turned the lookouts over to recreation. Two years ago, Coughlin said, the program drifted from a sole volunteer staffing the lookout all summer to a series of volunteers to give more people the experience.

"It's just grown in popularity even from last year," Coughlin said. She said about 20 interested people showed up at a June meeting.

"I've had it staffed 24/7 pretty much through," Coughlin said.

Kettner volunteers because he enjoys being there and he likes to be able to help out a busy and understaffed Forest Service.

Volunteers sign an agreement with the Forest Service and also learn how to use the radio, map and compass. Some learn how to use the Osborne Fire Finder. In addition to keeping an eye out for "smokes," while at the lookout, volunteers do trail maintenance and chat with the visitors who venture up the steep, windy road. On weekends, Kettner said, that may be as many as 20 people.

He hasn't seen any smoke on his watch and hopes he never does. "I hope I don't ever have to report one," he said. "That would be tragic."

Coughlin said the majority of today's firefighting is done by air, but in its heyday, the Suntop Lookout served a great purpose.

Built in 1933, the Suntop Lookout also saw use during World War II.

"The thought was the Japanese were going to try to hit the mainland," Coughlin said. "The threat was large forest fires."

Coughlin said women staffed the lookouts, keeping an eye out for helium balloons and enemy planes. She said not long ago a Seattle woman visited the lookout and recalled how she, her mother and grandmother had spent time doing their part for the war effort.

The Suntop Lookout is one of the few still standing. Coughlin said very few have survived. One is on the grounds of the Foothills Museum in Buckley. The Suntop Lookout was totally disassembled, board by board, in 1988-89 and rebuilt.

The lookout is about 14-feet square with an outhouse down the trail. It contains some creature comforts - cots and a small table. It is available usually June through September, sometimes later, Coughlin said, depending on the weather. It is inaccessible during the winter.

For information, or to be added to the volunteer list, visit the Forest Service office on state Route 410 or call 360-825-6585.

Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@courierherald.com.