Oregon Forest Fire Lookout Challenge Mystery Cache

First off, a big thanks The Navigatorz for the initial idea for a Forest Fire Lookout Challenge. The Oregon challenge is based on their Washington State Forest Fire Lookout Challenge and Lookout Lisa's Idaho Forest Fire Lookout Challenge.

The posted coordinates are the final coordinates. They are near another long-gone fire lookout at Pearson Ridge in the Umatilla National Forest.

The Oregon Forest Fire Lookout Challenge is for geocachers who also love the great outdoors, the mountain drives and hikes, and the scenic and usually panoramic views. Forest Fire Lookouts also have historical significance. The Lookout system was developed in the early to mid-1900s. Some towers are still standing. Some are gone and only the footings and the spectacular views remain.

The Great 1910 Fire burned 3 million acres of forest in western Montana and northern Idaho, and shaped much of the modern fire suppression effort, prompting the building and staffing of many lookouts. During the Great Depression of the 1930's, the Civilian Conservation Corps began building hundreds of lookouts across the country. Of the more than 8,000 lookouts constructed on the mountain peaks and ridge tops across America, nearly 900 lookouts were built in Oregon alone. Then, no more than one generation later, the lookouts were being replaced by so-called "more efficient" means of detection: air patrols and the general public with their high-tech communication devices. Fire towers were systematically dismantled or destroyed. Fortunately, some were saved and still exist today. Ironically, Oregon is one of the few states with several newly-constructed towers in the last 20 years, to replace some of the aging ones. Of the nearly 900 lookout sites in Oregon, about 200 still have lookout structures, with just under half of those still in use during the summer months, the most active lookouts of any state in the U.S.

References:

Fire Lookouts of the Northwest by Ray Kresek

Forest Fire Lookout Association

Rex's Forest Fire Lookout Page

Now for the challenge: Find and/or Hide geocaches at 50 Forest Fire Lookout Sites in the State of Oregon.

The Rules:

1) Caches listed on geocaching.com are the only caches valid for this challenge.

2) Previous Finds and Hides Count so long as they are listed in the bookmark list. This Bookmark list will be updated as new caches are placed and approved by the Groundspeak Approvers. Finds/Hides will be counted on caches that are archived only if the caches are archived "after" the start of the challenge. NOTE: Please let me know if there are geocaches located at lookout sites that are not on my Bookmark list. If they meet the requirements, they will be added.

3) Physical caches only - They must contain a logbook. Virtual, webcam, earthcache and event caches do not qualify.

4) You may claim a cache that you own. Only one geocacher username can claim a hide.

5a) Placement of a NEW geocache at a Forest Fire Lookout site counts the same as finding a cache at a Lookout Site, so long as the new cache is placed within 0.2 mile of the Lookout Tower or Site. Some caches that existed prior to the start of this challenge that exceed the 0.2 mile rule have been grandfathered in. NOTE: many lookout sites, particularly those used by the Oregon Dept. of Forestry or the FPA equivalent in Western Oregon, are located on private property. Also, some sites with a lookout staffer on duty may not want the added traffic/visitors a geocache generates. The key is to ask permission first!

5b) A multi-legged cache may meet the requirement so long as any leg is within 0.2 miles of the Tower or Site.

5c) All requirements of a puzzle/challenge cache where the final container is within qualifying range of a lookout or site must be completed in order to use it toward this challenge.

6) New caches placed will be counted if they are traditional caches with small to large containers. Micro caches will not be counted unless they are part of a multi-legged cache that ends with a small to large container.

7) You must find at least 4 geocaches at lookouts and lookout sites in each of the 8 regions of the state defined below. This means that even though you may have found/hidden the required 50 caches, you will not have successfully completed the challenge until you have found at least 4 caches in each of the 8 regions of the state.

8) You may not log this cache as a find until all requirements have been met for each individual. All invalid finds will be deleted.

9)Caches must be located at Lookouts or Lookout Sites where the original purpose of the lookout was to watch for forest fires or wildfires, such as those built by the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, or Oregon Dept. of Forestry/FPA equivalent. Caches at other lookouts, such as those built for maritime safety, as scenic attractions or specifically for bird watching, do not count. Also, lookout towers moved from their original mountaintop site to a museum or other location not recognized as an established detection site do not count.

10) There may be lookouts with more than one qualifying geocache. You may find both caches, however only one of them will be counted for this challenge. The idea is to visit 50 different lookout sites.

11) Although extremely rare, should a qualifying cache be located in one Area while the original lookout site is in an adjacent Area, credit will be given for the Area where the lookout is/was located, not where the cache is located.

How to Log this Cache: Send me an Email with a Shared Bookmark List of your hides/finds. After verification that you have successfully completed the challenge requirements, you may go to the final cache, log in, then log your find online.

The 8 Areas are defined as follows:

AREA 1: The area of Oregon that lies south of the Columbia River, west of Highway 97, north of Highway 20, to the Oregon Coast. Map

AREA 2: The area of Oregon that lies south of Highway 20, west of Highway 97, north of Highway 138 (between Hwy 97 and I-5), north of Hwy 42 (between I-5 and Hwy 101) west of Hwy 101 (between Bandon and Hwy 42), to the Oregon Coast. Map

AREA 3: The area of Oregon that lies east of Hwy 101 (between Bandon and Hwy 42), south of Hwy 42 (between Hwy 101 and I-5),south of Highway 138 (between I-5 and Hwy 97), west of Highway 97, north of the California state line, to the Oregon Coast. Map

AREA 4: The area of Oregon that lies south of Highway 20, west of the Idaho state line, north of the California and Nevada state lines, and east of Highway 97. Map

AREA 5: The area of Oregon that lies south and west of Highway 26, north of Highway 20, and east of Highway 97. Map

AREA 6: The area of Oregon that lies south of the Washington State line and Interstate 84, west of Highway 395, north of Highway 26, and east of Highway 97. Map

AREA 7: The area of Oregon south and west of Interstate 84, north of Highway 26, and east of Highway 395. Map

AREA 8: The area of Oregon south of the Washington State line, west of the Idaho State line, and north and east of Interstate 84. Map

LISTING OF GEOCACHERS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THIS CHALLENGE.

PROGRESS OF GEOCACHERS PARTICIPATING IN THIS CHALLENGE AND NUMBER OF FOUND/OWNED CACHES. Red numbers denote the minimum requirement of 4 caches for that area has been met.

(Last Update August 27, 2023 09:00 AM - NOTE: due to the large number of participants, all stats may not have been updated at this time)