The summer of 2003 saw wildfires sweep through the forests of the mountain West. By August, a number of lightning-strike fires were smoldering in the deep mountain wilderness of Washington's North Cascades National Park. Four of them fell within sight of Sourdough Mountain Lookout.Sourdough Mountain lies in the heart of the North Cascades. A mile above the Skagit River canyon at the intersection of six major drainages, it commands one of the most spectacular views in the range.That summer marked a milestone in the cultural history of the mountains. It was the 50th anniversary of poet Gary Snyder's stint as Sourdough Mountain lookout. Gary's tenure in the North Cascades, along with fellow writers Philip Whalen and Jack Kerouac, was celebrated in John Suiter's 2002 book, "Poets on the Peaks." When the park service decided to reactivate Sourdough Mountain Lookout for the remainder of the 2003 fire season and began looking for a fire guard, friends let me know. I jumped at the opportunity. A few days later I was alone amid one the most spectacular mountain wilderness landscapes in North America.These poems and journal entries chronicle my few weeks among the peaks as the Northwest summer gave way to fall. Fires flared then succumbed to damp weather. Wildlife passed through barely taking notice of me.And the stunning mountain wildness surrounding me prompted these notes and poems.