June 8, 2025
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listen to a shortened (~15 minute), AI-created podcast of this interview here
​Rick and Marli Davis discuss their experiences as lookout staff for the Flathead National Forest on Cyclone Lookout from 1971-1975 and on Baptiste Lookout and again Cyclone as volunteers, from 2012 to the present. Marli shared growing up in Kalispell, Montana where she loved being outdoors and spending time at her family’s hunting cabin at Ashley Lake. Rick recounted growing up in Great Falls, Montana and his love for fishing with his dad. He tells of his first real job with the Great Northern Railroad and early experiences with outdoor work. They talk of meeting at the University of Montana, getting married after college, and their first lookout assignment at Cyclone Lookout. They recounted their initial training, daily routines, and memorable events, including a severe lightning storm their first night as lookouts, a UFO sighting and a fly-by from the Air National Guard for their anniversary. They talked of similarities and differences in experiences from the 1970s to the present time as volunteers on lookouts. They emphasized the importance of solitude, connection to nature, and the impact of their lookout experiences on their lives and relationships
Northwest Montana Lookout Association 