Could you live in a house like this?
Courtney McIntosh, 34, moved into a tiny 14-foot-by-14-foot fire lookout post in the wilderness of New Mexico’s Santa Fe National Forest in April after landing a new job.
Video footage reveals the interior of the elevated cabin, with spaces including a simple kitchen, two beds and a workstation.
As a fire lookout (a position that pays $16 an hour), Courtney works from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monitoring weather, temperature, humidity and cloudiness.
This is Courtney’s first season as a fire lookout and she will remain in her position until September 2025.
Courtney McIntosh, 34, moved into a small 14-foot-by-14-foot fire lookout post in the wilderness of New Mexico’s Santa Fe National Forest in April after landing a new job.
Video footage reveals the interior of the elevated cabin, with spaces including a simple kitchen, two beds and a workstation.
Their small home, which was built in 1965 to replace an earlier viewing platform, has electricity but no running water.
Instead, Courtney has to fill water containers at the ranger station, which is just over an hour away.
The nearest stores are also 35 miles away, making grocery shopping a chore.
To keep her company, since there are no neighbors for miles around, Courtney has a dog named Captain Pepperoni.
Courtney’s boyfriend Michael, 36, has visited the lookout once before and she often takes a day off a week to do chores and catch up on personal matters.
When not on duty at the lookout, Courtney, originally from Detroit, Michigan, entertains herself by hiking, reading, and listening to podcasts.
Meanwhile, his main job when on duty is to alert firefighters about any smoke or fire that could destroy the forest.
Detailing what led her to apply for the caretaker position, Courtney said: ‘I have been working in the service industry for the past eight years.
As a fire lookout (a position that pays $16 an hour), Courtney works from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. monitoring weather, temperature, humidity and cloud cover.
To keep her company, since there are no neighbors for miles around, Courtney has a dog named Captain Pepperoni.
‘I have a background in environmentalism and have done a lot of volunteer work.
‘I was looking to get out of the service industry, I wanted to be isolated when I came across a TikToker who lived in a fire lookout.
‘I asked them for advice, looked in different districts and applied for positions until I got this job.
‘I really enjoy the solitude that work provides me, I enjoy reconnecting with the earth and it gives me a lot of free time.
“I love knowing that I am taking care of the earth.”
Courtney first applied for a fire lookout position in September 2022, but it took two more attempts before landing an offer a year later.
Explaining some of the requirements for her line of work, Courtney said, ‘I took the certifications online, it was all free and very interesting.
“It helped me get familiar with the role and learn about the behaviour of forest fires. It only took me a few days to do it.”
Courtney’s boyfriend Michael, 36, has visited the lookout once before and she often takes a day off a week to do chores and catch up on personal matters.
His main job, when on duty, is to alert the fire service about any smoke or fire that could destroy the forest.
Courtney said that once she was offered the job, her parents were excited about the opportunity, but also sad that she would be gone for long periods.
Her friends were also very supportive, as they knew she was pursuing a career change.
Courtney does have holidays, but she said she decided to save them until her year is up.
Revealing what a normal day at work is like, the adventurer says: ‘I wake up around 6am to 6.30am, make a coffee and do a quick check to make sure nothing has happened.
‘Usually the first thing that appears is smoke from the fire.
‘Around 9.30 I will check the weather, in my role I also monitor the temperature, humidity, cloud cover and record whether it has rained.
‘I’ll do it again at 1pm and spend the rest of the day looking for smoke.
Once she was offered the job, Courtney said her parents were excited about her new role, but also sad that she would be gone for long periods of time.
‘Between 5pm and 7.30pm it is very hot at the viewing point, I usually go out and take a walk.
‘When I get back I’ll make dinner, do yoga and go to sleep at 10pm.’
Demonstrating her dedication to her job, Courtney says she is allowed two days off a week, but typically works two weeks straight if she has enough supplies.
She concludes: ‘I am allowed to take two days off a week, sometimes in my surveillance position I need someone to come when I am not here.
‘I usually take one day off a week, or if I have supplies, I’ll take two weeks off in a row.
‘I won’t see my family until the end of the season, if there’s a family emergency I’ll go home, but I plan to stay here the whole season.’
