On a quiet Saturday afternoon near the shores of Lake Martin, Jimmy K. Lanier, founder of the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association, was doing what he has done for decades: keeping watch over the land he loves. Sitting in a folding chair at the base of the newly dedicated fire tower that bears his name, Lanier expected nothing more than the rustle of Alabama pines and the steady hum of weekend hikers.
But at around 4:15 p.m., something extraordinary soared in the skies above the Jimmy K. Lanier Overlook Fire Tower.
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