Views from on High fire tower guide
Could be interesting -- for yourself, or maybe as a gift: The Adirondack Mountain Club has a new version of its fire tower guidebook, Views from on High. Blurbage:
Extensively revised and redesigned, this popular hiking guide to fire tower trails enables hikers, history buffs, and others fond of Adirondack and Catskill trails to visit and learn about 30 historic fire towers. Detailed trail descriptions are accompanied by numerous photographs and maps as well as an essay about these structures written by historic preservationist Wesley H. Haynes. A new chapter, Beyond the Blue Line, by tower aficionado Jacob C. (Jake) Wilde, describes 13 additional fire towers, three of them demonstration towers. The book is written by John P. (Jack) Freeman and Jim Schneider. The years since the first edition have seen what Jim Schneider refers to as "fire tower fever," a sweeping enthusiasm that has helped prompt restoration of numerous towers and their trails.
Views from on High, 2nd Ed. is $14.95 from the ADK website. The ADK also has a Fire Tower Challenge, with a patch for visiting at least 23 fire tower summits.
Fire towers can be fun day hikes. The trails often aren't that long, and the towers provide some beautiful views. (Example: The Beebe Hill fire tower in Columbia County.)
Here's a NYS DEC list of fire towers.
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Comments
I know this may fall on deaf ears and offend some, but some of these fire towers would be a great resource for cell phone service with equipment co-located on or near the existing towers. personal safety and EMT communications are sorely lacking in many populated areas--and while co-locating cell service at these firetowers may not solve the overall problem, it would be a significant step toward better safety/communications.
... said jsc on Dec 19, 2017 at 1:04 PM | link
I'm doing the Fire Tower Challenge, 18 fire towers in the Adirondacks and all 5 of the Catskill fire towers. This book is a great little guide to read up before the hike and helps you track when you've completed each hike.
... said Kate on Dec 19, 2017 at 2:40 PM | link