Views from on High-written with Wesley H. In addition, some towers have earned a new lease on life as mounts for cell-phone and other communications equipment.Ī retired research chemist who now works for the Adirondack Mountain Club, Freeman is a proponent of fire-tower restoration where appropriate. Freeman says vandals’ destruction in 1992 of the tower on Pharaoh Mountain- a “non-conforming” structure in a tract classified as Wilderness-galvanized people to save other towers. In the Adirondacks, a number of volunteer groups have cropped up to restore and maintain their favorite towers. (The usefulness of towers for spotting fires declined after World War II as airplane surveillance made them obsolete.)īut people who live near or climb peaks with fire towers often grow attached to the historical structures. There has been something of a nationwide push in recent years to restore old fire towers, most of which have fallen into disrepair. It couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Jack Freeman feels the same way, which is why he wrote Views from on High, a history of and guide to fire towers in the Adirondacks and Catskills. While the sense of accomplishment and view gained by ascending any mountain are their own rewards, there’s something special about a fire tower on the summit. But I’ll never forget that fire tower on Goodnow, and I suspect it’s the same for lots of first-time visitors to the Adirondacks, especially children. We climbed several of the High Peaks-such as Marcy, Skylight and Colden- and took canoe trips on the Old Forgeto- Saranac Lake route. We happy campers did a lot more hiking that summer, including a trip up Vanderwhacker Mountain, another peak with a fire tower. These days, hikers will find pamphlets at the parking lot that can be referred to at numbered stops along the trail to learn about the mountain’s natural history. The tower, maintained by the state College of Environmental Science and Forestry, offers a spectacular view of the High Peaks from the south. I was 11 or 12, and some friends and I were staying at a summer camp on Long Lake. My first view from an Adirondack summit was at the tower on Goodnow Mountain near Newcomb, and I can still recall the thrill.
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