Many of you may have heard of the cinnamon challenge, gallon challenge, or even Chubby Bunny, but maybe you haven’t heard of the Fire Tower Challenge in the Adirondack mountains. There are many fire towers on top of the peaks in the park that supply us with superb views of the surrounding wilderness. The hikes are spread out around the park and provide a whole spectrum of difficulty. To advertise these climbs the Adirondack Mountain Club has come up with an idea that will bring more people into the park, produce a challenging goal for adventurers to reach, and to draw attention to the history behind the towers in the mountains.
These hikes are widely advertised and promoted. In fact, this challenge was inspired by a book written by John P. Freeman, Views from on High: Fire Tower Trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills. Since the publication of this book, the fire tower climbs have seen more hikers than before. The challenge has encouraged people to venture up to see the views from these tall perches and to hopefully receive a patch commemorating their journey. To get a patch, you must complete 18 of the 23 Adirondack fire tower summits and also all 5 of the Catskill mountain summits. Many of the towers are unreachable in the winter due to inclement conditions. Just this past weekend, I led a trip to Blue Mountain, one of the summits on the challenge, and managed to reach the top with my group. My co-leader and I had to do extensive planning to make sure we brought the proper footwear to ascend a primarily ice covered pathway. Actually, the entire path way was covered in about a 3-inch-thick layer of ice the whole way up. Fortunately, with micro spikes, the summit with the view was attainable.
The book written by John P. Freeman not only highlights the hikes themselves in extensive detail but it also delves into the history behind fire towers in the park in general. Many fire towers were historically occupied for most hours of the day and the occupants only are interrupted from their peace by hikers summiting the peaks. Today, the fire towers are there just for visitors to climb recreationally. Some are frail, to say the least, and may not stand much longer. The views from the towers are incredible and provide a panoramic vantage of the surrounding mountains and lakes. It is no wonder that the fire tower hikes have seen as many people as they have, especially in the winter season.
I think this is a really good and cool idea. It is a fun and safe way to bring people to the Park, and is a challenge that will keep people eager to come back. This is very similar to the feeling that many people have to climb all 46 peaks. They don't feel satisfied unless they've climbed every last one, and that will happen with the 28 fire towers as well.
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