Balsam Lake Mountain

As I've written before, Frankie is absolutely obsessed with fire towers.  I wanted to check out one of the Catskill towers, and when we found out that one of the approaches for Balsam Lake Mountain is via the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), that rose to the top of the list.  We invited Erin and Alden to join us, and that pushed the excitement levels through the roof.  A fire tower cousin hike?  For my kid, that is about the pinnacle of awesomeness.  My excitement levels were also quite high, as I can't recollect EVER hiking in the Catskills before (plus the whole FLT thing). 

Azure Mountain

Ever since climbing Hadley a few weeks back, Frankie has been begging for another fire tower hike, asking to go even on days when common sense would indicate it was not very likely (e.g., on days I had to work).  Yesterday we went for a hike with Erin and Alden, taking them to Hemlock Glen and the USGS benchmark on Morgan Hill, a longer training hike for Alden in preparation for the High Peaks later this summer.  When we got home, Erwin had dinner waiting.  Immediately after eating, Frankie dashed out for some basketball with his neighborhood pals, but he didn't wait for me to call him in... he turned up at a reasonable time, saying he wanted to get to bed early so we could hike a fire tower today. Then he proceeded to set the alarm on his watch to make sure we were up in time for a long drive.

Hadley Mountain

Frankie has been begging to hike another fire tower, but I was unsure whether he would enjoy black fly season in the Adirondacks.  Things can get pretty dire up there and trip reports suggested thick swarms had been descending.  However, the weather seemed favorable.  We had a cold snap, and cold temperatures can set the bugs back markedly.  Knowing it would be even colder up there, I decided it was worth the trip up.  And the gamble paid off: we saw not one biting insect on the entire hike.

Hurricane Mountain

This was our third trip to the Adirondacks in the winter.  We've been hiking only small mountains so far, to test our gear, stamina, and enjoyment.  After successful winter hikes of Baxter, Big Crow, Mt. Jo, Cobble Hill, and Cathedral Rock, we decided we were ready for something a little bigger this time.  When we hiked Big Crow back in 2019, we talked to some other hikers who had summited both Big Crow and Hurricane that same day from Crow Clearing.  They told us that the approach to Hurricane is longer, of course, but that terrain-wise, it was easier than Big Crow -- not as steep.  So we felt confident that it would be within our abilities.  Plus, it was the last peak we needed to complete the Lake Placid 9er Challenge as a family.  Win-win!

Goodnow Mountain

Frankie and I had been thwarted on a previous attempt at Goodnow, when the trail and fire tower were both closed due to active maintenance - meteorological equipment was being replaced on the tower, and there were safety concerns about falling objects.  So today was a little bit of redemption, the views that much sweeter for having to wait.  We did this as a day trip, driving up to Newcomb, hiking, then driving back home.  That's a long day, with more time in the car than hiking, but it was totally worth it to scratch this lingering itch.  And the views here really are fantastic!

Kane Mountain Redux

I love traveling and I love days trips.  Hiking Bald Mountain a few weeks ago just ramped up my always latent desire to be in the mountains, to be adventuring.  I immediately began scheming about how we could get back up to the Adirondacks.  We have not tested Alden's range yet, and don't want to overdo it and burn him out on hiking mountains.  However, Frankie and I hiked Kane Mountain together back in 2015, and knew from experience that it is comparable to Bald Mountain in both distance and elevation gain.  If anything, it might be a little easier, because there is less scrambling and exposure.  Based on how easily Alden scampered up Bald, we knew he could handle Kane.  Now we just had to wait for good weather.  Ha!

Bald: the Perfect First Mountain

Bald Mountain, a.k.a., Rondaxe Mountain, is located a short distance outside the tourist mecca of Old Forge.  It is a short hike to the top, about 0.9 miles, and with an elevation gain around 500 feet, is quite easy.  This accessibility, coupled with the gorgeous views out over the Fulton Chain Lakes, plus the thrill of the fire tower, makes it a very popular hike.  Sometimes when things are popular for a good reason, it is worth it to deal with the crowds, and such is the case here.  Since it is a two hour drive for us to get to the trailhead, we don't hike it frequently, but it a fun treat every few years.  For example, I hiked it in 2010 with Erwin, when I was pregnant.  In 2014, when Frankie was three and a half years old, Erin and I took him up it for his first entirely self-propelled mountain hike (he had hiked up Owl's Head in Keene before that, but I carried him back down that one).  Then last summer, Frankie and I hiked it again on the same day as Rocky, in pursuit of the Fulton Chain Trifecta.

Mount Arab Fire Tower

Today was the last day of our end-of-summer Adirondack adventure, and would be mostly allocated toward getting home: school is starting back up this week.  We had breakfast, then packed up and loaded the car, departing Keene just before our 11 am check out time.  Frankie and I made plans to stop during the drive home for one last short hike: after being thwarted last month at Goodnow, we really wanted to climb a fire tower.  It has been way too long!  By taking a different, slightly longer route home, we would drive quite close to the trailhead for Mount Arab.  It was a perfect fit!  Erwin had driven up separately, and even though he had decided to drive home the same way on Route 3, he declined to join us for the hike.  I think after Catamount, he felt like he'd had enough mountains for a while. 

Poke-o-Moonshine via the Ranger Trail

We had been planning on climbing Giant today, if the weather was good, in hopes of avoiding the holiday weekend crowds.  However, the forecast was not great, with rain predicted, so didn't set alarms for this morning.  Giant is a big mountain with big views.  Frankie has been looking forward to climbing it for so long, we wanted him to get to enjoy it on a nice day.  The  forecast for tomorrow is clear, so deferring a day seemed like our best option.  It was also much later than planned when we arrived in Keene last night, and then we went out for dinner after we got settled in the vacation rental.  As a result, it was pretty late when we finally got Frankie to bed last night; another good reason to have a slow morning today to rest up for the big push tomorrow.

Stillwater Fire Tower

Frankie and I had so much fun with our day trip up to Black Bear Mountain last weekend that we decided to go on another adventure today.  We hadn't planned ahead for a big outing today, hadn't set the alarm or prepped snacks, and Frankie is slow on mornings when nothing is scheduled.  He was having one of his long leisurely breakfasts, engrossed in his Ranger Rick and Highlights magazines when I planted the idea, and he was into it -- and he didn't have to rush because I had to get ready.  Stillwater Mountain it is a short easy hike, making it manageable despite the long drive and our sluggish start, but it also has a fire tower to make it more exciting.  It is on private land with a fall hunting closure, and is located on a long dirt road that I'd be nervous about traversing in winter and spring.  These factors combined to make it the perfect choice for a last-minute summer hike. 

Bald Mountain (Rondaxe)

Frankie first climbed Bald Mountain back in 2014, when he was three.  It was his first fire tower hike, and the first mountain he climbed all the way both up and down on his own power.  When he decided he wanted to complete the Fulton Chain Trifecta, I made sure he understood we'd have to climb Bald Mountain again.  The rules are pretty unequivocal:  You can complete the challenge in one day or take up to a year to reach all three summits.  This didn't bother him at all.  I honestly don't think he remembers the specifics of his first hike there too well, but knowing he completed it when he was three made him confident that he could handle it with ease now.  And rightly so.

Cathedral Rock Fire Tower

I have been hiking in the Adirondacks my entire life, but almost always in the summer and fall, with some forays in late spring.  I hike and snowshoe locally in the winter, of course, in the flatlands, but seeing amazing pictures of the snowy splendor that is the mountains in winter... it makes me want to get up there and experience it for myself.  However, we don't really have the appropriate gear for those kind of conditions.  My biggest concern is for Frankie.  For the most part, he has very good quality gear.  I consider it a worthy investment for him to be comfortable outdoors, because then we can spend more time there.  However, I cannot find any traction devices small enough to fit him, and that has prevented us from attempting anything with any significant terrain during the winter. 

Belfry Mountain Fire Tower

Located in the Hammond Pond Wild Forest in the eastern Adirondacks, Belfry Mountain barely qualifies as a hike -- it is more like a very short walk.  In fact, that is how I explained it to Frankie: it would be like a walk around the block, only with a fire tower halfway.  And that about sums it up... The "trail" is actually a gravel access road that services a couple communication towers just below the fire tower.  After passing the second right hand turn, the road narrows to a two track with a strip of grass in the middle.  Stay left/straight for the fire tower (i.e., keep going "up").  Roundtrip, the hike is just 0.8 mile with 120 feet elevation gain.

Spruce Mountain Fire Tower

Last summer Frankie had a really bad allergic reaction to mosquito bites, so for the first time ever, I've been a bit conflicted about the change of seasons.  Spring has always been my favorite time of year, with the mild temperatures and awakening plant life.  Green!  Wildflowers!  Unfortunately, it also means the return of biting insects.  I have been watching trip reports carefully, hoping for a day of good weather to make a foray up to the Adirondacks in the narrow window between ice melt and bug emergence.  The High Peaks are still icy at high elevations, of course, but there are some fire towers in the southern Adirondacks that are clear now.  With gorgeous weather forecast for today, it seemed like my stars were lining up for a hike, and in a serendipitous case of timing, Jen was able to confirm the black flies aren't yet problematic at Spruce Mountain.  Hurray!

Blue Mountain Fire Tower

After Frankie had so much fun on our hike of Kane Mountain a few weeks ago, I started looking around to find another fire tower we could climb together.  Unfortunately, most of them are too far away to reasonably manage as a day trip, or they are beyond Frankie's current abilities, or in many cases, both.  Blue Mountain seemed like the next logical climb for us, but even that would be a stretch.  The hike is 4 miles roundtrip, with approximately 1,500 feet elevation gain.  Frankie has done that distance several times with little trouble, but has never taken on that much ascent.  He wasn't remotely tired after Kane, so I knew he could handle something more ambitious, but I was still a little unsure about Blue, especially factoring in the almost 3-hour drive just to get to the trailhead.  I had almost decided it would be better to wait until next year, but then we had amazing weather this weekend.  Plus, Frankie's school is closed Monday, so I knew he'd have an extra day to rest if we got home late.

Kane Mountain Fire Tower

I was still a little disappointed about not climbing any mountains at Labor Day weekend, so decided to try to squeeze something in this fall.  We can drive to the Adirondacks foothills in about two hours, so that is manageable for a day trip with the boy.  However, Frankie was not enthusiastic about the idea of a two hour drive (each way).  I'm not proud of it, but I found a solution: I let him play with "his phone" in the car, an old retired smart phone that no longer has service.  Erwin loaded it up with a bunch of games for Frankie to play with on long flights.  He has never before used it outside of an airport or airplane, and he was very excited for the additional opportunity.  I'd rather he look out the window as we drive and talk to me, but it worked: we arrived at the trailhead happy.  

Bald Mountain Fire Tower

Bald Mountain is under 2 miles roundtrip, with about 500 feet elevation gain, and was a natural choice for Frankie's next Adirondack hike.  I've been up Bald before, most recently in 2010 when pregnant, so knew the trail was something Frankie could handle.  The summit ridge has beautiful views out over the Fulton chain of lakes, and an open fire tower – always fun.  Plus, the Old Forge area is much closer than the High Peaks, just a 2-hour drive each way, so within reach for a day trip.  I had this notion we could squeeze in a hike before the bugs came out.  Unfortunately, that part of the mission was not entirely successful, as the black flies were out already.  However, despite the early fliers, we had a great day in the woods.