Back in the spring of 2022, I was perusing the website of the local newspaper when I came across an article that interested me, about the Catskills Fire Tower Challenge. As you can read in the link, there are five mountains in the Catskill Park which still have fire towers on them. Back in the day, the towers would be used by forest rangers to search for forest fires. Quite a few mountain peaks had towers on them, although over the course of the decades more modern means of fire detection came about and most of the towers were removed, with the last active use being around 1990.
The Fire Tower Challenge consists of climbing up all five mountains to the towers, all of which have well-maintained trails up to the peaks. There is also a sixth fire tower at the Catskills Visitor Center (named after a redacted politician whose daughter has also gone into parasitical politics). When I read the article, I decided that I was finally going to climb some other mountains. One of the mountains is extremely accessible, with my having climbed it ages ago on an elementary school field trip, that’s how easy it is; more on that in a later article in the series. Unfortunately, thanks to President Let’s Go Brandon’s policies driving up the price of gasoline, and then my father’s falling and breaking his hip, I had to put off the Challenge for 2022. Eventually, I did it in both 2023 and 2024.
A note about the series: All of the mountains have multiple trailheads, and in some cases, I’ve climbed the mountains from more than one of the trailheads. As a result, some of the posts in the series will present composite through-hikes that I haven’t done as one go, but are put together from various climbs up the mountains. I’ll also be ordering the articles from “worst” to “best” fire towers, which I’m ranking in the sense of what I feel is the best ratio of work to get up to the top of the mountain versus the reward from when you actually get to the top of the mountain.
All of the hikes up the mountain and back down can be done in about half a day, not counting travel time to and from the trailheads. You won’t need to go all out on gear, although hiking shoes are a must. I like to wear wool socks in case there’s standing water anywhere on the trails. I’ve seen other people wear thinner and shorter trail socks, and people swear by them, but that’s a matter of personal taste. I use the same old L.L. Bean bookbag that I got when I went off to college ages ago, although I’m thinking of upgrading that. Two quarts of water has always been more than enough for me, with extra left in the car to dump over my head to cool down. I don’t do the gel-type nutrient stuff or sports drinks, usually bringing along a yogurt cup and a sandwich. Oh, and one of those reusable freezer packs.
If you’re not certain whether you’re up to climbing mountains, the first place to start will be the fire tower at the Visitor Center, as this one is on flat land about a quarter mile from the parking lot. It was originally in Florida, disassembled, brought north, and re-installed several years back. This is located just off NYS Rt. 28, the main east-west artery through the Ulster County section of the Catskills. The turnoff is about a mile and a half west of Onteora High School, and three-quarters of a mile east of Rt. 212, if for some reason you’re coming from the west.
Unfortunately, I left my bag in the car when I climbed the Visitor Center tower, which mean I didn’t have my notepad to write down which direction each photo is in. One of the photos is obvious, however, thanks to the cemetery which is just past the visitor center if you’re going west. That should make the mountain Tremper Mountain, which is one of the fire towers, although I don’t see the tower in the photo. I also stopped to take the obligatory selfies, although I look horrible in them because I’ve only bothered to visit this tower on the way back from climbing one or another mountain. This isn’t a destination.
Meanwhile, back at the base of the tower, there’s the obligatory information placards, including one showing a map of where the towers are. And you can see a reflection of me taking the photo, so there’s your selfie!
If you’re still not certain you’re ready to climb an entire mountain, or if it were still winter and you’re worried about snow or ice on the higher elevations (and that’s definitely a concern), you’re still in luck. The visitor center tower isn’t the only fire tower in the area brought north. After finishing the Fire Tower Challenge, I discovered there’s a tower across the river in a small park called the Ferncliff Forest. This one is about an hour’s walk, which included the time I spent at the top of the tower. There’s a very good map at the entrance of all the trails, color-coded, the trails are well-marked, and on the way in you’ll come across a nice pond with a pavilion and benches if you want to sit down. One of the days I was there, there happened to be some ducks in the pond:
The top of the fire tower offers some lovely views, especially toward the west as you look to the Rhinecliff Bridge and west into the Catskills, including a view of Overlook Mountain, which is another of the mountains we’ll be climbing later in the series.
Directions to Ferncliff Forest: I live over in Ulster County, so you’re only getting directions from the west. Get on US-209, which changes its name to NYS-199 before it crosses over the Hudson. About a mile after the bridge, you’ll come to a stoplight, at River Road. Turn right (south) on River Road, and drive about a mile and a half until you come to Mount Rutsen Road. This one is well marked, as there’s a sign signifying it’s a Y-turn to the left. About a mile onto Mount Rutsen Road is the right-turn to the parking lot for Ferncliff Forest. It’s really that easy.
I like the pictures.
It is beautiful up here.
Yeah, I know the Adirondack ars
Are higher than the Catskill and probably offer better views.
These views look remarkably similar to ADK ones. Same with the ponds.
I do understand why people live up there, even if I don’t agree with it. Pretty country.
I grew up in Upstate NY but left many years ago and have only been back briefly, once. It was somewhat boring for a restless teenager who wanted to go to punk rock shows and such. We made the best of it. I spent a lot of time roaming the woods, and it is quite beautiful. The Adirondacks are outstanding and the Catskills quite nice. Now I’m an impatient city person.
Growing up on the California coast was the same; we wanted all the things that are in the cities, such as bars, punk gigs, whatever.
And, having lived in a few cities, I ended up missing the small town vibe, and now live in one. Sadly, my little town has been swallowed by the LA borg.
Unlike Jaime, you wouldn’t want to see me in Lycra.
No MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra) looks good
Truth.
Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.
There’s a reason I don’t do mountain biking, and it’s not the spandex.
How about shirtless?
https://nypost.com/2025/04/15/us-news/fbi-collars-suspect-in-tesla-gop-office-firebombings-in-dramatic-new-mexico-raid/
You can’t get much more of a NYP headline.
How much do you want to pay for the OnlyFans?
I see xey’re going for the “sultry glance”
https://500queerscientists.com/jamison-wagner/
Well, I guess they moved on from being 500 Homo DJ’s.
When I fly from NJ to Ticonderoga NY on Lake George we go right over the Catskills.. often at 4500′ which is not much above the terrain. I should look for the towers.
The highest of the Catskill, Slide Mtn., tops out at about 4200′. It used to have a fire tower, too, and you can see one of the concrete bases for the tower still at the top of the mountain. Slide may get a post of its own after the fire tower series.
Sorta looks like the northern part of the Mitten,
You live in Ulster? It must be the Alternative Ulster I hear about.
Dangnabit! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DF9gGMmtFE
Thanks Ted. It’s nice to see something that’s not all concrete.
OT – some lunchtime NJ rage on an abuse of eminent domain.
https://www.nj.com/middlesex/2025/04/nj-families-desperately-fighting-town-to-save-business-home-theyre-our-american-dream.html
I wonder if the Institute for Justice has been looped in.
That appears to be some bullshit.
They do appear to have representation.
I like how the consultant hired by the Perth Amboy simply tracked any crime in front of the property regardless if it involved the property. Their attorney rebutted that by pulling the statistics of how much crime happened at the 7-11 down the road.
“Forever wild” (the constitutional state of the state-owned forests in both the Catskill and Adirondack parks) is both a blessing and a curse. But not as big an issue as NYC owning a bunch of watershed land. They’ve historically been terrible neighbors.
Everything is for sale, it is just a matter of price. If the family doesnt want to sell it is because they are being low-balled, which is no doubt the point of eminent domain. Speaking of getting rid of evil shit (looking at you IRS) Eminent Domain should go.
Thanks for the directions, but I ain’t going to NYS. That’s enemy territory.
I hear there’s a good coffee shop way tf out in the boonies here.
There is! Even the short-haired facial-pierced co-eds are remarkably friendly!
I realize I didn’t actually have coffee when I was there.
Well, you could come to the other side, and do the Ohio to Erie trail. The furthest south I’ve taken it is down to Akron, I’d like to plan a full trip down to Cinci (or from Cinci back up) and have met several people doing the trail both out and downtown (there’s a tradition of the back wheel of your bike touching either the Ohio River or Lake Erie at the start, and the front wheel touching the other at the end).
Sean – OT – In case you thought Dodge couldn’t make the new Charger Daytona experience any worse.
Dodge’s New Charger Daytona Website Looks Like a Promo CD-ROM From 1999
https://www.thedrive.com/news/dodges-new-charger-daytona-website-looks-like-a-promo-cd-rom-from-1999
Warning – the article is fine, but the actual Dodge site has autoplay. It’s awful.
That’s epically bad.
Ooof.
In any case, this was cool, Teds. Really nice seeing other parts of the country, and how beautiful they are. Thanks!
When I was a boy scout, we built a 60′ tower one weekend, mostly using eucalyptus, as that was common where we were. It was fun, and where I found out I am scared of heights.
I have fond memories of going camping with my Boy Scout troop as a kid. I recall one time we discovered an underground forest fire by accident. Quite a bit of excitement around that.
Coal seam fire?
Also, building a 60′ tower seems like quite a feat.
B.P.:
So, group of us were sitting out talking, and notice what looks like an orange glow on the top of one of the nearby hills. There’s no other troops scheduled to be camping there at this time, so we figured it was some local kids having a party. Us being dump kids, thought we should go check it out and see if we could join. Instead we found smoldering coals on the ground, which was strange. We went and got the “Indian fire trucks”, which were hand pumped backpack sized water tanks, and tried to put out what we saw. The adults had put out a call to the fire department, who found that it was much worse than we had originally thought. From what we were told, an underground root system from a dead tree had caught, and was smoldering under the dirt. We were told when they dug out some of the areas, when the roots got exposed to air, they had some flames shoot up about six feet in the air. I want to say it was late fall, so cool and damp, which helped.
Wow.
I remember those water tanks from my summer camp. Campers would dump freshwater clams in them, let them sit overnight, and then stage fights with the smelly water.
Neph – OT – somebody is going to try to make an IPA out of these.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c3wxx46pn51o
That is scary, Neph. Good on you guys for going at it!
I remember those Indian fire trucks from scout camp up in the Sierra’s. Heavy beasts.
B.P./ZWAK:
Ignorance kept us all from being scared. We were confused, laughing and joking about it. We had no concept of an underground fire. We thought it was remnants from a campfire that got away from someone, or a lightning strike (which I think was the final guessed cause).
Sensei:
Been done before. Odds are, if it is non-toxic (and not always that) and can fit into a fermenter or a brew kettle, it’s been used in a beer.
I still have fond memories of the huge Boy Scount camp we went to in RI.
Glad to see it still going.
You should see what the merit badge requirements used to be (before my time). Even the era right before mine had some fairly hardcore — I believe the Pioneering merit badge had a 50′ tower that supported the weight of 4 people. The Engineering one had you build a bridge of a minimum span that stood up for… I want to say at least six months, but it might have been longer. Waaay beyond the scope of the typical “knock out a badge in a week” timescale that I lived in.
I just checked, my summer camp is still going strong too: https://kevinthescout.wordpress.com/2018/07/22/camp-oljato-a-magnificent-high-sierra-scouting-adventure/
learned to sail, went canoe camping, shooting, all kinds of things. It was pretty cool.
Ah, sweet – they still have the old-school camp maps.
The camp this took place at (Camp Stigwandish) closed a while back. Lakes were there for rowing, swimming, and canoeing (there was river access for the older scouts), When there were multiple troops camped there, pick up games were common, as well as marathon late night capture the flag games.
Sooo, build two towers 50′ tall and connect them with a bridge that stood for a year and you’re golden?
And when that wooden bridge is just too short, you can say:
Log… damn! Bridge is falling down!
@Zwak, Camp Oljato looks pretty nice. Huntington Lake is a nice reprieve from the valley heat and good winds for sailing. My troop started a backpack trip near there at Lake Edison and ended at the Devil’s Postpile. Beautiful country.
My scout camp was Wolfboro off Highway 4. https://wolfeboro.goldengatescouting.org/
Wolfboro! I went to Camp Silverado at Silver Lake.
I’m a bit less uncomfortable with heights having climbed all the towers. Which, I suppose, is one of the benefits of having done the challenge.
I was a lot more afraid of heights before I spent several autumns bowhunting out of tree stands (typically 12 – 15 feet tall). I’m still not comfortable at the edge of cliffs, high overlooks, that kind of thing. Mrs. Dean took a picture* of Horseshoe Bend:
https://lewiscarlyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Horseshoe-Bend-Mega-Sunset-1200.jpg
And on one side you can see my hands whiteknuckling the railing at the viewing area. She found it quite amusing.
*linked picture is not hers
I’m confused about why they needed these towers. I was told that forest fires are a new phenomenon brought on by Climate Change.
They lied. They used the towers to look for attractive women.
In case you need more evidence Team Red doesn’t care about saving money.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-041025a-space-shuttle-discovery-move-smithsonian-houston-legislation.html
TLDR – Discovery needs to be moved from the Smithsonian to TX and NASA has no way to do it. All that equipment is either no longer flightworthy or scrapped.
Send them a model from the gift shop.
They could use “forced perspective” like they do for buildings at Disney parks.
Based on their original plans to just park it in a hanger, why not build a replica?
While I was disappointed Houston didn’t get a shuttle, moving it now just seems dumb, a waste of money, and likely dangerous. And the Smithsonian does seems like a good place to keep one.
“Two quarts of water has always been more than enough for me… I don’t do the gel-type nutrient stuff or sports drinks…”
For a couple hours or if you have a backpack to hold real food, that’s the way to go. I’m limited on what I can carry on my longer bike rides, so I make my own drink mix of maltodextrin, brown sugar, and an electrolyte recipe from LMNT that someone here linked to long ago. I’ll also start with a banana in my pocket, but those get mushy over time, kind of a metaphor for aging. I try to avoid gels, but if I need some quick calories, they come in handy.
I’ll also start with a banana in my pocket
So you’re not happy to see me?
He is, however, not gonna fall for a banana in the tailpipe.
Since I have been in Colorado, I have only summited one of the 14ers.
And that one I took the cog railway to the top (Pike’s Peak).
Some locals say that doesn’t count. But I am pro technology. If I stood on top, I stood on top.
Nice scenery. In Camp Pendleton, we used to run the fire breaks on top of the hills, looks kind of similar.
KKKorporate KKKoffee
Starting May 12, employees will be required to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms. Shirts can be short- or long-sleeved and collared or collarless, the company said in a memo released Monday. Starbucks will give each employee two free T-shirts.
Starbucks said the new dress code will make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers. It comes as the company is trying to reestablish a warmer, more welcoming experience in its store.
“By updating our dress code, we can deliver a more consistent coffeehouse experience that will also bring simpler and clearer guidance to our partners, which means they can focus on what matters most, crafting great beverages and fostering connections with customers,” the company said in a post on its website.
But some workers protested the move. Starbucks Workers United, a labor group that has unionized workers at more than 550 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said it told the company last week that it has already negotiated a tentative dress code agreement during bargaining sessions with the company. The union said it opposes any changes to the dress code until bargaining concludes and a labor agreement is reached.
Will neck tattoos be mandatory?
Are bums still shooting up and shitting on the floor of the bathrooms? Now see, if I was in PR I would vote to address that small issue before a dress code, but maybe that’s just me.
1. Yes, bums still show up and crap up the place.
2. If the looney employees had any common sense, the dress code would not be necessary.
You are required to have 37 pieces of resistance.
Minimum…
Jasmine Leli, a Starbucks barista and union bargaining delegate, said the company should be focusing on things that improve store operations, like appropriately staffing stores and giving workers a guaranteed number of hours.
“Instead of addressing the most pressing issues baristas have been raising for years, Starbucks is prioritizing a limiting dress code that won’t improve the company’s operation,” Leli said in a statement provided by the union. “They’re forcing baristas to pay for new clothes when we’re struggling as it is on Starbucks wages and without guaranteed hours.”
Nobody cares about the “customer experience”. We have to make things better for the baristas. Businesses only exist to hand out paychecks.
I’ll defend the employees, but only slightly. If an employer wants hourly employees to where a “uniform” they should provide it.
Now we can have a debate about if this is a uniform. However, as it stands now I couldn’t satisfy the requirements as I own no plain black shirts.
That’s probably why Starbucks thinks it can get away with giving the employees two black T-shirts. Good luck making two T shirts work between laundry days.
wear…
https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Essentials-6-Pack-Crewneck-Undershirts/dp/B071GDV2B2/
Not exactly a huge imposition.
This. Demand a dress code? Pay for it and I will happily wear it.
This isn’t the usual ‘we demand a union, 50 bucks an hour and 8 weeks paid vacation or we are going on strike!’ commie bullshit.
Give them $20 quarterly to buy basic black T shirts. At best. That is the most basic dress code imaginable.
RJ – that would seem perfectly reasonable to me. Plus if you don’t want a T- Shirt you can put it toward a long sleeve collared shirt if you wanted.
(OT – take a look at my Dodge conversation with Sean above. Yuck!)
A previous employer gave each employee a shirt every year. A coworker told the owner that after working for five years he had enough shirts to get through the week but needed pants.
That Dodge website – They were just knifed in the back by Euroweenies who wanted the company to die and be a trophy on the wall for the green crowd. Dodge may go under, or it could take a decade to recover. Either way I hate it. That website isn’t even up to standard. I am on the old GETAC S400 Linux box so I can’t really load the site now. I will look at it in detail tonight.
Most if not all workplaces have dress codes. I never worked in one that didn’t, never got any kind of clothing or allowance, and it never crossed my mind, or anyone else’s.
An actual uniform, yeah, the employer should probably supply.
This strikes me as in between – a quasi-uniform/narrow dress code. I can’t get too worked up either way.
I’d love to see the average rates of call outs amongst these cash strapped paupers.
The best Bee headline ever? I’ll leave it up to the viewer to decide.
Space Returns Unwanted Amazon Delivery
https://babylonbee.com/news/space-returns-unwanted-amazon-delivery
Contender: https://babylonbee.com/news/worship-team-replaced-by-animatronic-band-from-chuck-e-cheese
And this: https://babylonbee.com/news/man-sadly-informs-son-after-watching-return-of-the-jedi-that-they-never-made-any-more-star-wars-movies
“Sorry, I don’t have any good pictures from the Ferncliff Forest fire tower from when everything is green.”
No troubles, Bubbles. That’s … strikingly pretty. Fields, the river’s course and a beautiful horizon. Well-shot.