Firetower #7 - Vanderwhacker
I did this hike with my usual hiking group. I wasn’t feeling 100% that day since I had recently started using an antibiotic for a bug bite that had looked suspicious. (Nothing to worry about fortunately. It all turned out okay.) I felt kind of worn out, so this hike was more difficult for me than I had expected it to be, and it felt incredibly long. I was not the only one in my group who felt this way. In fact, I think we all did. However, we survived.
The path was relatively level for quite a distance. It didn’t start to go up until we reached the shack, which was probably in use back when the Firetower served as a Firetower.
I don’t think anyone actually uses this, so I was surprised to see how much stuff was still in there. The porch was really falling apart, and it was filled with cobwebs. Also, the fridge was locked, which isn’t suspicious at all.
From this point, things began to get steeper, and I found myself pausing more frequently than normal. It was a well-shaded path, which was pleasant. As we approached the top, I recall there being patches where the ground remained level for enough distance to kind of reset and prepare for the next ascent.
The guidebook I use promised a solid view, even from the base of the Firetower, but that book was written about fifteen years ago, which is enough time for trees to grow in and partially block that view.
This is the view from up in the Firetower. I love being up in a Firetower. You feel so incredibly high up, with everything laid out before you.
It’s just so impressive and gorgeous. Those colors are unfiltered, and they’re just so stunning.
This is the view looking down. I can’t quite tell who is down there, but we were held hostage up in the tower for a bit because Jason had to change his clothes, and he was down below. Jason is a mountain diva.
This is the view from down below:
It was hard to get an image of the tower because you can only stand really close to it to see it, otherwise it’s mostly hidden by the tree line.
But there it is. It wasn’t even one of the tall Firetowers, but it still gave us a wonderful view.