Can VFTT save a Firetower ?

[Tom Rankin]

On Monday October 22, The view to the east is extends to Stissing Mountain, the site of another fire tower:

I must have missed this, can you actually see the fire tower on Stissing? It is not visible in your picture.

What other towers did you see? We found Overlook and Mohonk, and we were hoping to find Beacon, but we did not have optical aid. We wondered about BLM too. Next time, I will bring a telescope!

 

[Mark Schaefer]

On Monday October 22, The view to the east is extends to Stissing Mountain, the site of another fire tower:

I must have missed this, can you actually see the fire tower on Stissing? It is not visible in your picture.

What other towers did you see? We found Overlook and Mohonk, and we were hoping to find Beacon, but we did not have optical aid. We wondered about BLM too. Next time, I will bring a telescope!

I actually just meant that Stissing Mountain was visible. I cannot see the Stissing Mountain tower in the photo either. Not even while displaying the full jpg on my computer (which I had to reduce by about 4x to upload to Webshots). I do not believe I could see the Stissing tower with my naked eyes from the Ferncliff tower.

The photo was made with a 75-300 zoom lens, but it was only at the 85mm setting according to the EXIF data. With the 1.6 crop factor of my Canon-XTi camera that is an effective 136mm lens. Perhaps that is not powerful enough to see the Stissing fire tower on the somewhat hazy horizon. I believe the tower should be visible with strong binoculars or a more telephoto lens setting. I checked my outtakes, and I did not take any longer telephoto photos.

I know the Stissing tower is visible from the WNW on NY-199 as one is driving towards Pine Plains. And if you turn onto Stissing Mountain Road which parallels NY-199 and eventually rejoins NY-199, there are some excellent views of the tower. The view from Ferncliff would be from WSW. But there is nothing in the line of sight that would block the view of one tower from the other tower. I will need to try some longer telephoto shots the next time I am up either tower.

As I recall I could also see the Overlook and Mohonk towers from Ferncliff. I do not recall that I saw any other fire towers.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Local Fire Tower restoration news:

http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/503598/hikers-and-history-fo/

 

[IndianChris]

I know it might seem like I've forgotten about this, but I haven't.

Here is one suggestion. I've been made aware of a tower called Rock Rift, a few miles west of the Catskill Preserve, in Delaware County. Currently, no one is working on it.

Here is a link: http://www.telenet.net/~ranger/towers4.htm#rock

I realize it's far away from a lot of people, and not on a high mountain, but it does need some attention, or it will be lost.

If you go to the above site, most of the firetowers in NY are listed, whether past or present. Any suggestions are still welcome.

Delaware County? This would give me more reason to get to Harpersfield. Time permitting...I'd like to be involved.

 

[funkyfreddy]

Has anyone been up the fire tower on Ninham Mt. recently?

I can't wait to climb the tower on Beacon.... it's been a long time since I was down that way..... I miss the Hudson Valley and the Catskills.

 

[RoySwkr]

Here is one suggestion. I've been made aware of a tower called Rock Rift, a few miles west of the Catskill Preserve, in Delaware County. Currently, no one is working on it.

Here is a link: http://www.telenet.net/~ranger/towers4.htm#rock

If you go to the above site, most of the firetowers in NY are listed, whether past or present. Any suggestions are still welcome.

I know some people interested in Rock Rift, but there are access issues

And the website above seems to be defunct

 

[Tom Rankin]

I know some people interested in Rock Rift, but there are access issues

And the website above seems to be defunct

Could you send me a PM?