Closing the circle Martin Podskoch publishes the third and final volume in his mammoth study of fire tower history and the stories of those who manned them

By LEE MANCHESTER, News, December 23, 2005

Marty Podskoch got the fire- Franklin, Clinton and St. Lawrence vationists finally have access to the tower bug a long time ago. counties well into 2005, just months stories about our fire towers: Hiking up Hunter Mountain with before the final book’s publication Whiteface, , Belfry, a buddy late one autumn, Podskoch last month. Poke-O-Moonshine, Hurricane, visited the fire observer in his cabin With the November release of Vanderwhacker, Adams, Goodnow at the summit. Listening to the “Fire Towers of the Northern — and the two that no longer stand, observer’s stories about his life on Adirondacks,” Essex County fire Makomis and Pharaoh. top of the world, Podskoch got tower hikers, historians and preser- hooked. That was in the fall of 1988. Thirteen years later, in June 2000, the Delhi middle school teacher’s first book came out, “Fire Towers of the Catskills: Their History and Lore.” “I thought of writing another book on Adirondack fire towers,” Podskoch wrote in the preface he used for both of his studies of placed within the Blue Line. “It was daunting because of the immense area I would have to cover. ... “I wondered how I could research 57 towers (there were 23 in the Catskills). I talked with my pub- lisher, and we decided to do two volumes instead of one large book.” Podskoch spent many, many days driving around the Adirondacks, talking with histori- ans, fire tower preservationists, community leaders, and former fire observers and their descendants. He listened, he lectured, and he learned. Podskoch’s first volume on Adirondack fire towers, covering the southern portion of the park, came out in June 2003. He continued traveling and researching the fire towers in Essex, Features to the trust Podskoch has earned Wilmington, for instance, Marty Podskoch’s new book has from those who care about fire tow- Councilman Fran Lawrence’s father many features to recommend it. ers. worked for several years in the • “Adirondack Fire Towers: The • The book gives equal time to Forties as an observer on the Northern Districts” contains a ALL the fire towers that once stood Whiteface tower. Councilman Russ wealth of historic photographs, over the northern Adirondacks, Mulvey’s grandfather also worked some unavailable anywhere else. including those no longer surviving. on the tower one summer in the Many were loaned to him by local For the first time, readers can get Sixties. Podskoch’s book has many historians, former fire observers the whole story of what really hap- other stories about the many men and family members — a testament pened to the fire tower on Pharaoh who kept watch from the Whiteface Mountain, in Schroon township, in Mountain top, and many other 1990 and 1991. Podskoch also tells mountaintops throughout the the tales of the lesser known towers, region. like the one that used to guard the • You’ll find a number of sur- Underwood Club in North Hudson. prising stories about fire observers • Locals may be surprised to find in “Adirondack Fire Towers.” For out about how many of their neigh- instance, you may not have guessed bors were associated with the fire that many families went to live in towers in their townships. In the remote fire observers’ cabins with their husbands and fathers, unwilling to bear the long separa- tions — but Podskoch has compiled

Three Essex County fire towers: left, ; center, Vanderwhacker Mountain; right, Mount Belfry the stories of several fire tower fam- basic driving directions to trail stories of that tower resonate within ilies. Other surprising tales involve heads for all the fire tower moun- you. You’ll have a richer experience lightning strikes (a too common tains, and very rudimentary trail for it, and a greater appreciation of occurrence), snakes sunning them- descriptions. Most readers, howev- what the towers meant — and still selves on the trails to and from er, will probably feel better pre- mean — to the Adirondack commu- some fire towers, and a visit one pared for their hikes after also read- nities they once protected. night by Bigfoot. ing the more detailed trail descrip- tions contained in the ADK fire More reading on fire towers Thoughts for hikers tower book, “Views from on High,” Next spring, the Lake Placid Hikers preparing for an outing or one of the ADK trail guides. News will be publishing a special will want to keep a couple of facts section of stories on all the surviv- about Podskoch’s books in mind. Overall recommendation ing fire towers of Essex County. In First, remember that Marty has The final installment in Martin the meantime, there’s plenty of covered ALL the region’s fire tower Podskoch’s three-volume fire tower additional material to read by the mountains, not just those where series makes an important contribu- fireplace this winter in preparation towers currently stand. Those tion to the regional literature on fire for the 2006 fire-tower hiking sea- mountains now without fire towers, towers. Its collection of the histories son: such as Pharaoh, may be less inter- of individual towers is probably the • “Fire Towers of the Catskills: esting hikes because of that. Before best in print so far. The hundreds of Their History and Lore,” by Martin you set out for a former fire tower oral histories collected from fire Podskoch (Fleischmanns: Purple summit, take a look at the observers at every tower are of Mountain Press), paperback, 120 Adirondack Mountain Club trail immense value. pages, published June 2000, SRP guide for that area. This is probably not a book you $20. The first in Podskoch’s mam- Second, Podskoch’s books give will want to sit down and read moth three-volume series on the straight through. However, if history of New York fire towers and you’ve ever wondered about the the observers who manned them. history of a tower that used to stand • “Views from on High: Fire nearby, or if you’re planning a hike Tower Trails in the Adirondacks up one soon, take in what Marty and Catskills,” by John P. Freeman Podskoch has collected here. When (Lake George: Adirondack you stand on that summit, or when Mountain Club), paperback, 155 you see it from your home, let the pp., published April 2001, SRP

Three Essex County fire towers: left, ; center, Mount Goodnow; right, Palmer Hill $12.95. Despite the fact that this is an engaging memoir of the sum- descriptions for every fire tower still book was published nearly a year mer the author spent as a young standing in New York state. after Podskoch’s first volume, it was woman during World War II as a fire • “The Future of Adirondack Fire “Views from on High” that seems to observer on a remote Adirondack Towers,” by Peter Bauer, Sarah have really started the fire tower fire tower. Collins and Todd Thomas (North stampede. Jack Freeman’s book not • “Adirondack Fire Towers, Their Creek: Residents’ Committee to only provides ADK-quality trail History and Lore: The Southern Protect the Adirondacks), spiral- descriptions and maps for 28 fire Districts,” by Martin Podskoch bound paperback, 68 pp., published towers, it includes information about (Fleischmanns: Purple Mountain December 2004. This report from the ADK Fire Tower Challenge — Press), paperback, 256 pp., pub- one of the “Green Giants” of the kind of like a “49ers” distinction, but lished June 2003, SRP $20. The sec- Adirondack environmental move- just for fire tower enthusiasts. The ond book in Podskoch’s three-vol- ment charts a middle course between book also contains Wes Haynes’ his- ume fire tower series. the hard-core wilderness advocates torical essay on Empire State fire • “The Fire Observation Towers and the land-rights nativists. It towers, “A Room With a View,” of New York State: Survivors that describes 31 fire towers, including probably the best thumbnail history Still Stand Guard,” by Paul Laskey summit and trail conditions, notes of fire towers in print today. (Ballston Spa: MKL Publishing), on the views available from each • “Nehasane Fire Observer: An paperback, 130 pp., published summit and tower, environmental Adirondack Woman’s Summer of December 2003, SRP $19.95. This management issues, and recommen- ‘42,” by Frances Boone Seaman book’s key advantage is that, in one dations for the future of each tower. (Utica: Nicholas K. Burns), paper- volume, it provides current photos, Available free as a PDF download back, 128 pp., published August basic historical data, location infor- from the publisher’s Web site, 2002, SRP $13.95. This short book mation and rudimentary trail www.rcpa.org.

Two Essex County fire towers: left, Poke-O-Moonshine; right, tower from Whiteface Mountain, now a museum display