Per the Catskills website, “Capping out at 4,040 feet, the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower is one of the Catskills’ most challenging treks and the most difficult of the five fire tower hikes.”
Fortunately there’s also the option of closing your eyes for an 11 minute Skylift ride ($15 for a round trip as of Oct 2021) and a 5 mile total out and back to the tower. All pictures from the skylift were taken with my eyes closed since I am not a fan of heights.
Once at the top there are sweeping vista views that with a picnic lunch on a fall day may be close to perfection.
Of course the goal I was seeking to achieve was the hike to Hunter Fire tower about 2.4 miles away. So off I went. A deer fell into my path and we stared into each other’s eyes, or in his case my camera’s lens.
The hike up was a bit steep but was always on a path. Quite muddy at times and took some navigation around some rocks and a bit of endurance. What a sense of accomplishment to reach the top and look over the treetops.
Pivot and Pause in New England 