In my quest to do all the fire towers, and my desire to get used to my heavier winter pack, I did 2 fire towers.  First up was Goodnow.  This is maintained by SUNY ESF and last winter they did some logging to study different methods of reforesting.  That was clear on the way in as you walk through the experiment.  But overall, the trail was a lovely trail, gentle, and the views from the top were just wonderful.  I didn't get on top in time to see the sunrise, but I did see it on the surrounding hills.  This is for sure a repeat hike for me in the future.  I also had a first sighting for me on this trail.  On my way out I saw this beautiful canine heading up the trail towards me.  Had to be 70-80 pounds in size, bushy tail, grey and brown in color.  It saw me and then ran off the trail.  I shortly realized there was no human following the pup, and started looking around to see if there were any others... Yep, it was a coyote, and thankfully not a pack.... or at least not a pack I saw.

The second hike of the day was Blue Mountain.  This was a PITA to start because of the direction I was coming from... I had to cross 2 lanes of traffic with limited sight lines.... and again when leaving.  I think in the summer months, I'd go and turn around instead of turning in/out like I did.  The hike was also classic shoulder season.  The bottom half was all dirt and mud.  The second half was bare rocks and glare ice that wasn't thick enough for spikes, but still slippery.  There is also a lot of slabby rock to go up which I should have expected.  Overall though, beautiful hike, and the views from the top were lovely.