Today, I did Overlook Fire Tower making it the first of the Fire Tower Challenge.  The entire hike is a forest road, so dirt and gravel.  The 2.3 miles up is really not that difficult, but being the start of the season for me, I did take my time, still averaging closer to 2 mph on the way up than I expected.  The leaves were not out yet, so the views through the trees into the heart of the Catskills and the peaks I will be hiking at some point, likely this summer.  I got to the top about 3 and climbed the fire tower.  The gate was open so you could climb, but the platform was locked up.  A little disappointing, but the views were still spectacular.  A quick walk over to the overlook, and herd path to walk more through the woods than on a road, and before I knew it I was down to the parking area.  Overall, 4.89 miles, 1450 feet of elevation gain, 2 hours and 12 min for the hike.

On my way down, I ran into 2 guys with full packs most of the way up.  I asked if they knew about the Nor' Easter that was heading in tonight.  They did.  I then asked if they were prepared for snow since last night it was predicted for 11 inches on the mountain and this morning it was predicted for 8 inches.  When I mentioned those numbers, they looked a little more concerned.  But there is a lean-to where they were heading, and they looked to have enough gear.  Hopefully they make smart decisions and don't have to deal with bad post-holing on the way out as they didn't have snowshoes.

One down, 5 more to go in the Catskills, 18+ more to go in the 'Daks.