Bald
(Rondaxe) Mountain Notes from 2020-2021
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Bald Mountain Fire Tower Following the CDC guidelines for “social distancing” in May of 2020 to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) closed the fire towers in the State. This however did not mandate the closure of the trails and Bald Mt. has seen an extraordinary number of hikers during the past two years. Tens of thousands of visitors have flocked to our little Adirondack Mountain towns – understandably to escape the crowded urban & suburban areas where the Covid cases were surging. Some folks moved into their vacation homes to work remotely & enrolled their kids in local schools. Campgrounds sites were in high demand – with reservations required for the most part to limit over-crowding. Store shelves soon were emptied of essential supplies. And yes, the virus came here too. Still – the trails did offer a sense of freedom where individuals & families could get some exercise and breath unfiltered air in our beautiful Adirondack Park. As you might expect, the Friends of Bald Mt. (FoBM) put our workdays on hold, especially caring for the inside of our historic fire tower. DEC could not and did not monitor access to the fire towers. Although we installed a door at the entrance to the cab as a safety precaution for our tower, we did not lock anyone out. Because of a few “bad apples” out there – we no longer had a door to lock! Along with our historic centennial plaque installed in 2017, the door was ripped off and likely thrown over the cliffs. Heartbreaking! On the bright side – and I truly mean this, Bald Mt. visitors have been extremely gracious & reverently respectful of this beautiful landmark. Several of our volunteers have routinely hauled out trash, but surprisingly – not more than normal in these abnormal times. THANK YOU. And special thanks to our trash pickup team, Carol P., Paul S. & Linda G. Our plans to replace the map table is on hold, as is removal of the graffiti in the cab. Please note, we do hope to get this work done in 2022. The Parking situation is always on our minds. We've advocated for the past several years with DEC and Town officials to expand the Rondaxe Rd. parking area. DEC has installed porta-potties in the parking area the past several years. PLEASE park in the designated lot as local police are monitoring the road, especially in peak season, and writing tickets. It is essential to keep the road open to our fire department and EMS ambulance can respond to emergencies on the trail and to all the homes & camps on the Rondaxe Rd. area. We did participate in the “Light Up the Tower” events in 2020 & 2021 thanks to our FoBM volunteer, Ron Walker assisted by Linda Grace. An awesome event has taken place the last two Septembers, thanks to the efforts of FoBM member Carol Perkins and OFFD volunteers, especially Gary Kenny, owner of Dough A Deer Bakery in Old Forge. As a tribute to the First Responders who lost their lives on 911, members of the OFFD & OFVAC and surrounding fire departments hiked to the summit, some in full turnout gear, for a memorial service. A huge American Flag is carried up and hung from the tower. Hiking to the summit of Bald Mt. is our way of acknowledging the self-less sacrifice they made to save the lives of the victims in the twin towers of NYC on that tragic day. We have not and will never forget you.
If you are visiting this website,
you are probably a seasoned friend of or future visitor to the Bald Mt.
Fire Tower. Reminder: PATCHES SOLD OUT Thanks for
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