beebe hill

A Night Up at Beebe Hill

I spent a night up at Beebe Hill, at the Chance of Thunder Lean-To about two weeks ago. It was a very humid night, and it clouded up much too early, however, it still was enjoyable experience.

Chance of Thunder Lean To

My camera’s batteries where weak, as this was a last minute decision to spend the night up there, so some of these photos are from a previous spring pictures.

As you can see, it was very hazy at night.

Canaan and Red Rock

The sun sets into the haze.

Setting Sun

By night time the wind was whipping around, with the steel in the tower giving a bit, and it was hard to get a steady photo on the tower, even with the tripod. Yet, it was so beautiful — I went up there at 9:30 PM then once again at midnight. You could see the lights from Ravena to Hudson from the tower, including farms and houses, and while the moon was still out, the outline of hills and valleys, and very faintly the Catskill mountains. It was amazing.

Off Firetower at Night

The next morning it was very foggy out from the humidity, almost looking like rain, but it was not raining.

Rainy Morning

I descended the mountain, headed home around 9:30 AM, as I had to get cleaned up for the Bethlehem for Peace Picnic.

Tower


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Beebe Hill Firetower

On Sunday I went hiking out in Columbia County. It was a warm but quite nice morning out. First I parked up by Barrett Pond and hiked up to Beebe Hill. The trail is about a mile long, and then you come up to the Fire Tower after a moderate 300 foot elevation climb.

It was a nice clearing spring day. Excellent views to the west, including Canaan and Chatam from the Fire Tower. Some of the hamlets where blocked by the hills, and the fact that some where not much lower then Beebe Hill. You never are particularly high on the tower, but it’s such a quick walk from the parking lot. The fire tower only tops about just a little ways above the tree line, indeed that’s why they allow you to enter the cabin of fire tower.

Nearby the fire tower there is a lean-to. This would be great to stay at one summer night, probably not on a weekend whne it might be croweded/you have to share it. I can imagine photographing it at sunset/sunrise, and looking out at the stars over the Chatam into the darkness at night. It would be so awesome.

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