Hiking Hadley Mountain, Part 6

Well, we'd reached the summit of Hadley Mountain. It was colder and windier up there than I could have dreamed, but I was not about to get that far without climbing the fire tower. I took one last look from the ground level and tied Seamus and Fergus to the base of the tower. I most certainly didn't want them trying to follow me up:

As I began climbing up into the fire tower, I quickly realized that the cold and wind I'd experienced up to that point had been only a preparation for the real thing. I also realized why this fire tower needed cables to keep it in place:

I climbed higher, platform by platform, as the wind and cold increased. I wore a knit cap pulled down over my ears as far down as it would go, but the high winds kept lifting it off of my head. My hands were becoming numb but I managed to keep my hat on and take a few photos:

The view was stunning indeed, but too cold for me to hold still and enjoy it:

More views from the top of the fire tower:

The former caretaker's cabin far below:

This is the direction from which we'd come and to which we'd be returning. I was already looking forward to hiking over that first drop-off so that I'd be protected from the wind:

Surely it's no mystery why people love to climb fire towers:

More lovely, albeit frigid, scenic vistas:

I tied the camera to my wrist because my hands were so numb I feared I'd drop it and leaned over the rail to snap a photo of Seamus and Fergus. They were huddled together far below me down at the base of the fire tower: