Table map with glass cover believed to have been taken in early April
By Mike Lynch
The Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine are asking the public for help finding a large table map taken from the mountain’s fire tower observation cabin in April.
David Thomas-Train, coordinator for the friends group, said the theft was reported to his organization on April 10 and is believed to have happened between April 3 and 10.
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“It’s a strange and upsetting incident,” he said.
The person or group responsible broke a padlock to enter the fire tower’s cabin and stole the circular table map that is roughly 30 inches in width and weighs about 25 pounds, Thomas-Train said. It’s mounted on three-quarter inch plywood and covered in glass.
It’s possible the person who took the map ditched it on the trail near the fire tower.
“You can’t just easily tuck it into a pack,” Thomas-Train said.
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He didn’t know the map’s value but estimated it was worth $200 to $500.
“It’s not the kind of object you could readily resale,” he said.
Located in Keeseville, the fire tower is at an elevation of 2,170 feet and can be accessed by two trails. The Observer’s Trail is 1.8 miles long and the Ranger Trail is 2.5 miles long.
The fire tower cabin is open to the public Thursday through Monday from Memorial Day to Labor Day when it’s staffed by volunteers or a trail steward.
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The vandalism is the second such criminal incident at Poke-O-Moonshine in the past year. Last November, a hiker had several hundred dollars worth of gear stolen from his car after it was broken into at the trailhead parking lot.
Thomas-Train said forest rangers are investigating the map incident and that anyone with information should call 1-833-NYS-RANGERS.
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A sad state of affairs. This is why we can’t have anything nice…
That’s sad, ruining things for everyone. What would someone even do with it?
I was there on the 2 of April 2023 aroud 11:00 am and the door was locked
I’d look around below the ledges. Good chance it was tossed.
This is a sad state of affairs. The lack of respect for such beautiful gifts for all to enjoy for free is maddening.
It wasn’t for all to enjoy. The tower has been locked since 2020 due to covid
Why was it locked in the first place? Most of the other towers are open and nobody steals their maps.
Why was it locked in the first place? Most of the other towers are open, but do not have this issue.
Now they’ll use this as an excuse to lock the rest of them…
When I hike the Adirondack trails I am grateful for the cleared blowdown, the stone work that offers me stairs to climb, and the tree trunk walkways out of the mud. Folks I’ve never met have spent hours so I can have a great day in the woods. It’s disappointing when I find fire tower doors locked, but I am privileged and blessed to enjoy the view from the stairs.
My husband and I love the very, very few maps that are available at fire tower summits. We always carry maps to enjoy what we are seeing. The nerve of some inconsiderate idiot. A shout out to all… who may want one. Just …..simply …. buy one!!
I’m afraid it probably won’t be found nearby. If someone has the ability to break the lock, and haul that thing down those stairs they won’t be bothered by a 1.5 mile trek back to their car.
I remember seeing two men walking into Puffer Pond with a quarter keg and two 1.5 liter bottles of wine. In all fairness, I was carrying about 500m of good bourbon, but I transferred into a plastic flask…to save weight :-).
Luckily the second lean to was open!
This blows! How the hec would they have gotten it down the stairs? I know there are drone rules, but a drone in just this instance could help search along the trail if it was tossed. The glass (assuming it’s intact) will reflect sunlight and be seen via the air, imo
Welcome to the New Adirondack Park. I’ve been enjoying it for 40 years. I’ve noticed a huge change in the last five. And not a good change. This is what too many people bring. Did / does Saranac Lake really need two five story hotels? Lake Placid was a zoo the last time I was there.
And now Paul Smith’s College might be up for grabs?
Sad.