Why do hikers want to spend a freezing winter night in the Kearsarge North fire tower?

Mar. 1—Even with zero rental fees, it's a tough sell in winter. Despite the cozy perch's breathtaking 360-degree views of the White Mountains, it doesn't come with a lot of frills. Or basics.

There's no heat, no water, no beds and no lights.

So what drives hikers — and at least one cat — to bundle up in sleeping bags and spend a freezing night in a bare-bones fire tower?

The Kearsarge North Observation Site, operated by the U.S. Forest Service and located near North Conway, buzzes with visitors in the summer, but it's also a popular tourist destination for hikers who want to rough it in winter.

Krista Warren, who lives in Gorham, Maine, a half-hour from the New Hampshire border, was looking for a different way to celebrate her 25th birthday.

So she, along with her boyfriend, Steven Bennet, and a cat name Azora — who was decked out in a harness and sweater — set out for the fire tower.

Getting to the summit took a little longer than they expected.

"It was pitch dark when we finally got there. It was pretty scary," she said.

Her Apple watch told her they'd gone 5.5 miles on one of the two trails that leads to the summit. It was 5:54 p.m. and 2 degrees below freezing.

The trio joined two women in their 20s who already had unrolled their sleeping bags on the floor of the tower, which rises about 15 feet off the ground and features windows that let in the views and don't entirely block out the wind.

"I woke up on my birthday up there. It was amazing," Warren said.

They took in a bit of sunshine before a storm rolled in. After a hot cup of coffee, Warren and her hiking buddies headed back down the trail at about 9 a.m. as a couple of inches of snow fell.

What you need to know

The first fire lookout at Kearsarge North (not to be confused with the Mount Kearsarge fire tower in the Wilmot/Warner area off Interstate 89) was built in 1909 and the second in 1918, according to the Forest Service.

The current fire tower was constructed in 1951 and ceased service in the 1960s as planes and new technologies took the lead in addressing forest fires.

Atop the Kearsarge fire tower there are panoramic views of the Presidential Range, Carter and Evans notches, Mount Carrigain, among others.

There are two trails to the fire tower (also known as Pequawket). One is about 3 miles from the parking lot on Hurricane Mountain in Bartlett. The Weeks Brook trail to the summit is 5.1 miles, starting at South Chatham Road.

A couple of tips: Wear spikes during winter months when ice and snow make the trails a bit more tricky. Be prepared to have to turn around and come back down the mountain, since the fire tower is open on a first-come, first-served basis. There isn't a guarantee that you'll be able to roll out that sleeping bag.

It's a slumber party

For Heather Gonsaleves, who lives in southern Massachusetts, her visit to the Kearsarge tower was a slumber party.

She and a group of women she'd met through the Facebook group Hiking Buddies NH48 braved the tower on a frost-filled January night.

"We got to see the gorgeous sunset last night and woke up to an amazing sunrise this morning," she said in a post. "In the daytime the sun shines through and warms it up a little."

There were eight in the group that ranged in age from 30s to 50s.

Still, and she can't express this enough, come prepared or don't attempt it.

Her group carried up insulated sleeping bags with liners; a Jetboil — a small gas-fueled burner for soup and coffee; a change of dry clothes to put on after the hike, warm layers to sleep in; and hand and body warmers.

"A couple of times I woke up in the night and said, 'This is not a good idea,'" she said laughing. "It was in the 20s that night, and colder with the wind chills. One of the windows had a hole in it. Someone probably accidentally hit it with something. It was covered in plastic."

But thanks to lanterns and lots of battery-powered strands of lights, the tower glowed unusually brightly that night.

"We filled the place, so when two other groups arrived, they turned around with all their gear," she said. "Honestly looking at one of the groups, they wouldn't have lasted the night."

Notching off Kearsarge North

Paul Eruzione made a November visit a few years ago, taking striking pictures of the frosty windows of the tower and spectacular sunset as it spread over the peaks.

The Winthrop, Mass., resident took the 5-mile route, toting supplies including ready-to-eat meals, a propane stove and lots of wool and polyester combinations to pull on before slipping into a sleeping bag.

An important tip is once the hike up is done, thaw out a little and wait for the sweating to stop before getting into a set of dry clothes.

"With the wind going 30 to 35 miles per hour, it dropped a good 15 degrees above tree line," he said.

52 with a viewWhile a chilly winter night adds to the fun for some hikers, the fire tower attracts hikers year-round. It's on the "52 with a view" list, a set of vantage points on peaks lower than the Granite State's storied 4,000-footers but still worth seeing.

Chris Haley, a Barre, Mass., math teacher at Quabbin Regional High School who advises the student hiking club, notched off his 48th on the list last August, when the temperature was about 50.

Haley shared the tower with a "reasonable" six hikers, he said — "Above eight would start to feel crowded."

The next morning Haley set off on the Centennial Trail to Mount Hayes in Gorham.

But even in summer, without the icy trails or frigid night temperatures, the no-frills accommodations still pose a challenge: The tower lacks air conditioning as well.