CARETAKERS REVIVE TOWER
With Urging Of Volunteer Group, Observation Platform Being Rebuilt
From the parking area along Gulf Road, visitors can access the Connecticut Forest and Park Association’s Shenipsit Trail. The trail from the parking area to the summit is 1.3 miles.
Dave Cooley has been coming up to the top of Soapstone Mountain, to a place he once knew simply as the “fire tower,” since he was a kid. And now he’s making sure the next few generations are able to come up and enjoy the view, too.
Cooley, who grew up in South Windsor, is now the supervisor of engineering at the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. One of his fall projects is to rebuild the wooden observation tower on top of the 1,075-foot-high mountain in Somers.
The 2014 closure of the tower left a void for many hikers in the northern part of the state. From the top of the tower, visitors get a panoramic view to the north and west that includes the skyline of Springfield, as well as planes taking off and landing at Bradley International Airport and
Westover Air Force base. Natural views include the sight of Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts at 3,491 feet, and Mount Monadnock in New
Hampshire, as well as the Green and White mountains. Cooley pointed out Mount Washington can be seen “on a perfect day.”
Work on replacing much of the structure began last month. Only the columns and concrete of the old tower will be saved. Cooley said every piece of wood will be replaced with pressure-treated wood and a Trex composite decking. A mesh material will be placed around the sides of the tower.
“We were always going to do something,” Cooley said. “We had a study done to inform us of the most strategic and reasonable approach. I think we had hopes of rebuilding the new structure completely, but the half-million cost to build it all new was just cost-prohibitive. We had estimates between $40,000 and $80,000 to renovate so that’s what we pursued. ... It became a priority.”
Caretakers of Soapstone Mountain, a group of volunteers who protect the mountain and the surrounding state forest, urged the state to repair the tower. Under the direction of Jim Patsun and Mark
Okun, the group has built picnic tables, helped clear trees, enhancing the mountain views, and mulched overlooks.
“We wanted to show everyone we were serious about taking care of it,” Patsun said. “The support we’ve received from area residents has been amazing. ... We can improve our state. There’s a lot of multigenerational history up there.”
The $76,000 structure should be rebuilt by Thanksgiving. Cooley said it was difficult to get materials up to the top of the mountain. Since trucks can’t go up, contractors used four-wheeled off-road vehicles to slowly bring up a few boards at a time.
The Caretakers of Soapstone Mountain is a group that helps to maintain the 7,000-acre Shenipsit State Forest in Somers, Ellington and Stafford. Cooley said the group was “very supportive and motivated us and got us going.”
The mountaintop was purchased by the state in 1927 so a fire tower could be erected to watch over the state’s northern forests. An old National Weather Service radar dome that was built in the mid-1970s now stands where the fire tower once stood and served the agency until the mid-1990s. The old fire tower was used by the U.S. Army during World War II as a lookout station.
If you want to explore the area, I would highly recommend printing the color map of the forest. The network can be a confusing mix of snowmobile courses, horse paths and hiking trails, including the Shenipsit Trail, which runs from the Cobalt section of East Hampton, through eastern Connecticut and across the top of the mountain into Massachusetts. The trail runs directly under the tower.
There are several overlooks near the top of Soapstone, as well as picnic areas. A side trail takes visitors to an old soapstone quarry just to the south of the precipice. The use of soapstone dates back to pre-colonial times when Native Americans used the soft rock to create bowls.
Cooley said the new tower should last 20 to 30 years once completed.
“It’s going to be a lot beefier than the old tower. This is a landmark for people in this area and the state. I’m glad we were able to rebuild it,” he said.
From the junction of Routes 83 and 190, take Route 190 east and turn on Gulf Road. The parking for the overlook and Shenipsit Trail connector is located about 2 miles on the right. The gates are closed in the winter, but visitors can still hike to the top. Visit https://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/ stateparks/maps/shenipsitgis.pdf for a map.