Hikers who love lists have one that takes them above the very mountains they climb.

Get ready to go on the New Hampshire Fire Tower Quest.

It's easy

Easier than the Four Thousand Footer Club - the highest peak on the list tops out at 3,360 feet while the lowest is a mere pimple at 605 feet - the Quest brings hikers around the state to visit 15 fire lookout towers operated by the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands from early spring to late fall.

Do five, and get a patch.

Good for families

It's a family-friendly adventure that invites picnicking, blueberry picking, bird watching, and hiking. The longest hike is 3.4 miles roundtrip - though hikers can create longer trips - while there are those where hikers can

The New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands oversees the quest program which began in 2005 with a grant from the U.S. Forest Service.

Historic fire towers

Historic and useful, fire towers are both outdoor museums and functioning work stations where state employees collect weather data and keep an eye out for fires.

Not only are they raised platforms providing vantage points for spectacular scenery, they are also used as communication hubs and as a work cubicle for people who have to walk to work

Where are they?

The towers are:

1. Pitcher Mountain, Stoddard

2. Mount Cardigan, Orange

3. Green Mountain, Effingham

4. Blue Job Mountain, Farmington

5. Mount Magalloway, Pittsburg

6. Milan Hill State Park, Milan

7. Mount Prospect in Week's State Park, Lancaster

8. Belknap Mountain, Gilford

9. Federal Hill, Milford

10. Kearsarge Mountain in Winslow State Park, Wilmot

11. Warner Hill, Derry

12. Red Hill, Moultonborough

13. Pack Monandnock, Miller State Park, Peterborough

14. Oak Hill, Loudon

15. South Mountain, Pawtuckaway State Park, Nottingham

Short, long

Sometimes the fire towers are leg-stretchers while on a long drive. That's what the fire tower atop Farmington's Blue Job Mountain held for me. At 1357 feet, I remember a cluttered summit, but seeing Mount Washington to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Being there also brought me a small mountain range I hadn't visited before. That's the beauty of the quest. It takes you around New Hampshire, showcasing area jewels from state parks to ledges filled with seasonal berries.

Then there are times just getting there is an adventure. The state's most northern tower in the program is the one on Pittsburg's Mount Magalloway. Though the steep trails to the tower are less than a mile, one must navigate a few miles of dirt roads smack through moose country to get there. Can't say I've spotted a moose

I've met rangers at Pitcher Mountain, Mount Cardigan and Green Mountain.

Every county has at least one fire tower on the list. Come to think of it, I've visited at least five. Guess it's time to send in for that patch, and continue to hike up the state's fire towers.

One Tank Away

Freeport, Me. is 100 miles from Gilford, N.H.

Saddle Brook, N.J. is 350 miles from Lancaster, N.H.

Worcester, Mass. is 242 miles from Pittsburg, N.H.

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