Huddle atop Spruce Mountain fire tower for true excitement

Who’s needs a Superbowl when winter hiking with friends is life’s greatest metaphoric touchdown?

True “gridiron geeks” are found tackling fire towers, like this 73-footer on Spruce Mountain, in near-whiteout conditions.

I’ll wager that ducking under fallen trees propped up by toothpicks and fumbling with cold sandwiches as your hands’ freeze builds more athletic character than tossing a little pigskin around a 10-yard line any day.

A blitz of deafening snowmobilers cheated and took the road to the top.  Their loss.  The woods might look quiet but it’s anything but.   They missed out on the wind’s haunting whistle, a woodpecker’s persistent pecks for tree food, and a native deciduous screeching and scratching at a neighbors branches.

Mutti deserves the Heisman trophy for hiking up this fan favorite!