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Bearpen Mtns from Heisinger Road

Bearpen Mtn, Cator Roundtop, Hog Mtn, Irish Mtn, Kip Hill, North Bearpen Mtn, Montgomery Hollow Mtn, Moresville Range (peak, SE, SW), Peak 3403, Pine Mtn, Red Kill Ridge, Shutice Mtn, South Bearpen Mtn, White Man Mtn
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mike
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Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Ravena, NY

Bearpen Mtns from Heisinger Road

Unread post by mike »

On Saturday, I planned on hiking to Bearpen Mtn and Vly Mtn from Heisinger Road. But, when I got up, the clouds were out in force. I feared that the tops of the mountains would be hidden in the clouds. So, I decided to wait until Sunday.

On Sunday, February 21, 2010, I headed to Heisinger Road. I arrived at 10:30 am. A little late for this ambitious hike. It was windy when I arrived. The forecast was for limited sun. But, it was very sunny, which was good. Just before I got there, I could see the tops of the mountains were pure white. It looked like it would be an outstanding day up there.

I parked next to the gate, after putting my truck into 4wd. The snow on the side of the road was deep. I put my snowshoes on and headed up. At first the snow wasn't that deep on the trail. When I rounded the corner, the snow went from a couple inches deep to a foot deep. It was shiny and crusty. I could see bobcat prints up the trail.

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Then I rounded the corner again and I was met with about 1-2 feet of snow pack and 4' snow drifts. I immediately wondered how difficult this trip was going to be. Traveling was difficult. Even with the dense snow in the drifts. I began to worry if I could I would even make it up to Bearpen Mtn.

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Much to my surprise, the snow drifts disappeared not too far ahead. But, I was still breaking trail thru crusty snow. When I got about 3/4 way up the mountain, a snowmobile came down the trail. Where was he about an hour ago? Traveling got much easier. Now, I was entering the rime zone. The sky was cobalt blue. It was turning out to be a real nice Bluebird day!

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Now it was worth every difficult step of breaking the trail up. When I got up to the top of Bearpen Mtn, I stopped for a while to talk with some snowmobilers. It was a nice day.

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I then headed to Vly Mtn. I then made my first mistake. I missed the trail to Vly, and started heading down the mountain. Sort of got lost in the grandeur of the landscape. Now, I had to backtrack up the mountain. I then headed down the trail. Within minutes, I ran into a 3500 club hike crew. Stopped and talked for a while. Some of the people I had seen before. It was nice seeing them again. I headed down the trail. When I got to the main road again, I made my second mistake. I headed right instead of left. I saw some snowshoe tracks going right, and assumed that there was a better way. Again, I headed down the mountain. By the time I realized that I made another mistake, I was out of time, and would not make it to Vly Mtn and back before dark. I was very disappointed. But, this is winter hiking. No need to make mistakes that can be life threatening. I can return another day. I headed back, and got down to my vehicle around 4:30 pm.

Today, I encountered numerous snowmobilers, one snowboarder, group of hikers, and two hunters.

Even with my mistakes, it was a great day. The pictures only tell some of the story.
Last edited by mike on Mon Feb 22, 2010 12:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mtnclimber
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Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:46 pm

Re: Bearpen Mtns from Heisinger Road

Unread post by mtnclimber »

Wow! I love the pictures of the rime covered trees! This excellent hiking trip is another repeat of last week. Good going!
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mike
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Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Ravena, NY

Re: Bearpen Mtns from Heisinger Road

Unread post by mike »

Here is the link to the hiking page: http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/BWF-bearpen2.html

The rime and snow covered trees were magical. I missed a turn while enjoying the trees and beautiful sky.
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dave
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Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:14 pm
Location: Acra New York

Re: Bearpen Mtns from Heisinger Road

Unread post by dave »

I understand that you were going to go to Vly Mtn, but had problems. Are you going to go back for Vly Mtn?
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mike
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Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Ravena, NY

Re: Bearpen Mtns from Heisinger Road

Unread post by mike »

I will return, but I don't know when. With the snow this week, I will probably postpone it. I will wait for the snowmobiles to break most of the trails. The trail up to vly will probably be deep in powder. I might do south vly this weekend. But, I will have to wait and see what happens tomorrow.

I just started too late in the day. It was too risky to attempt vly. I could also do it from Rt 3 from the south. This route is very short.

There is a 3500 hike to Balsam Cap on Sunday. I will have to make a decision tomorrow.
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