Bearpen Mtns from Heisinger Road
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 12:09 am
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.