Bearpen Mountain

"Back to the Cats after 2+ months away. Two peaks yesterday, went well, so decided to double it for today. Overcast sky dropping sprinkles on and off from late AM to early PM then later got some patches of blue and sunshine followed by a good breeze. Encountered the most folks on Panther/Giant Ledge, no big surprise especially when the PA was full so I had to park up the road. " — Nimblefoot • Jun 2, 2020

"Out with three ladies, Anna, Mimi and Christy, doing a leisurely hike of Vly and Bearpen. Started off with spikes then switched to snowshoes on the climb up Vly then kept them on for Bearpen just for ease of travel and to be able to play outside the beaten track. Met up with the spunky 5 yr old Luna and her dad Jason on both peaks. Nice sunny blue sky day with a good breeze that kept us from dawdling too much." — Nimblefoot • Mar 1, 2020

"Beautiful day to bag a few peaks early in the morning. Microspikes the whole way maybe could've used snowshoes near the summit of Vly. Kept a pretty good pace the whole way. Knocked without in 3.5 hours. " — LGH-Topple • Jan 8, 2020

"First hike of the new year. Visiting Bearpen and Vly in the AM from Rt 3 in Johnson Hollow then up to RT 42 to do Halcott in early afternoon. A nice dusting of new fluff on top of icy/crusty snow to the cabin then gradually deeper fluff on the summits. Spikes all day, carried the ‘shoes but never deployed them. A group of 8 and a few singles out enjoying the peaks on a nice day. The low clouds, dropping some flurries, occluded any views. On Halcott I had the peak to myself despite a pickup in the lot. Deeper snow with a crust on top closer to the summit. Very thin snow cover down low. All the tracks seem to be busted out with bare boots so any previous snowshoe tracks have been filled in. " — Nimblefoot • Jan 5, 2020

"A solo romp of Bearpen and Vly from Johnson Hollow in 3-5” of snow from yesterday’s storm. Before heading up I met the landowner, nice fella from Poughkeepsie, who reminded me to wear plenty of red/orange and have a good hike. Broke out the route to BP where the ATVs didn’t go. The snow was softening with the warming temps but at least what in the trees and on low hanging limbs stayed put. On my way up Vly the ice and snow was dropping on me and rather annoying when it hit my glasses and bounced into my eyes. Fairly early I deviated from the usual herd path so I did wacky bushwhack until I eventually found the path again closer to the summit. On my descent I corrected my error so the next hiker will have a better shot to the canister. Back at the car I swapped dry clothes for the soaking wet ones before heading home. Low clouds on the summits so no views today." — Nimblefoot • Nov 25, 2019

"Easy day of hiking the two peaks for the month of October. Wanted to get Balsam also but had to get back home to pick up a CSA share, another late start spoils a plan. Overcast day but still quite warm so I felt over dressed by wearing long pants." — Nimblefoot • Oct 30, 2019

"Hiking Bearpen and Vly for the month of August using the usual trade routes from Johnson Hollow( Rt 3 ). Bumped into a few other hikers on both peaks while getting soaked by the high humidity in the thick air. Back to the car to change my costume and eat my lunch while relocating to the Willow trail PA off Jessup road. Pleasantly surprised there is no other car in the small lot in early afternoon I head up with lunch belly slowing me a bit in the addition to the increasing heat and humidity. At the tower I find a young couple with a little tyke in a diaper, another couple and the volunteer in a hammock all hanging out at the base. Quaff a tastey beverage while having a short respite then took the required selfie before heading back down. As I neared the PA I passed a couple with a dog heading up at 4:30, definitely fire tower enthusiasts as I saw Jack Freeman’s guide on there dashboard. Another fine day in the Cats." — Nimblefoot • Aug 17, 2019

"Hit the summits of Graham and Balsam Lake mts from Millbrook road then relocated to Johnson Hollow(Co Rt 3) to hike up Bearpen and Vly. Surprisingly I met very few other hikers on such a beautiful day." — Nimblefoot • Jul 13, 2019

"Tom and I were joined by our old friend Paul and a new friend Mary for a romp of Vly and Bearpen. We took advantage of the fine weather by hitting all the viewpoints on Bearpen, some of which were new for Paul. Tom and Mary went on to do Halcott in the afternoon while Paul and I had to pass do to other commitments." — Nimblefoot • Jun 12, 2019

"Out tagging Bearpen and Vly for the month of April. Everything looked a bit wintery with an inch or so of new fluff on the ground but the warming temps of spring quickly melted it off. Before heading over to Vly I went out to North Bearpen for a new County HP and Roundtop for a new Cat100 peak for me. A nice solo hike for a change of pace." — Nimblefoot • Apr 6, 2019