Climb The Highest Mountain

NOAH KORES
Special to ctnow.com

December 19 2005

I'm a fairly avid hiker, and I backpack four or five times a year. By far my favorite backpacking trip in the state is up Bear Mountain in scenic northwestern Connecticut's Berkshires.

This mountain makes for a great weekend trip in any season. And if you're looking for a short, challenging day hike, the walk up as far as the Lion's Head vista will give you a great view for your effort.

There are two ways to reach the Appalachian Trail before it crosses over Bear Mountain in Salisbury. The Undermountain Trail is shorter, but steeper. I prefer the route up Lion's Head Trail.

Late last February I hiked Bear Mountain with a few friends. We started on the Lion's Head Trail, at a parking area on Bunker Hill Road in Salisbury, and followed it up about half a mile to the Appalachian Trail. From there, it's about three miles to the summit of Bear Mountain.

I was carrying a 30-pound pack, dressed for the 25-degree temperatures in fleece and Thinsulate, with snowshoes, gloves and a winter hat.

A winter hiker needs to be careful about clothing. It's most important to avoid cotton because it soaks up sweat and water, which chills the skin.

It's also important to pack lots of water and to drink a lot while you hike. Remember that cold air soaks up the moisture as you exhale. Although it may seem counterintuitive, salty food can also help you retain water and stay more hydrated

The trail was relatively easy. We pushed our way up a few steep stretches by jamming the crampons attached to the bottom of our snowshoes into the snow and ice.

I find hills more rewarding than anything else on a winter hike. The sweat cools your face and you can see your breath as it warms the air as you hike upward. On the way down, you enjoy the rewards of the effort spent hiking up.

It's only about half a mile to Lion's Head vista, where the view is awesome. To one side we could see the Appalachian Trail wrap up and around Bear Mountain. Straight ahead, the view into Massachusetts seemed endless.

From Lion's Head we turned north on the Appalachian Trail and soon arrived at a lean-to, where we dropped off our packs. There is an enclosed toilet near the shelter, but no running water. We grabbed some water from the stream nearby, threw in some iodine to sanitize it and made the last pitch to the summit of Bear Mountain.

At the top of Bear Mountain is a pyramid with a flat, square top, about eight feet high, that offers a nice panoramic view to the north and west of mounts Race, Everett and Frissell and to the east of the Twin Lakes in Salisbury. At 2,316 feet, Bear Mountain's summit is the highest peak in Connecticut, but it's not the state's highest point. The highest point is on the south slope of Mt. Frissell, at 2,380 feet, on the way to its summit in Massachusetts.

Hikers are scarce on Bear Mountain in the winter, and we had the luxury of a lean-to to ourselves. We also had the pleasure of reading the lean-to logbook, where hikers share their stories. One highly dubious story concerned a man who claimed he came across a bear trying to attack a hiker who had climbed halfway up a tree. The man claimed he killed the bear with his trekking pole, skinned it and made bear burgers for himself and the hiker he had rescued.

The night we spent in the lean-to, the temperature got down to 10 or 15 degrees. With a 0-degree down sleeping bag, I was warm enough to sleep, though my face got a bit chilly.

Hikers returning on this route can head back down the Lion's Head Trail or push on to Sages Ravine in Massachusetts. Either way, it's downhill.