Knocked off two 2019 hiking goals today. Last Fall I set a goal to hike Bear Mountain, the highest peak in Connecticut, in the Winter. I had previously hiked it in the Spring and Summer. Being new to winter hiking I thought this would be a good pinnacle goal. Then, I found out that Bear was added to the New England Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. Bonus! Bagging this peak today checked off both goals. Conditions were ideal for winter hiking; cold, windy, icy trail in spots. The hike started at 9:20am with a temp of 23 and a wind chill of 2 degrees. At the summit the wind was gusting to between 40 and 50 mph. It was very cold. Had the mountain all to myself on the way up which was ideal and peaceful. Got to use my new trail crampons which were outstanding. They dug right into the ice making for very firm footing.

Trail Report: Undermountain to Appalachian Trail to Summit; 5.44 mi round trip; 1,722.4 vert ft. One peak down; six to go (I'll definitely be doing Katahdin). Up next…Greylock (hopefully next weekend). #newenglandsixpackofpeaks #bearmountain