Delaware County High Point Trip Report
on Bearpen Mtn (3,520+ ft)
Date: October 6, 2001
Author: Fred Lobdell
Sitting in my car at the trailhead putting on my boots and listening to the rain drumming on the roof, I wasn't
very enthusiastic about getting started on this hike. But the rain let up after a few minutes, and although I
wore a poncho for the whole hike, it never rained more than a heavy drizzle after that. Of course, the wet
brush made for a damp bushwhack.
For access information, follow Dan Case's excellent trip report. I hiked up Ski Run Road to the ridge crest
at 3,200 ft. (As David Galvin noted in his trip report, Ski Run Road is now signed.) At the hunter's cabin
on the ridge, I turned left and followed the road Dan mentions, which is not shown on the topo. This road
passes over the small subsidiary knobs 3,280+ and 3,360+ before contouring around the right (southwest)
side of the HP knob. (It is helpful to keep track of your progress with map and compass. The ridge is quite
well defined and it's not difficult to figure out where you are by noting what direction the ridge is trending.
It also helps to keep track of the bumps on the ridge that you pass over.)
When it became apparent that the road wasn't going to pass over the high point, I bushwhacked to the
summit and followed the ridge until it started to descend to the southeast. I then backtracked and followed
the ridge back almost to the road, then descended to the road. This is not an especially difficult bushwhack;
there are knee-high to waist-high ferns and some head-high blackberries, but they don't form impenetrable thickets.
I was overtaken by two groups of ATVers on the road; we exchanged greetings and went about our respective business.
By this route, this is a round-trip hike of about 6 miles with a little more than 1,500 feet of elevation gain.