Salisbury to Bear Mountain
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
Northwest Connecticut. Loren, David, and Richard ready to embark on our longest hike yet: a 12 mile trip from Salisbury, Connecticut to Bear Mountain and back on the Appalachian Trail.
This will be a long hike, it will be my first test of the Canon G11 camera, and it will be David’s 52nd time up Bear Mountain this year. He’s attempted to hike Bear Mountain 52 times the past three years and has come close but hasn’t made it. This year (today) he will.
I did very little adjustment on the camera, preferring to use it as I’d used my wife’s Canon SD1200 IS (Elph) to see the difference. P mode, auto ISO, etc. Nothing fancy. I think the camera performed beautifully. There are a few blown highlights but as I learn how to use the camera and its light meter I think I’ll be able to find ways to avoid them.
Note that I was carrying the SD1200 just in case I decided early on that the G11 wasn’t for me but that little bag on my chest that housed it got put away after I took this picture, never to come out again on this trip.
The articulated LCD screen on the G11 is extremely useful and while using the controls on a cold day can be tough, I was very glad I didn’t go for the Canon S90 instead where similar controls would be even smaller.
Six hours from now we’ll be back here, tired, sweaty and happy.
I love this little REI Traverse 30 pack, it fits my back well and I can carry enough clothing, food and water for a day hike. I have an UltraPod II table top tripod stuck in the water bottle sleeve and I can get to it without taking the pack off. It’s also a wide enough base to hold a 5D and big lens if needed and more than enough for the G11. In wind, you want a wide base, not a typical small base table top tripod like the Ultrapod. The II is wide yet light.
I also have a now discontinued LowePro D-Res 8 camera pouch attached to the shoulder strap and the G11 fits in it nicely. B&H sells this pouch used for $6 and the next time I’m there I might buy another. Useful velcro strip in the back that makes it easy to attach to a pack or a belt. Detachable shoulder strap in case you want to carry it that way.
I have to say, this set up beats carrying a DSLR, even a small one like a Canon XSi with kit lens. When hiking nothing is bouncing around and you have quick access to the camera without taking the pack off.
If, somehow, I wanted to take "serious" images on a hike I’d bring my bigger kit but I would not hike with David and Loren because I don’t want to mix the kind of hiking we’re doing with hiking to find images for fine art photography. The last thing I want is to create a situation where they’re standing around freezing waiting for me to set up a tripod and compose a picture.
This G11 and tabletop tripod rig works perfectly for this kind of shooting.
There is a small grove of very large beech trees between the parking lot in Salisbury on Rt. 41 and Lion’s head on the AT. I took this picture to remember them for future shooting with big camera but also to see how the G11 would do with this kind of shot. I’m quite happy with both the 28mm lens (sure, I wish it were 24) and with how it handled a shot like this without wiping out the sky.
Lion’s Head is a small mountain just north of Salisbury on the Appalachian Trail. The AT goes over many mountains in NW Connecticut, Southwest Massachusetts and then again in NW Massachusetts. Lion’s head is the bottom or southern edge of this group of mountains and coming from the south it’s a nice first summit to get on top of: easy walk, nice view.
David, Richard and Loren on Lion’s head with northwest Connecticut behind them.
Playing with both self-timer on G11 and attempting to change meter required some dexterity and frankly, it was cold enough up here so that my hands were hitting buttons on the way to other buttons on the camera.
The control wheel on the back of the G11 also has North, South, East, and West rocker buttons on it and knowing whether to "wheel" through a set of icons or to use the right (east) button takes some getting used to, not to mention when turning the wheel one can sometimes hit one of these buttons.
I’m sure I’m going to get it but my first few struggles almost got me in the mood to return the camera.
Looking north from the north ridge of Lion’s Head to Bear Mountain (our objective) on the left and Race Mountain on the right. Race is another great hike which we’ve done many times.
The bulk of our walk in in the woods between Lion’s head and Bear and back. We cross numerous beautiful streams and glens and walk through some magnificent woods. The walk is long but moderate.
The Appalachian Trail is very well cared for and there are excellent bridges all along it. One could easily do a photo book just on wilderness bridge design on the AT.
We pass this sign each time we hike Bear Mountain but this time we’ve come from further south on the AT. We’ll be passing the sign again on our return in a few hours.
David and Loren take a break looking back south on the south face of Bear Mountain. The Taconic range is behind them and it has great hiking as well.
David standing on the rock cairn on top of Bear Mountain, having climbed it 52 times in 2009, a feat he’d been attempting to accomplish for the past three years. Loren and I failed to bring champagne but we did share our peanut butter sandwiches with him.
On top of Bear Mountain. It’s not K2 but at 62, 58, and 62 it’s our K2 for the time being.
There was wind and a table top tripod with a narrower stance than the Ultrapod 2 would never have stood up; camera would have blown off the rocks.
We’re descending Bear Mountain going south and you can just see Lion’s Head which the little bump on the left side of this image. It will probably take us 1.5 hours to get there, then another hour from there to the car.
Getting closer to Lion’s Head.
From the northern ridge of Lion’s Head looking back at Bear Mountain on the left (we’ve just come from there), Mt. Race on the right, and in the very far distance you can just make out Mt. Greylock, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. Next shot is zoomed in on Greylock.
Zoomed in a bit on Mt. Greylock in the distance.
Back at the car after six hours of hiking, we’re tired although not as tired as on other hikes.
This hike was our longest but not our toughest and I liked it very much. Great variety of terrain, plenty of mileage, out all day, and lots of great views. And, the Canon was fun to use.
I just love your hiking photos and stories.
Super report, photos and story Richard! Good to hear the new Canon is working out well.
Best,
Jon :-)
Jonne and Jon: The hiking is great fun and now I have a simple yet capable camera to take along and record the fun. Oh boy!
Wonderful write up Richard. I greatly enjoyed your account of the hike and I’m sure that you are quite proud of your achievement. Thank you for sharing it with us. Kudos!
Thanks Frank, it was a lot of fun and amazingly I’m not sore at all today. It might actually be that all this walking and hiking is paying off and I’m getting in better shape. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Richard, thanks for a great report about your long hike, and for the really fine photos from the G11. It looks like the G11 handles bright skies very well. What excellent, but cold, weather you had for such a strenuous hike.
Hi Richard – This photo essay is quite an accomplishment. A long trek, many quick stops for snapshots, with a finished product the very next day. I can’t help notice how crisp and detailed and true-to-life your closer-up shots are – the knapsack and the signs for example. And those skies are really working for you like canvases for paintings, tightly integrated with the rest of the scenes. I just wish you could get two more attractive models to adorn your pictures!
See you after your trip.
Loren
Gary: The G11 seems to handle the dark/light issues with trees and sky better than the SD1200 although it’s far from perfect. Still, it’s very easy to carry on a walk and easy to use. I think I’ll be able to get better images out of it as I learn how to use it. Might even read the manual this week. That would be a first!
Richard: I’m not sure it’s a good idea to read the manual!
Loren, glad the photography isn’t getting in the way of the hiking. It will be interesting to see how this progresses because David just ordered the same camera and will no doubt be carrying it around on our next walks.
I think the new camera is an improvement for sure and I hope to better document all of our hikes this way.
Thanks for taking the time to write this up. Good to hear about the camera and the hike. You have some beautiful country near you.
Thanks for looking Chris. We do have some amazing walks and hikes around here and we’re extremely lucky. I plan to do a lot more of this journaling on our hikes as visual documentation as time goes on.
I love the picture of the beech trees with the beautiful blue sky above.
Just before Christmas, I bought a Canon PowerShot G11 and a Canon PowerShot 1200IS to take shots with both and then compare for quality… Pictures of family, decorations, garden, etc. I haven’t had an opportunity to take any landscape shots, but yours have helped to convince me which camera to keep.
Thanks to your terrific pictures, I have decided to keep the G11.
Diane: Great, you’ll love it. Gary bought one too. I wish I was on “commission.” Happy New Year.
So glad to have found your pictures and story about Lion’s Head and Bear Mountain’ hikes. My husband and I hiked B.M. last sunday and fell in love with the place. So this sunday we are going back and start from Lion’s Head.. I also love taking pictures on all my hikes. We have been hiking for 5 years only, but every weekend we feel the need to do it. No one can stop us now! By the way I’m 62 also!!
THANKS..
Marta
Marta: Fantastic, thanks for being in touch. If you start from Lion’s Head I recommend parking on Rt. 41 and hiking up from there, not on the road behind Lion’s Head. It’s a bit longer and a bit more climbing but it’s a beautiful walk with some spectacular beech trees along the way. It’s about 10 miles + round trip to and from Bear. Nice hike.
This Friday we’re doing the loop from Alander Mountain to Brace and back on the Taconic trail. If you’ve not hiked there I highly recommend it. Very nice:
http://www.richardsnotes.org/archives/2010/05/10/taconic-range-hike/
Have fun, hope to see you out on the trail sometime. We hike Bear a lot so no doubt we will meet up.
Hi Rich, where in Salisbury do I go to start this hike? I DO NOT want to take the “under-mountain” trail! I want to do exactly what you guys did. I’m in Oxford ( about 50 minutes away). I just need directions as to where to park. Let me know! Thanks!
Rich: From the bottom of Rt. 41 in Salisbury, drive north like you’re going to the Undermountain parking lot.
Less than a mile up, on the left there is a very small parking lot with trees in front of it and a small sign. I think, although I’m not absolutely sure, that there are some AT blazes on the road around there because it’s where the AT crosses 41 from the other side.
This small driveway is right next to a homeowner’s driveway so it looks like one more driveway among many.
If you go up too far just turn around and work your way back, you’ll find it.
Once parked the trail goes up the hill past an outhouse. It’s a great hike and well worth doing. From this point to Bear and back is about 12 miles. You first go up Lion’s Head, then over to Bear, then back the same way. Coming back there’s a way to avoid going up Lion’s head by hiking around the back side of it.
Let me know if you need more help with this and have fun.
Tomorrow (Sunday, 8/29) we’re starting at Race Brook Falls and hiking south to Bear on the AT. It’s also a nice long hike with two climbs. Maybe we’ll see you on Bear!
I was able to post, finally, Richard, using Safari. IE and Firefox both had failed several times. Finally! Tried to post again right after “testing,” above, but your site’s spam controls probably kicked in.
Anyhow, I love your site, Richard, lots of lovely pictures and hiking stories, especially of interest to me of late.
So, now, at last, I can thank you and your friends for your gracious courtesies and helpful advice to me and my friend Jason on July 17, as we made our way up the Undermountain. You caught us at the bench at about 0.8 from trailhead and we met back up with you at the summit. We’re the heavy guys who were sweating mightily on that hot, humid day – y’all were kind enough to warn us away from the Paradise Lane/Northerly approach, which would’ve been too much for us.
Happy to say we’re both seeing significant progress with more hikes – we just did the Sleeping Giant’s head in Hamden much faster than we’d done it in June, and we carried forward on the blue Quinnipiac Trail through the Giant about four times further than before, though as the heat rose, we did choose an easier route down than planned.
Glad, too, that you posted about Bloodhound, who is a prince among men. He caught us, fittingly, at the chief southern overlook on Bear, and he and I got to speak extensively with each other in our drawls as Jay and I rested and I noshed on the peaking blueberries. Was nice to get a group photo of him, y’all and us and the others there at high noon. Humid as it was, the views weren’t the best, but what a fine day!
Feel free to take a look at Jason’s photos from that day, which I’ve posted to my Facebook page in my hiking collection.
We plan to come out soon again with Jason’s son, Alexander. I may come out with some other friends now and then, too. Hope your Race Brook to Bear (and Lion’s Head?) hike this weekend went well. We did Guilder Pond to Bear/Northwest Road a few weeks ago – it was gorgeous – and I did Race Brook over Everett and back down via the Elbow Trail the week before that – tough but beautiful, I’m proud of that one.
Hope to see you again soon in the Taconics!
Cheers and best regards,
Chris Stratton
West Hartford, CT
Great to hear from you again Chris and I’m delighted you’ve continued hiking. We’ll be on Bear again tomorrow…
Hope you have a good hike at our friend, the Bear, Richard.
Not only have I continued hiking, it’s become my principal recreational hobby. I intend to get out twice a week or so, more if possible. Shorter hikes weekdays and longer ones weekend. Golf has taken a back seat.
Jay and I hope to get to Greylock and to Stratton this fall. Having done Everett, I am confident I can handle my namesake. We will probably do something like Jones Nose to the summit at Melville’s beloved inspiration, maybe round trip or maybe two cars, leap-frogging to Prospect overlook if possible. I love the Housy valley in CT, so the AT riverwalk section at peak foliage is another one I hear beckoning.
Do you like the Mohawk Trail? That one has also piqued my interest.
Do you like the Mohawk Trail?
Chris: I’ve not hiked much of the Mohawk trail but my friend Dave has. I highly recommend the Hopper trail on Greylock. It’s steep in sections but is our favorite.
Keep it up Chris and I hope to see you out there again sometime soon.
Thanks for the recommend on the Hopper Trail, Richard. Looking forward to many visits to Greylock, and Hopper is definitely one I want to do, high on the list.
I just met a through-hiker named Tim from Newington, next town over from me, who just finished in the past week or so. I met him at a pub in West Hartford, he and his buddies were celebrating, and he spotted my little, old Mass-Conn AT guide book from the library and asked about it. We struck up a fevered conversation about how awesome the trail is. He wasn’t aware you can see Greylock from Rand’s View, Lion’s Head and Race’s cliffs, and I was sharing with him about the geological history of the Taconics, how they were 20K+ when formed 450M y.a.
He said he especially enjoyed New Hampshire and Maine, said Mahoosuc was the hardest climb, really enjoyed Mt. Lafayette and the other Franconia North neighboring peaks. Said Mt. Washington was easy on the AT, from his perspective, but agrees Tuckerman Ravine trail up is no picnic. Was intrigued to hear that Everett’s original English name was Mt. Washington, with its name later changed in favor of a Mass governor.
Anyhow, a new AT friend. I’m recommending your site to him and his FB page, he tells me, has a ton of pix from his hike – just sent a friend request to him. I hope to get out and hike the Taconics with him and others again soon. Cheers!