Bear Mountain
A hobby of mine that I'd like to invite you to share with me is finding majesty in small places. To that end, in this post, I'd like to take Bear Mountain seriously as a mountain. Better known for its Octoberfest, ice rink, and capacious grilling areas, Bear Mountain State Park is also a great hiking destination. The mountain itself stands out from the surrounding Hudson Highlands as slightly steeper and more rugged, due to its granite bedrock. Like most of the Appalachian mountains, it has steep sides and a wide rounded top, but the summit has a good 180 degree view to the south, by virtue of a large smooth rounded outcrop of pink granite just below the tower and parking area. There are probably a few different routes up that would involve some challenging scrambles. One of the mountain's most striking features, whether viewed from a distance or encountered at close range, is a band of very steep bare ledges across its southwest face. Visited in early March, these ledges...