In search of Bear Mountain
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December 20, 2020HEBRON — "Where is Bear Mountain?" has been a running joke for my four sisters and me for more than a quarter of a century. That's how much time had elapsed since we first hiked over that mountain in Hebron when, on a brisk November day in 2020, I decided it was time to find the summit.
Joined by my sister Debbie, we headed up Bear Mountain Trail from the abandoned Hebron-Alexandria turnpike armed with topo maps, trail descriptions, and, most importantly this time, a GPS that gave elevation readings. As a soft, cold rain started falling, we cheerfully stood on a ledge overlooking the picturesque Newfound Lake and proclaimed our success: we were standing on the official summit of Bear Mountain. Smiling, we posed by the sign I had routed and painted, snapped a photo, and headed back to the turnpike via the Elwell Trail.