I hit the road this morning at 2:30 and drove to the Big Hollow Road trailhead, arriving just before 5:00 am. First car there! Clearly this is not a busy time of year or a busy trailhead…. After spending my customary 15 to 20 minutes futzing around (without ever actually knowing later what it was that took me so long), I was on the trail at 5:20, heading by headlamp towards the Batavia Kill lean to, my sites set on Blackhead Mountain.
I went at a leisurely pace, being gentle on a sore calf I am working things out with, and giving it plenty of time to warm up. The trail was essentially just covered with a dusting of snow. The snow was definitely nowhere near 8 inches anyplace that I saw. There were icy patches here and there. I wore micro spikes the whole way.
The hike up to and past the lean-to was peaceful and pleasant. When I got up to the Escarpment Trail, the wind kicked up and it was quite chilly from there to the summit. I happened to be on a stretch with a nice open vantage eastward right as the sun started coming up in earnest. I soaked it in a bit, put on my balaclava, and kept moving.
Upon attaining the summit, I called Mrs. NJTom to apprise her of my status and check in on the NJkids. Charmingly, only two of the three had woken up yet. I was in a cloud up top and my backpack’s thermometer said it was 0 degrees exactly. So I kept moving, heading down towards Lockwood Gap to make it a loop.
The sky opened up a bit by the time I got to the views of Black Dome. The trail conditions were essentially the same on this side of Blackhead as they were everywhere else: a thin layer of snow here and there and patches of ice, especially on the steeper bits. I continued on down to and past Lockwood Gap towards the parking area, seeing the first people of the day right near the junction with the Batavia Kill Trail. It was a group of at least 12 people, maybe a couple more, all heading to Black Dome and Thomas Cole.
By the time I got back to my car, around 9:30, there were about twenty cars, all over the lot and parked along the road. I was happy to get out when I did.
All in all, it was a really good morning. First hike of the season. A solid hike without being grueling. And it’s my first foray into the Catskill 3500 list. Not sure yet whether I will invest the time to do the whole list, but it was definitely a nice short drive compared to the Adirondacks, making the day trip a relative piece of cake. And you can’t beat a sunrise in the mountains.
I was back home by 12:30, seeing a 3:30 showing of “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” with my son, and doing homemade pizzas for dinner. We absolutely insist on enjoying life.
best,
Tom.
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