I planned a jaunt through Blackhead Range in the Catskills for the weekend of 6/14-6/15, with an overnight at the Batavia Kill Lean-To. I went with a couple of people for company. For one it was their first time backpacking! Continuing the tradition :)
This is following up from an earlier trip (undocumented) on 4/19-4/20 to Peekamoose, Table and Lone mountains in the southern Catskills.
The plan was to camp overnight in the Batavia Kill Lean-To, and then to hike the Blackhead range (composed of Blackhead, Black Dome, and Thomas Cole mountains from east to west) as far as the group could go in good spirits. :)
For the first day, I plotted two paths: one more challenging with scenic views along the Escarpment Trail (yellow, above). The second more direct (orange, above).
We opted for the shorter one!
For the second day, the plan was to ascend Blackhead and descend to Lockwood Gap (the name of the col between Blackhead and Black Dome).
From there we had the choice of descending immediately, or ascending to Black Dome and optionally extending to Thomas Cole before eventually retracing our steps to descend from Lockwood Gap. We decided to play this decision by ear!
We drove up from NYC, departing around 9am and hitting only light traffic on our way out of the city; fairly friendly conditions for 9am on a Saturday. We stopped for food and some minor supplies on the way up, and arrived in a mostly-empty lot around 11:30am.
We kitted-up, then signed our group into the hiking registry.
The hike into the lean-to was beautifully verdant! The Catskills in early-summer is a feast for the senses. Batavia Kill was flowing strong after recent rain storms. The creeping dogwoods were are in full blossom, ferns are ever-present but not yet so massive as they become in later summer. This section of the trail is easy-graded, and the kill is an ever-present companion.
Around 2700ft we ascended into foggy mist, drawing a curtain in around the senses. We can only see maybe 50-100 feet in any direction, including up! Everything around us is moist and softened. The fruits of early-season fungus poke up from decaying tree-falls and peaty, moss-coated soil.
We arrive at the Lean-To around 1pm. The short day was short, indeed! We set up camp, filter some water from the nearby creek to replenish our bottles, and have a supply ready for dinner and breakfast.
We explore the immediate area, gather damp wood for a short fire, to heat our spirits and our humble dinner of bread and seasoned, saucy chickpeas. We retire pretty early (I was asleep by 6!), to have a nice rest for the long day ahead.
The birds are ever-present this time of year and in this part of the Catskills. We can hear them singing into twilight, and again in a cacaphony around sunrise (5:30 this time of year). In the middle of night, the environment is absolute darkness: I can’t see my hand, held in front of my face. It rains gently for a few hours.
Nobody sleeps incredibly but we all sleep long… and well-enough! I make some tea, prepare some breakfast cereals with powdered milk, and we pack up camp for Day 2.
The ascent of Blackhead is steep and condensed: around 1100ft in just short of one mile. The damp rocks make for a slippery surface that implores us to tread carefully.
At the far side of Blackhead, we’re greeted with… nothing!! haha
The mist has kept our company the entire way. Where there would normally be a view to the west, of Black Dome, there is a bank of clouds obscuring any view beyond 100ft. Oh well!
We encounter a variety of flowering plants and critters on this part of the journey, including an Eastern Newt, a blossoming Bluebead Lily and some large daddy long legs among Thimbleberries.
In Lockwood Gap, we decide we have enough energy to ascend Black Dome. The segment of trail between this point and Black Dome is steep! I’ve done it a few times before. On a wet day, there are ledges that are somewhat treacherous to navigate. Thankfully, we negotiated them without much issue.
We were rewarded with a view of Black Head (its head in the clouds!) and the surrounding valleys! And the appearance of a lil snek, basking on the cliff to keep warm.
We decided that two peaks were enough for us! And opted to turn around and head back down to the car by way of Lockwood Gap. The path down to the gap was slow-going, but once we settled into the col, it was a steady descent down to rejoin Batavia Kill.
We set up for lunch near the conjunction of a couple streams, and enjoyed a final meal on the trail before packing up for the last mile or so of our time together outdoors.
A great time out in the woods!
We decided to make a quick pitstop by the upper Kaaterskill Falls on the way back. A super easy, tiny stroll in comparison the rest of our journey. :)
The falls were beautiful as usual! The last time I’d been here was winter of 2023-24.
We had a great time!!
New things we really enjoyed bringing / found especially valuable:
Things we wish we’d brought: