Rob S
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2003
- Messages
- 685
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- 30
Sometimes it’s not the quantity of miles, it’s the quality of miles. Sunday in the Catskills was one of those days. Perfect weather, plenty of views, great company, and a short 6-mile hike combined to make one of the most enjoyable days in the woods I’ve had in awhile.
Peakbagr, Mrs. Peakbagr, Peter, Booca, and I met at Barnum road at about 8:20am. Leaving my car there, we drove over to the end of Black Dome Valley Road. After chatting a bit and preparing our packs, we began the gradual climb up the Black Dome trail heading up to the col between Blackhead and Black Dome. The trail alternates between easy to moderate with a few steeper pitches to mix it up. It never ceases to amaze me how fast the time (and miles) fly by when the conversation is good. So I was surprised when we reached the col, it seemed to me like we had just left the trailhead a few minutes before. I thought, “This cannot be height-of-land already”. But it was.
Upon reaching the trail junction in the col, the wind picked up somewhat, but it was not the typical icy type of wind that normally characterizes November. It was a comfortable temperature, and it felt much more like late September or early October. Despite the warmth, the wind was fairly strong, so I opted to leave my orange fleece on for a while longer (plus it’s archery season in the Cats). Without the leaves on the trees, the views over to Blackhead were quite nice. This was my 4th time on the Blackhead range, and never had a view before today. So, it was nice to see what I had been missing.
After a short break, we headed west and began the somewhat steeper ascent up Black Dome. Once within the coniferous forest, the scent of balsam filled the air. The trail alternated between short, steep pitches and flat easy walking. Pockets of snow and pine needles made for a beautiful landscape and very soft walking. As we gained elevation, several good views appeared towards Blackhead and then over towards Kaaterskill High Peak and the Devil’s Path.
As I was fumbling with my camera (I’m kinda klutzy when I try juggling the camera and hiking poles!), I suddenly heard something behind me. I turned around, and saw a familiar face …… it was mudhook51, another VFTTer whom I had met last July on Sugarloaf. After introductions all around, we all hiked together until we arrived at the lookout ledge on Black Dome. This seemed like the best place to eat lunch, albeit a bit early. The ledge has names and dates carved into the rock, some dating to the 1800s. Unfortunately, there were also some fresh ones.
Three previous visits to this ledge had provided views from between 10 feet to no more than 50 feet. This time, it was a real treat to see so many mountains in all their glory. The peaks of the central and southern Catskills dominated the view, and we were able to identify over a dozen. Mudhook51 and Peakbagr were also able to identify several other features including a few lakes and ski areas. The Devil’s Path looks truly “evil”
with all the steep ascents and descents standing out in stark relief. And although I’ve hiked all of it in sections over the years, the ruggedness from this vantage point is most inviting, and it practically begs to be further explored ……. both on trail and off.
After lunch, mudhook51 departed before us (hope to see ya again soon) and we began the descent down to the col between Black Dome and Thomas Cole. Before very long, we realized that we were again ascending. Looking back, Black Dome appeared massive and tall, although it had not felt like we had lost that much elevation. The temperatures were now in the low 50’s so it was time to shed the orange fleece. Oddly enough, soon afterwards we began to hear shotgun blasts! However, the shots sounded to be coming from the Black Dome Valley, probably just a hunter adjusting the sights and getting ready for the upcoming shotgun season.
A short time later we were traversing the broad summit ridge of Thomas Cole. I do not have any photos from the top of TC, so one of two things happened: either there were no views, or I was too busy flapping my gums and completely missed it. Or perhaps both.
Shortly after beginning our descent of Thomas Cole, we came upon a gorgeous alpine meadow. Although only a couple hundred square yards in size, I was happily surprised to see the fragile mosses on the sides of the trail to be intact and untrampled. Despite the high traffic this trail sees, it appeared those who have had the privilege of enjoying this magical spot had either stayed on the trail or had rock-hopped to explore the area (as we did). We took several photos and then began the last phase of the hike. The trail meanders over two small bumps along the ridge, one of which is aptly named Camel’s Hump. The deciduous forest completely replaces the conifers as the trees get larger and taller within the confines of lower elevation. It didn’t seem very long before the trail register came into view. I was disappointed that the hike had to end; it was the kind of day that always goes by too fast. But I was very grateful that we had the luxury to savor this hike and enjoy everything this range has to offer. It’s easy sometimes to get caught up in that “can’t do that hike, I still need other peaks to complete the list” attitude. This time, tho, I listened to that nagging curiosity to see the magnificent views that are always described by others. It took enough tries, but the views were well worth it.
PHOTOS ARE HERE ----
Peakbagr, Mrs. Peakbagr, Peter, Booca, and I met at Barnum road at about 8:20am. Leaving my car there, we drove over to the end of Black Dome Valley Road. After chatting a bit and preparing our packs, we began the gradual climb up the Black Dome trail heading up to the col between Blackhead and Black Dome. The trail alternates between easy to moderate with a few steeper pitches to mix it up. It never ceases to amaze me how fast the time (and miles) fly by when the conversation is good. So I was surprised when we reached the col, it seemed to me like we had just left the trailhead a few minutes before. I thought, “This cannot be height-of-land already”. But it was.
Upon reaching the trail junction in the col, the wind picked up somewhat, but it was not the typical icy type of wind that normally characterizes November. It was a comfortable temperature, and it felt much more like late September or early October. Despite the warmth, the wind was fairly strong, so I opted to leave my orange fleece on for a while longer (plus it’s archery season in the Cats). Without the leaves on the trees, the views over to Blackhead were quite nice. This was my 4th time on the Blackhead range, and never had a view before today. So, it was nice to see what I had been missing.
After a short break, we headed west and began the somewhat steeper ascent up Black Dome. Once within the coniferous forest, the scent of balsam filled the air. The trail alternated between short, steep pitches and flat easy walking. Pockets of snow and pine needles made for a beautiful landscape and very soft walking. As we gained elevation, several good views appeared towards Blackhead and then over towards Kaaterskill High Peak and the Devil’s Path.
As I was fumbling with my camera (I’m kinda klutzy when I try juggling the camera and hiking poles!), I suddenly heard something behind me. I turned around, and saw a familiar face …… it was mudhook51, another VFTTer whom I had met last July on Sugarloaf. After introductions all around, we all hiked together until we arrived at the lookout ledge on Black Dome. This seemed like the best place to eat lunch, albeit a bit early. The ledge has names and dates carved into the rock, some dating to the 1800s. Unfortunately, there were also some fresh ones.
Three previous visits to this ledge had provided views from between 10 feet to no more than 50 feet. This time, it was a real treat to see so many mountains in all their glory. The peaks of the central and southern Catskills dominated the view, and we were able to identify over a dozen. Mudhook51 and Peakbagr were also able to identify several other features including a few lakes and ski areas. The Devil’s Path looks truly “evil”
with all the steep ascents and descents standing out in stark relief. And although I’ve hiked all of it in sections over the years, the ruggedness from this vantage point is most inviting, and it practically begs to be further explored ……. both on trail and off.After lunch, mudhook51 departed before us (hope to see ya again soon) and we began the descent down to the col between Black Dome and Thomas Cole. Before very long, we realized that we were again ascending. Looking back, Black Dome appeared massive and tall, although it had not felt like we had lost that much elevation. The temperatures were now in the low 50’s so it was time to shed the orange fleece. Oddly enough, soon afterwards we began to hear shotgun blasts! However, the shots sounded to be coming from the Black Dome Valley, probably just a hunter adjusting the sights and getting ready for the upcoming shotgun season.
A short time later we were traversing the broad summit ridge of Thomas Cole. I do not have any photos from the top of TC, so one of two things happened: either there were no views, or I was too busy flapping my gums and completely missed it. Or perhaps both.
Shortly after beginning our descent of Thomas Cole, we came upon a gorgeous alpine meadow. Although only a couple hundred square yards in size, I was happily surprised to see the fragile mosses on the sides of the trail to be intact and untrampled. Despite the high traffic this trail sees, it appeared those who have had the privilege of enjoying this magical spot had either stayed on the trail or had rock-hopped to explore the area (as we did). We took several photos and then began the last phase of the hike. The trail meanders over two small bumps along the ridge, one of which is aptly named Camel’s Hump. The deciduous forest completely replaces the conifers as the trees get larger and taller within the confines of lower elevation. It didn’t seem very long before the trail register came into view. I was disappointed that the hike had to end; it was the kind of day that always goes by too fast. But I was very grateful that we had the luxury to savor this hike and enjoy everything this range has to offer. It’s easy sometimes to get caught up in that “can’t do that hike, I still need other peaks to complete the list” attitude. This time, tho, I listened to that nagging curiosity to see the magnificent views that are always described by others. It took enough tries, but the views were well worth it.
PHOTOS ARE HERE ----
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