2020-04-01: Blackhead Mountain

On the first of April I climbed Blackhead Mountain, a peak in the northern Catskills in Jewett NY. I had climbed Blackhead twice before, but never in the snow. The weather was below freezing for most of the hike and I had to deal with some active snow showers at the summit, which was another first for me. Unfortunately it was cloudier than I would have liked, but the hike itself was rewarding enough to make up for the weather.

Note: Due to image compression issues, the full-resolution versions of these images are available here.

Signs posted at the trailhead. Be safe while out exercising; wear a mask, maintain social distancing, and don't do anything stupid.

The Batavia Kill Creek runs alongside the trail near its head in Big Hollow.

Meltwater-swollen rivers rush around mossy stones in the upper Batavia Kill.

There was a point along the ascent when the trail was abruptly covered in old snow. This is the trail just above that point.

A northward view from along the trail, obscured by leaves during the summer months.

The leeward side of Acra Point seen from along the trail.

A lookout just below the mountain's summit provided excellent views to the southwest. Here Rusk Mountain rises over the Hunter Ski Resort.

A view southwest to Hunter Mountain, rising several hundred feet above Blackhead's highest point.

A view ten miles south to Twin (L) and Sugarloaf (R) mountains.

Background peaks, left to right: Balsam Cap, Friday, Wittenberg, Peekamoose, Cornell, Table, and Slide.

A view southwest to Slide Mountain, the tallest peak in the Catskills, about 25 miles distant.

The popular Hunter Ski Resort appears tiny from Blackhead's lofty heights.

Ice-encrusted fir trees covered the summit of the neighboring Black Dome.

A cluster of houses along Route 23C in East Jewett.

Colgate Lake looks cold and uninviting in the grey April weather.

A wider shot of Black Dome's summit. Snow covers its windward side but the sun-facing south slope is completely snow-free.

The distant Mount Utsayantha (~26 mi) peeks out from Black Dome's lower limb.

A very close view of some cliffs near the deciduous-evergreen transition line. Atop those cliffs is a popular lookout on Black Dome.

As the overlook was about 200 ft below Blackhead's summit, only the very tips of nearby shrubs still contained ice.

A wide panorama of the view from the lookout. View the Drive link at the top of the post for full resolution.

Nearer to the summit, still-falling snow covered the stunted fir trees.

Green moss fights fresh snow as spring attempts to begin on the frigid mountaintop.

It was somewhat surreal to take an April stroll through a quintessential winter wonderland.

Although beautiful, the summit trail was dangerous, as the fine snow covered an inches-thick layer of ice.

A southeast view over the Hudson Valley and Massachusetts's Mount Everett (~36 mi). This was taken from Camp Steel, an overlook on the opposite side of Blackhead's summit.

View of countryside in Columbia County east of the Hudson River. The village of Catskill is at the lower left.

A more easterly view of the wide Hudson Valley.

Central to this close-up is the Athens Generating Plant, a sizable hydroelectric facility in Athens NY.

The sun emerged for a few short minutes to illuminate the fresh snow covering the mountain's fir trees.

Label on the rock at the overlook. Camp Steel was used for training by the U.S. Military pre-WWII, and the mountaintop clearing remains popular today.

A close view of the Hudson River and the city of Hudson on its far side.

One fir tree dares peer above all the others near the edge of Camp Steel's dropoff.

April with a Christmas-like feel and the vast valley as a backdrop.

A tiny icicle hangs from a fir tree's branch. An even smaller icicle holds a string from some other hiker's jacket.

Sunlight and snow at Blackhead's forested summit.

The sun came out intermittently as I crossed the summit on my return, leading to some beautiful shadows and scenes.

Over Black Dome's limb, a view of Utsayantha (L) and Richmond (R) taken on my return.

At the col between Blackhead and Black Dome, a few daring spring mosses emerge from the forest floor.