2022-12-30: Blackhead Mountain

Catskill 3500 Winter Hikes: 2/4

Last January, I finished climbing the 33 Catskill High Peaks, an achievement I had been striving towards since 2018. Climbs, records, and collaboration involving the peaks is regulated by the 3500 Club, the local peakbagging organization for the Catskills. Unlike most organizations, however, climbing all 33 peaks isn't enough for membership. In addition, prospective members must climb four peaks in winter: Balsam, Blackhead, Panther, and Slide. I re-climbed Balsam last January just before returning to college, and this interterm, I sought to finish the remaining three.

Blackhead Mountain is no stranger to me; I first climbed the peak back in 2014, and made my most recent of four ascents back in 2020. However, I had never summited in winter as defined by the club's bylaws (December 21 - March 21), despite encountering a snow squall on my April hike. As I'm not a huge fan of climbing the same mountain over and over (sorry gridders), I looked for some way to make this hike different, and penciled in a possible ascent of nearby Arizona Mountain if time permitted.

In spite of persistent warm temperatures and rain, the heavy snow from two weeks ago still hadn't melted on the mountains, and upon arriving at the trailhead, I realized that my best bet for a safe and pleasant hike was to wear my snowshoes. This was the first real hike I had ever done in snowshoes, and with familiar trails on a familiar mountain, I saw it as a bit of a test. I parked at the north trailhead on Big Hollow Road in the late morning - later than I had intended - and headed off.

The end of Big Hollow Road is seasonal, leaving the path to the real trailhead covered in deep snow.

The first thing I noticed was the difficulty in hiking in this snow, even with snowshoes. The snow was so deep and dense, yet so soft, that on my way to the trail register, I was still postholing, even in shoes. The shoes, armed with metal crampons on the bottom, added a good five or so pounds to each foot, which wore me out much faster than I was used to. By the end of the second mile, my calves were already exhausted, something that usually takes at least 15-20 miles and over 4000' of elevation gain.

The lower parts of the trail had a lot of bare, snowless sections. Much of the lower elevation trail runs parallel to the Batavia Kill, and there were a number of spots where melting snow had turned the trail into a river of its own. These areas were difficult to walk through with my shoes, as the sound of metal striking rock and root was naturally somewhat repulsive. Other snowshoers had beat a path around through the snowier areas, but even these had begun to melt in some places.

River-like conditions on the trail. Note the visible layers in the snow remaining on the rocks.

Rapids and waterfalls, encrusted with ice, along the Batavia Kill.

Calmer conditions at a point where the trail crosses the creek (without a bridge).

Farther up the mountain the route steepened and the snow deepened. A series of switchbacks lead up to the second junction at the col between Blackhead and neighboring Black Dome, and I stopped quite frequently at these. Walking around with big metal-lined pallets strapped to my feet was more exhausting than I had expected, and I didn't seem to be making great time. I passed a number of other hikers, none of whom were wearing snowshoes, and all of whom commented on the fact that I was. They were struggling to climb in the slick conditions, and each time I passed someone, any question I had had about wearing the shoes melted away.

Unlike my previous ascents of Blackhead, the final summit approach was actually one of the easier parts of the hike. Hiking in snowshoes is like driving in snow tires. Snow, ice, mud, slippery rocks, nothing even slowed me down. I climbed over the series of rock scrambles, which were covered in enough snow that they didn't require any actual scrambling, and took some pictures from the unofficial overlooks on the way up.

Looking southwest towards West Kill (L) and Rusk Mountain, beyond the ski slopes at Hunter Mountain (L foreground).

A view slightly farther to the south shows the extensive spruce-blackened mastiff of Hunter Mountain.

Looking straight south, the High Peaks of the southern Catskills are visible beyond the Stony Clove Notch.

The snow was by far the deepest along the summit, blocking in the beat-down trail at both sides with walls two feet high. I passed a group of hikers at the summit who actually apologized for postholing the whole way, knowing the difficulty it causes snowshoers, telling me that they received "bad information". I told them that I would have made the same mistake were it not for my hike up Mount Zoar two days prior.

Although this is the fourth time I've climbed Blackhead, it's the first time I've noticed this excellent view of Windham High Peak to the north.

Fields to the north in Durham and Rensselaerville beyond the limb of the Catskill Escarpment.

Hikers had beat down the trail through deep snow along the summit plateau.

There was a group of college kids at the true summit, but I only stuck around long enough to take a picture, which I think surprised them. The highest point on Blackhead is deep in the woods, at the top of a small cliff, surrounded by spruce trees at a junction in the trail. There isn't much to see, especially given the number of times I had been there before. It was too late to attempt Arizona, so I turned around and headed right back down the way I had come.

A panorama from one of the overlooks below the summit. Black Dome is most prominent from this view.

Blackhead Mountain, elevation 3945'. Catskill 3500 Winter Peaks 2/4.

On the descent I understood what the hikers at the summit had apologized for. After speeding through the icy scramble section, I headed back down the steep switchbacks and realized what a pain it was hiking after postholers. I should have had an easy time hiking down on top of the snow, but every few inches was a giant foot-shaped hole in the ground. This weakened the snow meaning that I kept slipping and falling in. 

Looking northeast from below the summit, towards Mount Hayden and the valley forests of Windham.

A close view of Black Dome's summit, towering in the distance over the whole summit approach to Blackhead.

Parker Mountain stands out far in the valley below to the south.

Nonetheless I made good progress going down. Aside from a few areas of slush I was able to descend safely and quickly, although I was drenched in melted snow by the end of the day. Like on my previous hike on Mount Zoar, I found that descent went even faster in the snow, and the snowshoes seemed to be more effective going downhill (probably because I wasn't working against gravity anymore).

Blowdown from one of the recent storms, lower down on the trail.

A mile and a half out from the trailhead, I passed a man walking his two tiny wiener dogs. These dogs were around the same height as the snow, and had a very difficult time walking along the trail. I was impressed that they had made it that far. Soon I was back at the car, earlier than anticipated (but still too late for Arizona), and headed back home.