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| Blackhead, Black Dome, and Thomas Cole |
We arrived at the DEC parking lot on Big Hollow Rd. (Country rt 56) about 3pm and planned to stay the night near the Batavia Kill shelter. It is a quick hike in to the shelter, about 1.5 miles, and we made good time. We hung out at the shelter for a bit before making our way up to the top of the ridge where we hung our hammocks and set up for the night.
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| Tom hanging out in Batavia Kill shelter |
Once camp was set up we had time to kill before dinner and we just relaxed in the hammocks and enjoyed the afternoon. For dinner, we made the short trip back to the shelter to cook and refill our water bottles. Mountain House Chili Mac went down good for me and Tom made a tuna wrap and then downed a Mountain House Spaghetti and Meat Sauce meal. Both Mountain House meals were tasty and filling. We agreed they were "keepers" and would make another trip with us in the future. After dinner we refilled water near the shelter and made our way back to our stealth site. It was a nice relaxing evening and we were both in the hammock before dark. We heard a group of hikers pass by on the trail and make their way down to the shelter, and from the sounds of it set up camp there. I was glad we opted to set up further away.
The morning dawned bright and sunny and we broke camp early, hoping to beat the afternoon heat. We ate a quick breakfast and made our way to the Escarpment Trail and began the climb up Blackhead. From reading reports online I was expecting a steep difficult climb, and that is exactly what it was. It is just under a mile to the summit from where we started and the climb gets steeper and more difficult the higher you go. There is a nice lookout on the way up and other screened views as well.
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| Getting steep now |
After the first views and as it got steeper and more technical, Tom really started to enjoy the mountains and hike. I, on the other hand, began to run out of gas and was pretty tired by the time we reached the summit, at 3950ft. We both loved the climb though, using both our hands and knees to get over obstacles, and the change in forest, to a Boreal forest, was awesome. We both loved it. We took a short break at the summit and drank and rested before exploring the top and seeing another lookout.
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| Camp Steel 1935 |
After hanging out on Blackhead for a bit we headed over to Black Dome. The trail descends about 400 ft or so before climbing to the summit of Black Dome. There was a great view on the way down and we stopped and took many pictures before the trees covered us again.
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| Looking at Black Dome |
After the great views we made our way down to the trail junction in Lockwood Gap. We decided to drop our full packs and hike Black Dome and Thomas Cole with only the cameras and water. It made it much easier and we were glad to be rid of the weight. The climb up Black Dome has some steep scrambles and there are a couple spots where both hands are required to make it up. It goes pretty quick and soon you are cruising through the Boreal forest on top and the hiking is easy. On the way up there is a lookout offering a great view of Blackhead and the valleys on both sides. It was great and Tom enjoyed seeing the mountain he had just hiked up and over.
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| Climbing up Black Dome |
We hiked up and over the summit of Black Dome, 3990 ft, with only one lookout. This offered nice views looking south and west. Hunter mountain stood out to me as we enjoyed the view. We then started toward Thomas Cole mountain, which has no views from the summit. Tom decided he would wait for me and I made a quick jaunt over and back to hit the summit. Thomas Cole mountian is 3950ft with a beautiful Boreal forest on the summit but no views out. After reaching the summit I returned and Tom and I made our way back over Black Dome and down to Lockwood Gap to retreive our packs.
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| View from Black Dome |
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