My first backpacking trip, and I'm hooked!
Quick backstory: a friend and I are planning to do the CL50 this year, and part of the prep is conditioning and the other part is getting backpacking gear. He's done the Devil's Path in its entirety plus sections of it separately, but I've never been backpacking so it was time to get a tent, pack, sleeping pad, etc.
We spotted a car at the Peck Road trailhead and drove to Barnum Road lot with its "Snowplow Turnaround NO PARKING ANY TIME" signs (I did not get towed). The plan was to hit the Black Dome Range all the way to Blackhead then stay at the campsite just up from the Batavia Kill leanto. From there a third party was going to meet us at the Big Hollow lot, we'd drop our full packs and do Burnt Knob to Windham with day packs.
The Dome Range is no joke. The AMC guide lists the elevation gain to Black Dome at over 2000 ft -- this isn't including the down and up to Blackhead (my GPS puts it at 2770ft incuding Blackhead). In fact it reminded me a bit of the Tongue Range that I did the day before (conditioning!) in the relentless ups and downs. The view from Thomas Cole to Black Dome is particularly daunting; with summer foliage on the trees it looks like a much steeper descent and ascent until you realize you're hiking over a saddle. Along the range there were excellent views to the north (Windham) and south (Devil's Path/Kaaterskill/Overlook) if you pay attention to the spurs.
The trip down from Cole and up Black Dome had some scrambles, but the real test was getting down Blackhead on the Long Path. Lots of rock, lots of tricky vertical scrambles. Just after starting down a family with a dog asked how the view was and how difficult was the rest of the climb. I felt bad; they had lifted the pup up some of the scrambles, and would need to do so some more, and Blackhead doesn't offer much in the way of views. I was as honest as I could be, and they soldiered on.
It turned out they were staying at the campsite we planned on taking, and the leanto was fairly miserable; wet and rotting. After some scouting we eked out a backcountry campsite, thanks to having only one tent and not needing or wanting to build a fire. We had started at 2:00pm, so light was failing at this point but we made it; if you start earlier you'll have plenty of time. This was the first setback; in the morning it turned out our third party had twisted his ankle and wouldn't be coming. Not knowing this, we waited at the Big Hollow lot for an hour or so and finally decided to finish up with our full packs.
It seems that the Long Path trail to Burnt Knob and on to Windham isn't used often, it's very narrow and overgrown and really feels like wilderness. The views along this trail are amazing, possibly better than the Blackhead range, and I would suggest anyone looking to climb Windham try it this way. It seems the trail from Rt 23 is more popular but if you can spot a car, do Big Hollow to Peck Road.
As a final point we checked out the Elm Ridge leanto, which is gorgeous and on an amazing, long upraised slab of bedrock. I'd love to get my geologist friends out to take a peek. This rock formation extends back quite a bit so I imagine there are some legal backcountry camping possibilities.
According to GPS we did 14.1 miles (with a little searching for a campsite and spur trips for views) and 4575 feet of elevation gain. This put me at 8500+ft of elly and 7 peaks (not counting caudal or camel's hump) over a three day weekend. Not bad for some conditioning!
It's hard to understate the beauty of this hike, even parts of it. From the north leg we could see well to Albany and beyond, and from the south we could see the Hudson and past to Woodstock. Yes, it takes a bit out of you, but it's easily doable as a day hike, and there's the option of an overnight. Moreover, it got me hooked on backpacking, so if you're looking to introduce someone, consider it. And it's just a little over an hour from Albany!
Some photos
Quick backstory: a friend and I are planning to do the CL50 this year, and part of the prep is conditioning and the other part is getting backpacking gear. He's done the Devil's Path in its entirety plus sections of it separately, but I've never been backpacking so it was time to get a tent, pack, sleeping pad, etc.
We spotted a car at the Peck Road trailhead and drove to Barnum Road lot with its "Snowplow Turnaround NO PARKING ANY TIME" signs (I did not get towed). The plan was to hit the Black Dome Range all the way to Blackhead then stay at the campsite just up from the Batavia Kill leanto. From there a third party was going to meet us at the Big Hollow lot, we'd drop our full packs and do Burnt Knob to Windham with day packs.
The Dome Range is no joke. The AMC guide lists the elevation gain to Black Dome at over 2000 ft -- this isn't including the down and up to Blackhead (my GPS puts it at 2770ft incuding Blackhead). In fact it reminded me a bit of the Tongue Range that I did the day before (conditioning!) in the relentless ups and downs. The view from Thomas Cole to Black Dome is particularly daunting; with summer foliage on the trees it looks like a much steeper descent and ascent until you realize you're hiking over a saddle. Along the range there were excellent views to the north (Windham) and south (Devil's Path/Kaaterskill/Overlook) if you pay attention to the spurs.
The trip down from Cole and up Black Dome had some scrambles, but the real test was getting down Blackhead on the Long Path. Lots of rock, lots of tricky vertical scrambles. Just after starting down a family with a dog asked how the view was and how difficult was the rest of the climb. I felt bad; they had lifted the pup up some of the scrambles, and would need to do so some more, and Blackhead doesn't offer much in the way of views. I was as honest as I could be, and they soldiered on.
It turned out they were staying at the campsite we planned on taking, and the leanto was fairly miserable; wet and rotting. After some scouting we eked out a backcountry campsite, thanks to having only one tent and not needing or wanting to build a fire. We had started at 2:00pm, so light was failing at this point but we made it; if you start earlier you'll have plenty of time. This was the first setback; in the morning it turned out our third party had twisted his ankle and wouldn't be coming. Not knowing this, we waited at the Big Hollow lot for an hour or so and finally decided to finish up with our full packs.
It seems that the Long Path trail to Burnt Knob and on to Windham isn't used often, it's very narrow and overgrown and really feels like wilderness. The views along this trail are amazing, possibly better than the Blackhead range, and I would suggest anyone looking to climb Windham try it this way. It seems the trail from Rt 23 is more popular but if you can spot a car, do Big Hollow to Peck Road.
As a final point we checked out the Elm Ridge leanto, which is gorgeous and on an amazing, long upraised slab of bedrock. I'd love to get my geologist friends out to take a peek. This rock formation extends back quite a bit so I imagine there are some legal backcountry camping possibilities.
According to GPS we did 14.1 miles (with a little searching for a campsite and spur trips for views) and 4575 feet of elevation gain. This put me at 8500+ft of elly and 7 peaks (not counting caudal or camel's hump) over a three day weekend. Not bad for some conditioning!
It's hard to understate the beauty of this hike, even parts of it. From the north leg we could see well to Albany and beyond, and from the south we could see the Hudson and past to Woodstock. Yes, it takes a bit out of you, but it's easily doable as a day hike, and there's the option of an overnight. Moreover, it got me hooked on backpacking, so if you're looking to introduce someone, consider it. And it's just a little over an hour from Albany!
Some photos
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