A PURR-FECT PANORAMA SEEN FROM CATHEAD'S SUMMIT.(TRAVEL)

Byline: DENNIS APRILL Special to the Times Union

Cathead -- what an unglamorous name for a little mountain that offers such terrific vistas from its summit! Maybe someone thought the mountain looked like a cat's head (although that is hard to imagine), or perhaps in the old days, a mountain lion was shot in the head on the peak's bare top. Whatever the real story, I like to think Cathead got its name because it requires a few short, but focused, bursts of energy to reach its top, while the outstanding views sneak up on you as you approach the summit.

Two weeks ago, my daughter Karalyn and I drove down the Bensen Road, just north of Great Sacandaga Lake, to a trailhead …