Wednesday, December 18
Upper Buttermilk State Park, Ithaca
Hike report by Jim
Twenty-seven hikers and five dogs met in the parking lot of upper Buttermilk Falls State Park https://parks.ny.gov/parks/buttermilkfalls/details.aspx in the Town of Ithaca for an out-and-back hike led by Leigh Ann. This is hike # 10-1 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-10.
The day was cool and overcast as hikers pulled into the parking lot. The number of hikers mostly filled the available spaces; I can only assume that the hikes’ central location and this morning’s weather being the last nice weather before the predicted snowfall tonight were motivators for joining the hike.
After the group photo we crossed the wooden pedestrian bridge near the parking lot and set off up the Bear Trail. Trail conditions were generally good, and it didn’t take long before the group was spread out over a good distance. Before too long we were at the open fields near the vehicle ford. Continuing on towards Lake Treman, the group stopped often to take photos of the small waterfalls and the lake itself.
Once on the Treman loop trail the hikers walked to the FLT spur trail, which we took to Yaple Rd, and from there walked to Comfort Rd and crossed the bridge to re-enter park land from the Comfort Rd access trail.
The hikers walked as far as the closed wooden staircase before turning around and re-tracing our route. Most hikers chose to return to the parking area via the Bear Trail; a small group chose instead to road walk from the fording area back to the parking lot.
Everyone arrived back at the parking lot at about the same time, Leigh Ann having taken the main group to West King Rd and walked them across the main bridge there before returning to our vehicles.
Saturday, December 21
Ithaca Lakefront Hike
Hike report by Jim
Sixteen hikers and a dog met in Stewart Park for a wintery hike to and from Steamboat Landing on our semi-traditional farmer market hike on the last day of Market operations for the year. This is hike#53-2 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-53.
The lake was dark and sullen, the wind coming off the lake seemed nearly brutal in its intensity. Snow drifted across the park roads before plows came through clearing the lanes as hikers arrived.
I didn’t want to stand around waiting any longer than necessary due to the wind, so we took off walking very promptly on time. We circled the old swan pond, then crossed the first suspension bridge and entered the Renwick Wildwood Paths. Here away from the winds off the lake we found the tree limbs thick with a coating of snow, some branches leaning heavily into the path and creating a canopy at most hiker’s head height that we had to pass under. The snow under foot was only a few inches deep but almost like walking in sand.
We paused by the old archway for our group photo, then continued the blue blazed loop as it followed the shore of Fall Creek. The geese were particularly vocal today as they gathered on the open patches of water; a good amount of the calm sections of the creek had a skim of ice on the surface this morning as we crossed the second suspension bridge towards the golf course.
Because of the wind I chose to not visit lighthouse point nor circle the golf course as we normally would do on this hike. Instead, we walked more or less directly to Steamboat Landing, where we found the farmers marker already well attended and the infamous rutabaga curling contest underway.
After arriving at the farmers market, it was pretty much every hiker for themselves; some opted to turn around immediately and continue hiking. Several of us loitered about the farmers market for a little while. My personal tradition there on this hike is a cup of warm cider and an apple donut. That task fulfilled, I located the last of our group still at the market. They indicated that they would be staying a while longer, and so I set off on my return trip to Stewart Park.
The wind and snow had picked up by now; while it wasn’t white out conditions, the intensity of the snowfall was more than it had been on the outbound portion of the hike.
I arrived back at my car as the last of the group caught up with me.
Sunday, December 22
Owl Creek Trail, lower Buttermilk Falls State Park, Ithaca
Hike report by Mark Sussman
Seven hardy hikers showed up on this cold Sunday morning for a hike up the Owl Creek trail at Buttermilk State Park. We hiked up the hill, stopping to enjoy the view from the overlook until we got to the cemetery. The group was shown the plaque commemorating an early settler who made their way to Ithaca by canoe and then overland through the wilderness. We walked down the hill and detoured through the Buttermilk cabins. The group then explored the rail trail that passes by Buttermilk.
