Parking for this walk is very limited and a bit dangerous, so we only do it on Wednesdays when the turnout is smaller. It’s a shame because I’m sure our weekend hikers would really enjoy this hike just as much. Two things set it apart — many of the trees are unusually large and old, and the terrain rises and falls pretty steeply in a striking mannerWe used to hike here regularly, but then I began to find the trail too steep, so we didn’t come for three years. Then my curiosity got the better of me. I was surprised to see that Cornell Plantations, which owns the forest, has created an extensive new trail segment that’s very wide and well groomed, and is extremely easy to walk on. I was thinking they’d redone the whole length of the trail, and eliminated the super-steep and rugged ups and downs that I’d come to find so challenging.Alas, most of the original old trail is still there, as hairy as ever, though the difficulty has been eased in several spots by the provision of some sturdy rope strung along the steepest parts. But it’s still grueling.But I don’t mean to complain too much. The forest is really exceptionaly nice.Unfortunately the trail’s not long enough to last two hours, but it’s too long to do two circuits, so you have to quit early. I didn’t mind; my ass was dragging
Raining very lightly at the meet-up — not a great forecast — the regulars faithfully turned out anywayIf you enjoy grey damp cool weather, it was actually quite nice outWe’re strongly focused on trying to keep our slower hikers from getting lost here — Norm is making a directional arrow out of branches to show which way to turn, since it’s not obviousIf you click on this shot and look closely at the high resolution version that will pop up, you’ll see snow falling — this was the second year in a row it snowed on the last Sunday of April while we were on the trailThis might be the first time ever that everyone on a hike made it into a formal group portrait — we have certain hikes where a portrait is always part of the routineThe scene back at the cars could look a little bleak and grim to you — in fact, everyone was in a very cheerful mood
