Hello Hikers!
Wed Jan 20
Hike report by Jim — photos as credited
Jim Schug Trail, Dryden
Five hikers met in the Jim Schug trail parking lot on Lake Rd.
There was fresh snow falling, a torrent of white that increased as we walked the outbound leg of the hike.
A couple of people on the trail ahead of us disappeared into the flurries of white, never to be seen again by the group.
The fresh snow on the ground made for easy walking, and our footprints behind us quickly disappeared under the continued accumulation falling from the sky
The group made the normal detour off the trail to the parking lot for a quick group photo, then continued on our way.
By the time we reached the turn-around point the snow had stopped.
The return trip to the cars was under the baleful watch of a weak sun obscured by cloud cover. The clouds parted for a single incident, allowing the suns rays to brighten the path around us for barely an instant.
The surrounding natural grays, browns and tans of grasses and tree bark stood out in sharp contrast to the fresh snow.
The return trip was a few minutes quicker than the outbound leg
Overall it was a good hike despite the weather conditions.
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Sat Jan 23
Hike report and photo by Jim
Black Diamond Trail from Kraft Road north
Nine people and two dogs met at the Kraft RD parking area for the Black Diamond Trail.
Winds were fairly high, with buffeting from various directions being a constant through the early parts of the hike
The group proceeded Northerly on the Black Diamond Trail. The trail surface had a fresh layer of snow from the overnight snowfall; with other trail users at a minimum, the trail walking surface was actually quite enjoyable. The group passed through the many areas of open fields and residential areas that make up the trail through that neighborhood.
By the time the group got to the bridge connecting the North and South trails at Taughannock Falls we were fairly dispersed from each other. The water going through the upper chasms above the falls were quite impressive, both due to the volume of water flowing under us as well as the visual effects of the snow and ice coating the surrounding stone faces.
Once beyond the falls and on the Northerly Taughannock trail, hikers finished out the outbound hour and turned around.
The group slowly reconnected on the return leg of the hike. The winds we had faced on the outbound part of our journey were nearly gone by that time, and the return leg seemed much more conducive to conversations as the group walked back to our cars.
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Four photos by Cian
You can see Cian’s complete photo album here
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Sunday Jan 24
Hike report by Jim
Dabes Diversion Loop, Kennedy SF, Virgil
7 Hikers and 2 dogs met in Virgil for a hike of the Dabes Diversion loop.
There had been some fresh snowfall during the previous evening, in addition to small daily accumulations over the preceding days.
The total accumulation was not horrendous however, and the most recent overnight addition to that total was still powdery light snow that was not terribly hard to get through compared to some past hikes we’ve done.
The day started out calm and overcast, although by mid-hike the sun was out and casting a brilliant blinding flood of light across the field that marks the intersection of the FLT and the Diversion Loop. By the end of the hike the wind had picked up, as if to encourage the group of us gathered around our cars to leave the area and return another day.
On the outbound leg of the hike a solitary skier had at some point in recent days been kind enough to break trail for us, although the overnight snowfall and blowing winds had partially eradicated that benefit for our group.
Snow clung to the pines, both trunks and limbs, as if they were all wearing white woolen sweaters. This was particularly noticeable in the areas of the trail that pass through large stands of monoculture evergreens
Despite the broken trail and fluffy snow, it still took the group considerably longer than normal to reach the junction of the FLT and the Diversion Loop. Breaking from our normal routine, we turned to the right on the FLT and visited the near-by shelter. Rather than continue North on the FLT the group opted to do an out-and-back and return to our cars over the broken trail that we had hiked in on.
As we were starting the return leg of the hike, we encountered another four hikers and one dog who had arrived at the parking area a little later than normal. The late arrivals chose to continue on to the field overlook themselves, while the main body of hikers resumed the hike back to the vehicles. The late arrivals were soon behind the main body of hikers for the return leg.
Overall, a good day and location for a hike.
Four photos by Cian
You can see Cian’s complete photo album here