Wednesday, September 25
Groton Village trails
Hike report by Jim
Ten hikers met on Spring Street Extension in the Town of Groton, for a hike of the Groton Village Trails system: https://www.grotonny.org/trails. This is hike # 43 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-43.
The day was cool and clear when I arrived at the parking area. The forecast was for a dry morning, with rain predicted to start around 2 PM. The views across the valley to the far hills was good. Soon after I took the picture included with this report the rain started and quickly turned into a significant downpour; much of the distant view of the hills was diminished for a while.
The rest of today’s hikers arrived and climbed the short hill to where I was waiting for them. After the briefest of introductions due to the rainy conditions, we started the hike. The rain continued for the first few minutes of the hike, and the overhead leaf canopy didn’t seem to offer us much protection from the elements. This sort of total rain isn’t one we’ve encountered much on hikes this summer, and thankfully the rain didn’t last long into the hike.
The initial leg of the hike consists of a series of downhill trails that range in grade from “gradual” to “somewhat steep”, the latter only being a problem with the trail surface or the leaves underfoot becomes slippery in the rain, as during today’s hike.
Some of the trail sections we hiked today are somewhat overgrown and in need of a pruning or mowing, but others we passed through are perfectly fine. The trail sections vary from a single track to a wide country logging road where you can walk next to each other quite easily.
The forest greenery around us during today’s hike was clearly in the midst of its fall color transition, so we were surrounded by a variety of forest colors.
Eventually the lower section of trail we were on comes out onto Sovocool Hill Rd, where the hikers posed for a group photo before crossing the road and continuing the hike on the lower series of loops that come out directly behind Groton Middle/ Senior High School.
On the return leg of the hike, for the uphill climb back to Sovocool Hill Rd, Anne took over leading the group.
We arrived back at Sovocool Hill Rd, crossed back over that road and continued on the upper loop of the trail system. The upper loop returns to the parking area. A few minor stream crossings were actively running with that mornings rain.
The group returned to the cars about ten minutes early. Most of the hikers agreed to meet for lunch on the Village of Groton, which made a nice conclusion to the mornings hike.
Warm welcome to Mimi on her first hike with the group!
Saturday, September 28
Bob Cameron Loop, Connecticut Hill, Newfield
Hike report by Jim
Twenty-four hikers and two dogs met on Tower Rd in the Town of Newfield for a hike of the Bob Cameron Loop and part of the near-by Finger Lakes Trail. This is hike #47 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-47
The day had a hint of rain as we drove to the trailhead, but by the time hikers arrived on Tower Rd there was no immediate sign of precipitation.
The group posed for a quick photo before walking a short distance down Tower Rd to access the Cameron Loop and FLT.
Trail conditions were good overall; this footpath is rarely entirely dry, but today any mud we encountered was minimal. There was no water flowing in the streams we crossed or hiked alongside. There was a minimal amount of freshly fallen leaves on the trail today, but the most brilliant of those fallen leaves were on the FLT after completing the Cameron Loop and crossing Tower Rd to do a short out-and-back on the FLT.
The beginning of this hike consists of a long downhill section, first on the FLT immediately off Tower Rd, and once the Cameron Loop splits off from the FLT it continues that same downward direction for some time before making a final stream crossing and beginning a long uphill return to Tower Rd consisting in some places of switchbacks on the more serious inclines and a meandering trail through the woods in other spots.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable hike; the group paused occasionally to look at one or another natural thing observed along the trail. We did encounter one couple hiking the Loop today but otherwise had the trail to ourselves.
During the uphill return portion of the Loop Leigh Ann took the lead for the remainder of the hike. A steady light rain started to fall, and by the time the group had returned to Tower Rd a few hikers opted to end their hike early rather than continue on the FLT.
About half of the original group crossed Tower Rd and continued on the FLT for about twenty minutes before turning around and returning to Tower Rd and our cars.
Sunday, September 29
FLT from Spruce Pond to Jones Hill, including Fellows Hill Loop Trail, Tully
Hike report by Jim
So, I screwed up on today’s hike.
This was supposed to be an out-and back from Spruce Pond in Morgan Hill State Forest in Onondaga County to the hang glider area at Labrador Hollow State Area. We last did that hike in 2021 as one of our Tuesday ” farther away ” hikes, and it’s on our list of hike locations as Hike # 60-1….. but that’s not the hike we did.
I went left instead of right on the Onondaga Trail very early in the hike, as I was operating from memory of the last hike we did at that location. It was a nice out-and-back hike for fourteen hikers and two dogs, to be sure. People who drove a little longer than normal for our hikes, taking a chance that it would be a good hike even after the overnight precipitation. It ended up being a nice woods walk with little in the way of real elevation gain. The group walked along a ravine or two along the way, a couple of extremely minor water crossings that had little in the way of actual water, even after the previous night’s rainfall. I’m not sure that I would list this as its own unique hike on our hikes list, given the distance people drove for what ended up just being a woods hike with little in the way of unique attributes.
We encountered a small group of trail runners early in the hike but otherwise had the trail to ourselves.
Eventually we turned around and walked back to Spruce Pond, where we took the group photo. From there a few hikers drove to another nearby parking area intending to approach the hang glider area from that direction. Leigh Ann opted to do the original hike as I had intended to do it, and a few of us did a short section of the Fellows Hill Loop Trail around Spruce Pond.
For those of you who might want to try this hike and actually pay attention to the map while on the trail, map sheets are available for purchase in paper or electronic formats through the Finger Lakes Trail Conference at : https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/. This particular map sheet is available there as ” The Onondaga Trail”. Sale of the map sheets helps to defray the costs associated with trail maintenance.
