Wednesday, October 23
FLT Watkins Glen West
Hike report by Mark Sussman
On Wednesday, October 23, sixteen hikers and two dogs met at Whites Hollow Road, just to the west of the famous gorge at Watkins Glen for an out and back hike along the Finger Lakes Trail. This was a new area for most of the hikers.
The day was perfect for hiking. The sun was out, and while it started out cool, it soon warmed up so that most hiked in just shirts.
The hike has a number of interesting sites. There is a wonderful stone bridge and staircase, most likely dating back to the CCC days. There is a dam with a lovely pond beyond it, There is also the Hidden Valley 4H Camp just off the trail. The group enjoyed exploring the area and special sites. We arrived back at the cars after 2 hours of hiking and exploration.
Saturday, October 26
Abbott Loop east from Michigan Hollow Road to Hill Road and beyond, Danby SF
Hike report by Anne Becker
15 hikers met at the lower Abbot Loop crossing on Michigan Hollow road for a 3.5 mile hike in the Danby State Forest. There were enough leaves still on the trees and plenty of sunshine peeking through to make up for the chilly temperatures.
The route starts with a considerable climb, and then continues east to a lower section that includes boardwalks and creek-side views. A short road walk on the seasonal use Hill Road completed the eastern loop and got us back to the long descent to our cars. Keeping the group together proved challenging for first time hike leader Anne B., but all 15 did arrive back at the starting point safely.
Timing was not too far over the 2 hour mark, and so three club members then traveled south one mile to tour the property of Wayne Myers, known as Myers Gardens. The gardens were dormant, but this property also boasts beautiful stonework, a replica mill house and lots of antique farm equipment.
Sunday, October 27
Halloween Cemetery Hike
Hike report by Jim
For our annual Halloween Ithaca City Cemeteries hike, there was a problem before the hike started. Ithaca High School was hosting a large lacrosse event that left us with no place to park at our planned meeting location. A last-minute change of parking to Stewart Park, with a quick group email and a flurry of text messages to the hikers I knew were planning on attending the hike, found the majority of hikers able to locate the group at the park. We managed to acquire a few more hikers who joined us in the cemetery. In the end, our group consisted of 32 hikers and five dogs on a sunny and warm loop hike through the city cemeteries and Cascadilla Gorge.
After hiking from Stewart Park to Lake Street, we turned into Lake View Cemetery, stopping to check out a notable occupant or two along the way. We exited that cemetery and. stopped at Sunset Park to enjoy the view and take a group picture before setting off again on Stewart Ave to reach the Ithaca City Cemetery.
As we turned into the City Cemetery, we opted to bypass our usual wandering path through that place in order to save a few minutes, and we walked through the cemetery to University Ave., where we encountered a guided tours of the cemetery. Turning downhill, we walked to the base of the Cascadilla gorge trail, which we took to College Ave. The gorge trail was very enjoyable, between the visuals of the freshly fallen leaves throughout the gorge and the decent amount of water flowing in the creek. There were many other people hiking the gorge trail today, so I found myself frequently having to pause and wait for them to pass me by. From College Ave., we walked downhill through Highland Place and Williams Street back to Stewart Ave., where we took the pathway that follows Cascadilla Park Road back to the base of University Ave.
Once we were back in Fall Creek, the larger group splintered into many small subgroups as clusters of hikers stopped to admire the various Halloween decorations and other things to see in the Fall Creek neighborhood. The small group I was with opted to stop at Ithaca Falls on our way back to the cars and arrived back at Stewart Park 40 minutes later than the earliest hikers who had completed the route.
