Wednesday, January 1
Loop Hike in upper Treman State Park from Woodard Rd., Enfield
Hike report by Jim
For the First Day hike of 2025, twenty hikers and two dogs met on Woodard Rd in the Town of Enfield for a loop hike of portions of several area trails, including the FLT, The Rim Trail and the CCC Trail in Robert Treman State Park, and the Margarets Woods Loop with the associated access trail that runs from the FLT. This particular hike route isn’t in our current hikes list but is a mish mash of portions of several other hikes. As with past First Day hikes I expected that we would have several new hikers with the group today, so it’s a little bit of a “highlights hike route” for new hikers. Several of our regular hikers with us today hadn’t been on our recent Margarets Woods hike when that trail loop first opened this fall, so this was a new location for them today.
After the group photo we set off on the FLT in the direction of Fishkill Creek. Passing the junction with the CCC and Margarets Woods access trails, the hikers crossed the creek on the wooden bridge, then hiked a short distance up Butternut Creek Rd to where the FLT turns left to return to state park property. Here the FLT footpath follows the edge of the bluff above Fishkill Creek, passing through a nice section of pine trees until it emerges at the end of the maintained portion of Thomas Rd. The FLT continues along the park access road portion of Thomas Rd until it arrives at the Rim Trail.
The hikers took this short section of the Rim Trail down to the Upper Treman parking lot. By this time the faster hikers had gotten ahead of the other hikers, so we paused briefly at the Old Mill to allow the slower hikers to catch up again. Once reunited, the hikers took the CCC trail through the old campgrounds and the old CCC camp area back to the junction with the FLT.
Leigh Ann took the lead at this point, and she led the group to Stonehouse Rd and through the loop of the Margarets Woods trail. By now the morning rain had turned to a wet heavy snow, the sound of the flakes striking the ground providing an auditory accompaniment to the water flowing in the streambeds we were passing by or over.
Completing the Margarets Woods Loop, the group returned to the FLT via the Margarets Woods access trail. The hike ended on time as the hikers climbed the short section of FLT back to our cars.
This section of the FLT is depicted on map sheet M16, available for purchase in either electronic or paper formats from: https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/. Purchase of the map sheets helps to defray on-going costs of trail maintenance.
Resuming in 2025 I am noting in my hike reports the number of FLT miles in that hike for those who wish to apply those miles towards obtaining an FLT 50 or FLT 100 patch. See here for further information: https://fingerlakestrail.org/whats…/hiking-programs/flt50/. Today’s hike included .6 FLT miles.
New hikers today included John, Jennifer and Snehal. Thanks to all of you for joining the group on this hike!
Saturday, January 4
YMCA Outdoor Education Center trails through Ecovillage and beyond
Hike report by Jim
Twenty-two hikers and two dogs met in the town of Ithaca for a somewhat looping hike that included trails in the YMCA Outdoor Education Center lands and the un-blazed Ecovillage trails, with a short section of the Coy Glen Natural Area linking the two ends of the hike. This hike is not on our hikes list due to the infrequency that we hike this location.
This hike was intended to be a memorial hike for recently departed Ithaca Hiker Jaime Z. Unfortunately, this week we also lost Ithaca Hiker Tom B just prior to this hike.
Trail conditions were good, with a thin dusting of fresh snow covering the footpath and trees around us during the hike. Wind was a little brutal when crossing some of the open fields along the way
As I was concerned about, despite written route directions for the Ecovillage portion of the hike I managed to get us temporarily lost, bringing us closer to the residences than I normally like to get. We were soon back on course and we turned around at our normal spot in Elm Street Extension.
Skirting the Ecovillage property on Town of Ithaca trails, we returned to Ecovillage land long enough to use their trails to return to the YMCA trail system. We arrived back at our cars about five minutes later than I had planned.
Warm welcome to new hikers Emily with family member and Christine, on their first hike with the group!
At the end of the hike, one of our group left a set of foot traction in the parking lot. See me if you are missing your foot traction!
Sunday, January 5
Bob Cameron Loop, Connecticut Hill, Newfield
Hike report by Jim
Twenty hikers and a single dog met on Tower Rd in the Town of Enfield, for a wintery hike of the Bob Cameron Loop and parts of the FLT. This is hike # 47 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-47.
This hike was on trails on FLT map sheet M16. Paper or electronic versions of the maps are available for purchase at https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/. Map sales help in defraying costs associated with trail maintenance.
There was a thin layer of fresh snow covering the areas of Connecticut Hill that we hiked through this morning. Stream crossings were ice-covered, and the streams themselves had a good amount of water flowing. Mud was minimal and only found in a couple of low-lying areas that hadn’t entirely frozen over by the time of our hike.
The snow wasn’t deep enough to be an impediment to the hikers. Most of the group wore some form of foot traction, but I don’t think that it was needed. Based on tracks in the snow there were a small number of people who had apparently preceded us on the Loop this morning, but we never encountered any other trail users during our hike. I think that I saw more wildlife tracks over the distance of the loop than I did of footprints from hikers other than our own group.
Leaving Tower Rd, the group travelled a short way on the FLT before turning onto the Cameron Loop. The first half of the hike is a steady downhill, with the inevitability that whichever way you go on the Loop, the second half of the hike will be an uphill slog. I generally take the group in a clockwise direction on the Loop, although some hikers today mentioned that they normally go in the other direction. Maybe I’ll try that direction in one of our future hikes here. The terrain is varied enough throughout the hike that I enjoy the variety of sights and sounds and even the gradual ups and downs, switchbacks, straightaways trail sections and other aspects of this loop that make it so enjoyable for so many hikers.
Leigh Ann took over leading the group at about the halfway point in our route. Once the hikers made it back to Tower Rd, Leigh Ann crossed that road and continued on the FLT for a short out-and-back portion of the FLT to bring the hike time up to our regular hike duration.
By the end of the hike I estimate that the group had completed about 3.5 FLT miles. Those of you who want to apply for an FLT 50 or FLT 100 patch for 2025 here: https://fingerlakestrail.org/whats…/hiking-programs/flt50/ can include todays trail miles towards either of those patches.
