Wednesday, April 2
South Hill Rec Way/Six Mile Creek, south side, rim trail
Hike report by Jim
Eighteen hikers and one dog met on Crescent Place in the city of Ithaca for a hike of the South Hill Rec Way trail system led by Chip McA. This is hike # 2-1 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-2.
The timing for this hike was good, as the street was signed for street closure starting tomorrow for street work.
Trail conditions were generally good, with little mud on the upper level of trails near the Rec Way trail. I didn’t try to hike the lower level of trails that go down to the waterway, although Nancy L hiked those lower trails on her own separate from the group hike and didn’t report having any difficulties.
The water crossings all had water flowing well enough for this time of year. The group stopped along the route to walk down the old stone stairs and at the second dam overlook.
The group completed the trail loop and arrived back at the rec way. We skipped the short rec way hike we normally do towards Burns Rd and instead headed directly back to the cars. As a result, we arrived back at Crescent Place a full thirty minutes early today.
The south hill rec way itself is due for some TLC work. While the trail surface isn’t muddy, the rock dust surface is either heavily worn or missing entirely. Time, I think, for the Town to invest in some trail upkeep. Hopefully when they extend the Rec Way towards the Town of Caroline in the coming years, the existing trail will get some touch-up work as well.
Warm welcome to Samantha, Margaret R and Jordan on their first hike with the group!
Saturday, April 5
Lloyd Starks Loop, Connecticut Hill, Newfield
Hike report by Nancy Lorr
Seven hikers met at the junction of Boylan, Lloyd Stark and Connecticut Hill Rd in Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management on a wet, chilly Saturday morning. The hikers were dressed for the rain in ponchos and rain pants ( I forgot the rain pants) bravely anticipating and game for a hike in the rain. We started off heading up Lloyd Stark Rd. After passing a pond on the right we cut into the bushes on a trail that led up hill to the long plateau top of Rowell Hill. After reaching the North end of the ridge we cut back on the other side, spotting the remains of a foundation. This trail brought us to a trail back to Lloyd Starks rd. We crossed this road and made our way back down to the bottom of the hill where there is a piney beaver pond with several quite evident but old beaver work. It wasn’t far back from there to the cars for a neat 4 miles.
Sunday, April 6
Black Diamond Trail from Houghton Road
Hike report by Jim
Fifteen hikers and three dogs met on Houghton Rd in the Town of Ulysses for a northerly out-and-back hike on the Black Diamond Trail led by Anne B. This is hike # 58-4 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-58.
The morning was overcast as the group set out, the sun being barely visible behind heavy cloud cover. During our hike the weather alternated between windy, sporadic rain and a short session of sleet.
Despite the weather we encountered several bicyclists and joggers on the rail trail over the course of the hike
With everyone setting their own pace for this hike the distances covered varied within the group, The faster hikers reported having covered a little over 7 miles during the hike.
A warm welcome to Patty on her first hike with the group!
