Author: shesse

Hello Hikers!

Tues Aug 3

Report and photos by shesse

Farm road walk — Chicken Coop Road, town of Hector, Schuyler County

Gorgeous morning , 63 when we started, lovely clouds and a nice cooling breeze

Jack V lives just a few minutes walk from where Chicken Coop Road begins. Where is (or was) the chicken coop the road was named after, I asked him. No one knows. But there is this wonderful barn just as the road begins that creates a great rural feeling.

I’ve never done this walk in summer, and it didn’t occur to me the big fields that flank the road in the first stretch would be grown up. In the off seasons they provide a delightful farm-country vista.

Normally this road is almost untraveled, since it doesn’t really go anywhere. But we had the bad luck to arrive during a ditch improvement project, and there was a good bit of heavy dump truck traffic back and forth. It did ruin the peaceful setting a little.

The road climbs steadily as it herads west toward the Finger Lakes National Forest, and the views to the east and south get really pleasing. You can see to the other side of the lake from the higher parts of the walk.

Despite the big trucks, I had a great time. There is just a fantastic country feeling to this neighborhood that I love.

Official head count: 7H, four D. Final temperature as we wrapped up: 72

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Wed Aug 4

Hike report by Jim

Upper Treman SP — various trails

9 hikers and 3 dogs met on Woodard Rd outside of upper Robert Treman, for a hike of area trails.

Walking South on the FLT, the group soon encountered the CCC trail that connects the FLT to the parking area near the Old Mill inside Upper Treman. Most of the times the group has hiked the CCC trail its been from the opposite direction, so traversing the trail from the direction of the FLT was  a nice change for me.

Despite being the first week of August, normally a dry time of the year for area waterways, the wet summer we’ve had ensured a good quantity of water was flowing in Fish Kill Creek as we passed along it.

Once at the Old Mill the group passed over the bridge that crosses over Enfield Creek, and walked to the near-by trailhead for the Red Pine Trail.

In my time with the group we haven’t hiked this particular trail, although Stephen has since told me that in past earlier years this was one of the groups regular hike routes.

The Red Pine Trail, compared to other trails inside Robert Treman State Park, is a little more in a worn condition. The quantities of loose rocks encountered and the overall incline of the trail in places makes it a more difficult trail to hike on at anything faster than a very slow pace.

There’s an initial steep climb out of what used to be the Upper Treman camping area, long since converted to picnicking space; the trail passes through some nice stands of pines ( not surprising, given the trails name ). The middle portion of the trail is nicer than either end, with only moderate elevation gains and loss. Approaching the Gorge Trail, the Red Pine Trail makes a seriously steep plunge downhill, especially given the quantity of loose rocks encountered and overall poor trail conditions previously noted. This would be a good place to improve the trails footpath with a series of switchbacks, I would think.

Reaching the Gorge Trail the group took a minute to admire the waterway, then pointed towards Upper Treman and began the trek back towards the Old Mill via the Gorge Trail.

I used to race up and down this trail loaded down with tools and gear with hardly a thought in my early 20s; something seems to have happened to me in the intervening decades. The multitude of stone and wooden stairs are a slower trip than I remember.

We passed  a number of other day hikers enjoying the Gorge trail and the scenery around Lucifer Falls. We had encountered no other hikers on the CCC and Red Pine Trails.

Reaching the Old Mill the group jumped back onto the CCC trail, returning to the FLT. Since the hike had taken the group much less time than I had originally planned, some of us turned South on the FLT, continued across the wooden bridge over Fish Kill Creek and onwards to Butternut Creek Rd. Once on Butternut Creek Rd the group walked to Van Ostrand Rd before turning around and re-tracing our steps back to our cars. This resulted in a total hike time a few minutes short of the desired two hour hike time.

Since the group hadn’t done this particular route in a long while, I hadn’t really known what to expect as far as an accurate assessment for hike duration. If I were to do it again I would have hiked South on the Gorge trail along the stream for a few minutes to burn up some time. The appeal of this hike was primarily in its newness for most of the current group of hikers. I might keep it in reserve as a very infrequent  back-up hike, but in the interest of hiker safety I think that the condition of parts of the Red Pine Trail really preclude me from using that trail as a regular hike location for the group.

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Sat Aug 7

Reports by Leigh Ann and Jim. Photos by Cian and shesse

Morning hike through Treman SP — Cook-out at Roger’s

Hi, everyone.Jim and I agreed to write two hike reports about this morning’s hike at Lower Treman because, as is usual for this annual hike before the hiker cookout at Roger Beck’s, the group got very spread out.

The nine hikers and one dog started from the FLT parking lot on 13, crossed under 13 and stayed on the FLT for a bit. Then we came to what might be the funniest and best-bang-for-the buck piece of advertising ever: a green trail marker on which someone had written an arrow and “ice cream” with a sharpie. The arrow pointed at a little side trail that ended up at the mothership of Dennis’s Ice Cream (right where 13 and 34 separate), which, sadly, was not open yet. It was sad because the day was already quite hot and humid. This was by about 9:45.

Because it was hot and humid, the cliff of insanity on the FLT just to the west of the picnic shelter where we had last summer’s socially distanced hiker picnic was not as appealing as usual. So, we collectively chose to get onto the Treman State Park rim trail, took that west to the bridge that crosses the creek, and came back on the gorge trail.

By the time we got down into the gorge, the day was warm and hazy, like a North Alabama day in June. This is where we got so spread out that we were hiking in our own little groups.

From the gorge trail, we saw at least a dozen people enjoying splashing around in the stream, or walking slowly up the stream bed, or sitting in the stream under one of the many small waterfalls. The trail became more populated the closer we got to the lower falls parking lot. When the advance trio of hikers from our group arrived at this parking lot, it was packed. Not in a bad way: more in a collectively effervescent way.

Thoughts on the cook-out

Speaking of collective effervescence, the hiker’s cook-out at Roger’s was popping with it. The whole summer feels different after it for me, in a good way. Roger and Gunilla have such beautiful flowers around their ponds, the cooking crews did such a tasty and big job, and it’s always so fun to taste everyone’s favorite potluck dishes. Most of all, it was great to see people I haven’t gotten to see in the past 17 months and catch up. The weather was warm and nice, and it was a great, mellow time. Thank you, Roger and Gunilla, for your hospitality, and to everyone who headed up the cooking and set-up.
Best wishes,Leigh Ann 

Cian’s photos:

You can see Cian’s complete album here

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Jim’s report:

8 hikers and 1 dog met at the FLT pull-off near Shady Corners at the base of Newfield Hill, where State Routes 13 and 34/96 split.

This hike was announced at the parking lot as being unusual from our normal hikes, as I expected some hikers to leave early to attend Rogers picnic near-by.

The group set off on the FLT, entering lower Robert Treman State Park.

An oddity we noticed and commented on almost immediately was a short stretch of trail on the flats that has had some water intrusion. This stretch of trail, normally dry, was wet from water runoff from the surrounding hillside.

The group proceeded up the first short hill from the lower flatlands of the park camping area; after that the trail continues a gradual climb until it reaches and crosses the access road to the YMCA camp.

A short distance further up the FLT we encountered the side trail that runs off into the distance, offering the hiker a chance to buy some ice cream. As it was a hot and muggy day and we’ve never explored that trail, we followed it to Dennis’ Ice Cream at Decker Pond. Unfortunately the ice cream place was closed, so we returned empty handed to the FLT and proceeded Westerly.

Reaching the YMCA camp I made the decision to alter the hike, leave the FLT and jump onto the near-by Rim Trail for a change of surroundings from our normal FLT hike.

The group proceeded up the Rim Trail, meeting a few day hikers and having an enjoyable hike ourselves.

Reaching the turn-around time the rest of the group chose to proceed onwards for a few extra minutes of hiking, while I opted to remain behind waiting for their return. The rest of the group in fact did not turn around and continued on for a loop hike; I’m having Leigh Ann document this part of their hike separately.

After waiting a few minutes and not seeing the group returning, I continued onwards, running into Cian along the way. We continued on the Rim Trail until we reached the bridge below Lucifer Falls that connects the Rim and Gorge Trails. We opted to cross the bridge and take the Gorge Trail back to the lower park.

Here the frequency of other hikers  on the trail picked up, with numerous observed swimmers, day hikers, dog walkers etc

The Gorge Trail was very attractive as it proceeded along the waterway. Stopping to dip my hat in the running stream gave some relief from the heat of the day. I was extremely surprised at the number of people I saw on the trails who brought no obvious hydration supplies with them.

Reaching the lower park area we walked back to our cars and headed to the picnic at Rogers. Total hike time was about thirty minutes longer than our normal two hour duration.

There is some retaining wall and footbridge damage along the Gorge Trail. A couple of trees on the park trails requiring sawyer work were observed, but nothing that posed a hazard to hikers.

Report on the cook-out

Arriving at Rogers I found the party well under way. Chicken and other various food items were available in quantities to suit anyone’s tastes. Multiple cold beverage options were also available. A few hardy souls braved the cooler temperatures of the pond to swim. Clusters of people spread around the yard, the buzz of numerous conversations going on throughout the day.

As the afternoon wore on the bulk of the attendees slowly left, leaving a dozen or so remaining people along  with a good number of their dogs standing by. Roger broke out the clams as the final food course of the picnic; those were quickly decimated to everyone’s satisfaction.

While people came and went through out the party, I could not get an accurate head count. I can safely estimate attendance at 61 people, but I am sure that even that number is too low for the actual number of hikers and family members present throughout the afternoon

shesse photos:

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Cian photos:

You can see Cian’s complete photo album here

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Sun Aug 8

Hike report by Jim. Photos by Cian

Bob Cameron Loop, Connecticut Hill WMA

Eight people met at the radio tower on Tower Rd on Connecticut Hill for a hike of the Bob Cameron Loop Trail.

It was a great day to hike; not quite as warm nor as muggy as Saturday.

The group set off down the trail from Tower Rd; reaching the split in the FLT and the Cameron Loop, we veered off to follow the orange blazed trail. Despite recent rains the trail was not hazardous at all; damp but not muddy on the downhills. Given my past history of wiping out on the downhill portions of this trail it is always a concern for me. There were  a few sections of muddy trail along the way, but nothing that constituted a hazard to the hikers.

Lighting conditions were excellent, with the forest being well lit and a play of shadows and light from the sunlight coming to the forest floor from above.

I’ve always found most of this route to be an enjoyable mix of minor hills and flat areas. The majority of the footpath on the loop is a nice bed of needles, which I’ll take any day over a sometimes active streambed that’s filled with loose rocks or roots.

Water crossings were not difficult; while there was some minimal amounts of water flowing, it was not in such a quantity to create hazards.

Coming up out of the ravines on the return leg of the hike there was a nice breeze that made the hike more enjoyable.

The group moved along at a good pace that found ourselves back on Tower Road after only 90 minutes. We crossed the road and plunged into the woods on the FLT, quickly making a thirty minute out and back hike there to burn up our remaining hike time

You can see Cian’s complete photo album here

Cook-out at Roger’s, Sat Aug 7

We’ll have posts from Leigh Ann and Jim about the cook-out in Monday’s regular weekly hike roundup, including Jim’s estimate of the turn-out. We used to have everyone RSVP, so getting a pretty accurate head count wasn’t hard. This year, the only RSVPs were for the chicken.

Hello Hikers!

Tues July 27

Hike report and photos by Jim

Carson Road to the Woodchuck Hollow Lean-to on the FLT, Virgil

Six hikers and 1 dog set off on the FLT from Carson Rd in the Town of Virgil, headed Northerly towards the Woodchuck Hollow Lean-to.

The trail initially rises from Carson Rd at a steady pace. Passing by the remnants of an old stone wall, the footpath is a comfortable walking surface of layers of old leaves. The trail passes close to one of the recent DEC logging efforts, but not too close to the trail as with the Kuzia cut-off in near-by Kennedy Forest.

It was a great day for a hike, with the sun shining down through the layers of leaves, creating a patchwork of light and shadow on the forest floor.

Soon after passing the stone wall hikers had to clamber over the first of many recent blow-downs that are obstructing the trail in this area.

Reaching the crest of the hill the trail begins a gradual plunge downhill, the surrounding forest transitioning to stands of pine trees, and the footpath surface transitioning to layers of old needles.

There are quite a few stream crossings in this stretch, some are entirely dry, some with minimal amounts of water flowing, but none so full as to make the stream crossing difficult.

A couple sections of muddy footpath were also encountered along this portion of trail, but nothing seemed excessive or out of the norm from what we’ve come to expect from other local trails.

The trail soon comes to a split, with a blue blazed trail heading Northwest while the FLT continues Southwest. The group continued on the FLT, which skirted a fairly decent sized streambed for much of the remaining trail distance before the Woodchuck Hollow Lean-to.

Reaching the  lean-to the group paused for a group picture.

Continuing onwards beyond the lean-to, the group reached the other end of the blue blazed trail. Hiker June agreed to lead the group for the return leg of the journey, allowing me to backtrack and photograph several areas I’d seen along the trail.

I returned to Carson RD and found several members of the group waiting for me; they reported that the blue blazed trail on the map did not conform to the trail on the ground, resulting in the group having to backtrack and take an alternate route to get back to the cars. I will keep this in mind for any future group hikes of the area.

I enjoyed this hike and will consider it for a hike location for the remainder of the group. The parking situation on Carson Rd will likely dictate that this be a Wednesday hike with a lower number of hikers participating.

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Wed July 28

Hike report and photos by Jim

Texas Hollow SF, Bennetsburg

Seven hikers met in Schuyler County for a hike of the FLT in Texas Hollow.

It was a cool but sunny day.

The trail was slightly muddy in areas but not too bad.

The open meadow near the pond was overgrown, the footpath not having been mowed back recently.

Portions of the FLT we passed through were somewhat overgrown, prompting me to focus the hike mainly on the blue blazed trail that loops around one of the bogs.

The hikers set off on the FLT from the parking area, passing through the first woods walk portion with little difficulty. Walking through the overgrown grasses by the pond the group soon came upon and took the blue blazed loop that travels through stands of evergreens, the forest floor a cushion of evergreen needles.

Soon a short hike the group came to the junction where the blue blazed trail rejoins the FLT

Crossing a few small but flowing streams the group soon was climbing the hill out of Texas Hollow.

Reaching the hour mark the group turned around, re-tracing our steps back to the blue blazed side trail which we again hiked in preference to the much more overgrown FLT.

Passing the small pond again, the group walked to Texas Hollow Rd for a short road walk back to our cars.

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Sat July 31

Hike report by Leigh Ann. Photos by Cian

Logan Hill Preserve, Candor

Eleven hikers and two dogs met at the Candor middle/high school parking lot on Saturday morning to hike in Logan Hill Preserve. It was a cool, clear day that looked like high summer and felt like early fall.

We hiked southwesterly on Water Road, which turns into Logan Hill Road where it becomes a steep, seasonal, one-lane road – one that’s much better for hikers and the occasional ATV than for a car. The steepest part of this roughly 4.2-mile hike is front-loaded on this stretch of Logan Hill Road.

About a mile into the hike, Logan Hill Road makes a 90 degree turn to the west, and about 100 feet past the turn is the eastern trailhead. The well-marked yellow trail heads north from the road through deciduous forest. Then the trail heads up through wide fields with beautiful ponds and enters hemlock forest.  The trail winds around at the edge of a small gorge and turns back to the south. Then the forest becomes deciduous again, and the trail comes out at the top of another beautiful field with views of hills to the southeast. The trail returns to Logan Hill Road about 1/2 mile west of the eastern trailhead. Because this is a lollypop-shaped hike, the last mile of it is a long, lovely downhill on the same stretch of Logan Hill Road/Water Road that we came in on.

Fair-weather cumulus came in over the course of the hike, but the weather never got hot, and the views from the fields at the top of the hill were expansive. There hadn’t been rain for a few days, but there clearly had been a lot of rain before then. The undergrowth in the forest wasn’t dusty, so it shone in the sun. Tiny toads were hopping all over the place in the woods, and mushrooms were everywhere.
When we returned to the cars, Cian mentioned that there’s a goat dairy called Side Hill Acres about 3/4 miles from the school. Many of us drove over to the little store, which is a neat place to visit after a Saturday hike.

Best wishes,Leigh Ann

You can see Cian’s complete photo album here

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Sun Aug 2

Hike report by Jim. Photos by Cian

Dabes Diversion Loop, Cortland County

Ten hikers and two dogs set off on the Dabes diversion loop in Cortland County.

It was a warm, sunny day throughout the hike.

The threat of rain is the distance came in the form of far-away thunder, but no rain fell and darker clouds in the distance did not appear until the hike was completed.

The trail was dry throughout, with minimal amounts of water to contend with in the water crossings.

There was little to no mud on the footpath, and the dry bed of old needles and relative lack of roots on much of the trail made for a comfortable hike;  those and the weather all combined to make a particularly fast hike pace for the group today. The group  finished the hike with a good fifteen minutes left, but no one complained about ending the hike early.

Hikers made the first gradual ascent on the diversion loop to the observation point by the field, which was particularly enjoyable today due to the clear skies. This first portion of the hike to the observation point is one of my favorites.

The group then followed the FLT to the Kuzia cut-off. Here the recent handiwork of the CTC sawyer crews was obvious to everyone, as the trail wound through the large numbers of recent blowdowns was efficiently cleared of debris.

Once clear of the Kuzia cut-off the group made its way back to our cars, another hike successfully completed.

You can see Cian’s complete photo album here

Hello Hikers!

Tues July 20

Hike report and photos by Jim

Morgan Hill SF, Onondaga County

Four hikers met at the Spruce Pond parking lot on Herlihy Rd in the Morgan Hill State Forest, for a hike via the FLT/ NCT to the hang glider launch area that overlooks Labrador Pond in the Onondaga County Forest

Spruce Pond itself was extremely nice; near-by logging activities have not marred the ponds immediate surroundings. A decent breeze, the croaking of frogs in the pond, etc were a good atmospheric start to the hike.

The immediate stretch of trail was pleasant; very quickly hikers meet a fork in the trail, with the blue blazed FLT/ NCT going in a westerly  direction and the Fellows Hill Loop headed Northerly. Once past the fork in the trail its  a pretty steady slog up the hill for a short while. Once things leveled out a bit the group encountered some fairly wet, extremely muddy stretches of trail. As the trail eventually dipped towards a stream crossing the muddy trail transitioned  in some places to running streams of water. All part of a good day on the trail….

Once past the water crossing there were some additional muddy spots and smaller up and downhill sections, but nothing equal to the earlier hill climb.

Eventually the trail breaks out onto the hang glider launch area. There was some haze in the air today, so the view was not as clear or impressive as my last time at the site, but it was still quite enjoyable. We spoke a while with a section hiker we found at the overlook, and he was kind enough to get a group picture of us.

Leaving the overlook area we returned to the trail and began the return trek to our cars. We encountered a few other day hikers along the return hike.

Reaching the fork in the trail one hiker opted to end their hike there; the hike to that point had taken just a little over our normal two hour hike time. The rest of us opted to take in the views along at least part of the  Fellows Hill Loop. The route proved to be fairly easy, with minimal elevation gain or loss. The waterfalls were flowing well with water, and we stopped along the way to take several pictures.

Reaching Herlihy Rd a couple of us opted to road walk back to our cars; one hiker chose to hike on solo in order to complete the loop.

Overall a very good hike location that more of the group should take the time to check out. It was well worth the additional travel time. Thanks to Leigh Ann for suggesting this particular route to me.

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Wed July 21

Hike report by Jim. Photos by Tiger/shesse

Groton Loop Trail

Seven hikers and three dogs met on the 700 block of Spring Street in the Town of Groton for a hike of the Groton Loop Trail. This is a fairly new trail system that’s been created  just outside of the village of Groton. So new in fact that the person behind the trails creation a couple of years ago emailed me before our hike to advise me that a new portion of trail had just been created that wouldn’t be on the trail map. I had not had the opportunity to pre-hike the trail, so this was an exploratory hike for myself as well as the rest of the group.

The group set off from the trailhead parking lot, climbing a short hill that offered a look out across the valley occupied by Groton Village, to the hills on the opposite side.

Entering the forest the trail initially follows what must have been originally an old logging road. Soon enough the trail splits into two parts away from the logging road, with one trail leading down the hill and another up the hill. New signs with the various trail names assist hikers who did not bring a  trail map with them.

The group followed the lower trail, soon coming to another fork in the trail offering different directions of travel. The group opted for a fork that offered the possibility of a loop through the woods rather than what I believe is a direct path to Groton Village.

Continuing through the woods on what is now a wider trail footpath, hikers pass over several small water crossings that are shallow enough that they are probably entirely dried up in normal times.

There are some nice parts of the trail that pass through tall stands of trees. Berry bushes are plentiful, although the group was a week or two too early to be able to harvest more than  a handful of ripened berries.

We passed through a couple of additional forks in the trail, eventually coming out on the lower end of Sovocool Hill Rd at the Groton Village line. Thinking that we were at a higher road crossing on the map we looked for the trail to continue across Sovocool Hill Rd so we could complete a smaller loop above the area of the high school. Not finding a trail on the opposite side of the road we returned to the woods, re-traced our steps on the trail and took another fork in the trail that led up Sovocool Hill itself.

In this stretch of trail there are the most significant elevation gains we found on todays hike, as the trail follows the utility right of way. Having a utility line running directly above your head nearly within arms reach was a bit of a unique experience for me.

Eventually the group found the portion of trail that did cross Sovocool Hill Rd, but opted to continue our uphill climb along a quickly running stream that that portion of trail was then by.

Completing the climb up Sovocool Hill we followed the trail as it leveled out and returned to the entry point to the trail system by our cars.

Cutting out the lower loop, combined with out stops for map consults and rest breaks, todays hike  clocked in at just around fifteen minutes short of our regular hike duration. Anyone wishing to retrace our route should plan on crossing Sovocool Hill Rd and completing the lower loop to bring your hike time out to the standard two hour duration. Due to the newness of the trail system, hikers should plan on encountering some portions of trail that might not be as refined as trails that have been around for a longer time period. Overall, it was still a good hike.

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Sat July 24

Hike report by Jim. Photos by shesse and Cian

Upper Treman SP, FLT from Woodard Road to Hines Road and beyond, Enfield

Sixteen hikers and six dogs met on Woodard Rd for a hike of the FLT towards Hines Rd.

Some hikers opted for  a road walk of surrounding roads rather than the FLT.

The main body of hikers plunged into the woods. The surrounding undergrowth was bountiful, with several blow downs across the trail to liven up the hike. Mud in some places along the trail, but nothing that was unexpected. The worst stretch of mud was around the Treman Center, a stretch that is historically very muddy

Hikers reached Rockwell Rd without incident, and due to the amount of poison ivy encountered along the trail opted to road walk Hines Rd back to Woodard Rd. Once on Woodard the trail hikers reunited with the road walkers for the last stretch of hike time.

Once back at our cars the group had some hiking time left and opted to take the FLT in the opposite direction, towards the CC trail, to burn up the last few minutes.

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You can see Cian’s complete photo album here

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Sun July 25

Hike report by Jim. Photos by shesse and Cian

Jim Schug Trail, Dryden

Ten hikers and three dogs met at the parking area on Lake RD for a hike of the Jim Schug Trail towards Dryden Village

Temperatures were moderate, and after an early morning rain shower I wasn’t sure that the rain would hold off during the hike.

It did in fact not rain, although some of us came prepared with wet weather gear for that possibility.

The outbound leg saw an overcast sky, but by the time the group had turned around to head back to our cars the sun had come out and it was a pleasant return walk.

Use of the trail by others was light; I saw more deer on and along the trail on this hike  than I saw people outside of our own group.

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You can see Cian’s complete photo album here

Hello Hikers!

Tues July 12

Hike report by Jim. Photos by Nancy H

Steege Hill, Corning

Two hikers met outside of Big Flats for a hike of the Steege Hill Nature Preserve.

The weather was fairly muggy and this had a definite impact on the hike.

Since this was our first time hiking this particular preserve I had only an indefinite idea of which route I wanted to take within the preserve. There are five interconnecting trails within the Preserve that total seven miles.

Right after arriving at the Preserve I had a good talk with a Finger lakes Land Trust employee who happened to stop by the Preserve at that time; he pointed out that this is the largest of the FLLT holdings, which I was previously unaware of.

We set off on the yellow trail that leaves the parking area towards the summit. This is a gradual incline that deceives you as you’re on it. On the return trip back to our cars it was much more obvious of the continuous climb that this trail represents for the out-bound hiker.

Near the top of the hill we were faced with several possible trails and directions of travel, and opted to continue in a big looping counterclockwise circle on the yellow trail we were then on.

This trail passed by a nice( small ) pond and consisted largely on old logging roads and some slightly un-mowed ankle to calf-height grassy sections of trail  ( if ticks are a concern for you ).

Eventually the yellow trail intersects several side trails, including red, orange and blue. We opted for the blue, thinking that it offered a fairly level trail section that would return to the yellow trail and a return to the cars within our desired hike time. While not a bad trail section compared to many we hike on as a group, there was a fair amount of streambed walking on this blue trail. With recent rains filling the shallow streambeds and the humidity this might not have been an optimal trail route.

Eventually the blue trail connects up with a white trail that heads back towards the yellow loop and the return to the cars. We stopped briefly at the summit, where there’s a bench thoughtfully installed for visitors. The return to the cars was uneventful.

Total hike time at our leisurely pace including  a rest stop at the summit was around 2.5 hours for the route we took.

The pamphlet for the Preserve warns about rattlesnakes and bears; we never saw a bear while the only snakes we saw were non-poisonous varieties.

Plenty of berry bushes were encountered along the way and raided for their supply of small tart berries.

I believe that every Daddy Long Legs in the 607 area code was observed to be hiking with us. Once Nancy H pointed them out to me I felt like we were in a bad 1950s era sci fi movie, with little bodies on invisible legs rushing across and along the trail as we walked.

We shared the trail with one trail runner and her dog; otherwise we were alone on the trails.

For those of you willing to take a little bit of a drive for a new hike location this was not a bad destination

 

You can see Nancy’s complete photo selection here

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Wed July 14

Hike report by Jim. Photos by Mary

Lindsay Parsons Preserve, West Danby

Eight hikers and three dogs met in the parking lot of Lindsay Parson.

It was a warm and sunny day, uncomfortably so when out in the open. The humidity clung like to us like an outer layer of clothing, and the islands of shade were a welcome relief when crossing the open fields at the beginning and end of the hike.

Hikers set off out of the parking lot after a brief encounter with a dog walker, the only other hiker we saw on the trails during our time there.

The group found the main trails well mowed, which lessened the concerns about ticks.

Starting out on the blue trails from the parking area we soon made a stop at Coleman Lake, which was in much better shape than the last time I saw it after there’d been some recent earth-moving done around the lakes perimeter.

Leaving the lake we jumped onto the near-by red blazed trail, following that to the yellow trails that circle around some of the marshes on the more northerly end of the preserve. It was hre that we saw the only mud on the hike, which was not unexpected.

Back in the forest we transitioned to the orange trails that led the group across the railroad tracks. Once there the group completed the purple loop and re-traced our steps back across the fields to our cars. The hike came in exactly at the usual two hour mark.

As much as I tried to stop the group at major trail junctions we got split up at some point and we encountered part of our group coming from the opposite direction on the purple trails on the more Easterly side of the Preserve.

Gypsy moth activity was very obvious on the purple blazed trail portion.

With the humidity the smells and scents of the forests and fields were very pronounced on hike day. More than a few times I noticed how prominently the forest smells were presenting themselves during this hike.

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Sat July 17

Sun July 18

Hikes cancelled — threat of T-storms