Thirty Hikers and one dog showed up for a hiking tour of Camp Barton. The group followed The steep rim trail to get a glimpse of all 3 way waterfalls. The water levels were low enough that we could carefully make our way to the base of Frontenac falls.
Photo by Mark Sussman
Saturday, November 23
Lime Hollow Nature Center, Cortland
Hike report by Jim
I’ll start by saying that I am aware that some members of our group lost power or sustained property damage in the recent storm. Some of you are still without power as of my writing this, and I want you to know that all of you were on my mind throughout today’s hike.
Nineteen bipedal hikers and a single quadrupedal hiker checked out the trails at Lime Hollow Nature Center in Cortland County, on the morning after the first real snowstorm of the season. This is hike # 37 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-37.
There were only a couple of inches of heavy wet snow on the trails this morning; away from the open areas and under the trees there was often no snow on the ground at all, and we could enjoy hiking over a carpet of fall leaves or old pine needles. The skies were a mix of clouds and sun, and temperature were what I would consider moderate and enjoyable for hiking weather.
I think that there was no point at all on this morning’s hike where we had more than one set of footprints in the snow on the trail ahead of me, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
Leaving the Gracie Rd parking lot, we headed west on the Lehigh Valley Trail, using the Hawthorn Connector to complete the High Vista Loop around Baldwin Pond. Returning to the Lehigh Valley Trail, we turned onto Hermits Way, completing a loop via the Fen Way to return to the Lehigh Valley and back to Gracie Rd.
Crossing Gracie Rd, we continued on the Lehigh Valley Trail to Maple Run, which we took to Chicago Bog. One thing I noticed about both the Chicago Bog and Baldwin Pond was how totally still and becalmed the water surfaces were this morning. After a brief pause there for some photos and snowman building, we made another loop of the Phillips Memorial Trail and the Esker Connector to return to Maple Run. From there a quick return hike to the cars brought us back to the parking lot right on time.
Warm welcome to James P, who hiked with us today for the first time!
On a gorgeous Wednesday morning, 21 hikers (and 2 dogs) braved some of the back-est of back roads to reach a remote Connecticut Hill trailhead. The air was crisp and the skies a spectacular blue as the group first headed west and uphill, passing through a mid-19th Century graveyard to reach a series of old logging roads. The trail wandered gradually downhill and then leveled out, becoming more obscure upon turning southward. After crossing the FLT, the group hiked through a beautiful section of forest where an open understory revealed the majesty of large old hemlocks. After a turn to east and a short climb, the hike emerged briefly onto a road before re-entering woods to the east for a nice walk through a stand of red pines to reach a short walk on FLT for the return to the cars. The group moved quickly, finishing the hike about 15 minutes ahead of plan. The rustle of deep leaves provided the soundtrack for a morning of lovely weather, pretty scenery, and friendly conversations, and no complaints were heard!
Photo by Jim
Friday, November 15
FLT from Schuyler County Veterans Memorial Park, Alpine
Hike report by Jim
Twelve hikers met at the Schuyler Veterans Memorial Park for what was supposed to be our inaugural group night hike, a moonlit evening out-and-back hike on the Finger Lakes Trail. This section of the Finger Lakes Trail is on map sheet M15 and is available for purchase in either paper or electronic formats at: https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/. Sale of the maps helps to defray costs related to maintaining the FLT. This particular hike is hike # 66 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-66.
Today’s forecast predicted that the cloud cover would dissipate by evening. This proved to not be the case; while the day prior to and the day after this hike are both predicted to be cloudless, we never saw the moon at all during this hike. Very frustrating, to say the least.
Much of the outbound leg of the hike was done in the last dwindling twilight. I didn’t want the entire hike to be in darkness, and I thought that by hiking part of the route in daylight it would make the nighttime portion of the hike more familiar to those who aren’t so used to hiking at night.
Temperatures while cool were not unbearable. There was no wind at all, and the amount of mud we encountered along the way was minimal at best.
Hikers left the Veterans Park and proceeded southeasterly, crossing over a dry creek bed and through some nice wooded sections of trail before reaching route 6. Crossing the bridge there we turned into Gulf Rd and then followed the FLT along Cayuta Creek. By now it was truly dark, and people were navigating by headlamp or handheld flashlights. We continued along the creek until reaching our normal turn-around point where the old wooden bridge used to be until just a couple of years ago. I’ve described this section of trail many times when we’ve previously hiked here on our normal daytime hikes.
We paused at the turn-around point for about ten minutes before turning around and re-tracing our route back to the cars. When we got back to the Vets Park some of the hikers reported that we’d done 4.5 FLT miles (for those of you who might be going for your FT 50 or FLT 100 patch for 2024 ).
I have been trying to get one of these night hikes on the schedule since literally before covid came along, and I appreciate everyone who took time out of their Friday evening for my first attempt at leading a night hike for the group. I can only hope that if we attempt this again in the future that we can do it when the moon is actually visible in the sky……
Photo by Jim
Saturday, November 16
Cayuga Nature Center Trails, Ulysses
Hike report by Jim
Thirteen hikers met on Houghton Rd in the Town of Ulysses for a hike of Cayuga Nature Center Trails. This is hike #45 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-45.
The morning was cold, and the winds brisk, as hikers arrived at the parking lot. By the end of the hike the temperatures had warmed, the sky was an amazing blue with large clouds, and it was overall a very beautiful day compared to the start of the hike.
After a group photo we set off across the open fields via the Meadows Trail. After arriving at the main lodge building, we circled that structure via the Sugarbush Trail, quickly arriving at the main entrance road. From there we crossed to the various trails on the west side of the property. Things went well until we got to the Wilderness Loop, which I know from past hikes here that it has some issues with its blazing. This portion of the hike became a group exercise as we spread out through the woods looking for the next blaze on the trees ahead of us.
Completing that loop we next circled the Habitat Trail and the Stream Trail to get back to the main entrance road.
Returning to the back of the Lodge we stopped at the Treehouse for a few minutes, allowing many of our hikers to climb through that structure.
On the trail back to the parking lot, many of the hikers opted to call it a day and went directly back to the cars. A few of us used the last twenty minutes to do a short out-and-back on the Black Diamond Trail.
Twenty-two hikers and six dogs met at the junction of East Miller and Marsh Roads in the Town of Danby, for a road walk hike. This is hike # 25 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-25. Now that we are officially in firearm hunting season, we’ll be doing more of these sorts of hikes until the end of the year.
Today proved to be a pleasant hiking day, with cool temperatures and clear skies with a good amount of sunshine to make the hike that much more enjoyable.
After the group photo we set off down Marsh Rd, everyone taking advantage of the surroundings to hike at a variety of speeds and sometimes two or three abreast for ease of conversation, something we don’t often get to do on more traditional hiking trails.
Passing Hornbrook Rd, Marsh Rd becomes an unpaved dirt road, and it appeared today that they’ve done some culvert repairs along this section this summer, so the somewhat uneven of the road here from past years has now been addressed and the road surface is in fine shape until the turn onto Deputron Hollow Rd.
Deputron Hollow Rd for most of its length, until you get closer to Coddington Rd, is likewise a dirt country road, with some access to summer camps or fields in the first tenth of a mile or so. The road makes a gentle short incline after the turn from Marsh Rd before beginning the continuous downhill stretch to Coddington Rd. This section of the road seems to be recovering well from the logging of recent years that gave it the appearance of a warzone at the time.
Roger and I had discussed prior to the hike about modifying our straight out-and-back route here of recent years to include a side hike down the seasonal Olsefski Rd that the group used to do when Steve and Susan were the group leaders. With Leigh Ann leading the fast element of the main group today, I opted to veer off onto Olsefski Rd and check it out for myself, since we haven’t hiked it recently. Theres more development on the road and a lot more posted signs than I recall in the past, but its still a do-able route for the group the next time we come this way on a hike.
Leigh Ann advised me that the main group tapped Coddington Rd before turning around and re-tracing their route. I fell back in with the group as they hiked past Olsefski Rd and we returned to our cars without incident.
Other than a couple of passing hunters on ATVs, we had todays route all to ourselves.
Finger Lakes Trail from White Church Rd., Brooktondale
Hike report by Jim
Sixteen hikers met on White Church Rd in the Town of Caroline for a hike of the FLT and the future South Hill Rec Way extension (the former FLT footpath southeast of Ridgeway Rd along Wilseyville Creek). This is hike # 24 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-24.
The day was overcast as hikers gathered in the parking lot. A small amount of rain had fallen while I was en route to the hike, but the start of the hike was a temporary reprieve from further rain.
Hikers left the parking lot and walked a short way down White Church Rd before the group turned and entered the open fields. Once in the woodline we stopped for a quick group picture before continuing to the next trail intersection.
The trail intersection here was a recent re-route of the FLT, the new section heading to the southeast near the intersection of White Church and Coddington Rds. The group headed in this direction, the freshly fallen leaves thick underfoot and the conversational buzz of hikers in the line behind me carrying into the distance as the line of hikers inevitably stretched out on the flat trail. Bare fields lay alongside the trail on one side or the other, intermingled with deeper woods visible through the now-barren tree branches we passed.
Reaching White Church Rd we paused briefly before setting out towards Ridgeway Rd. Passing the turn we had made from the open fields, we continued on what was the former footpath of the FLT before the re-route, a footpath that will in the future become part of the extension for the South Hill Rec Way. Willseyville Creek lay alongside the footpath. This part of the former FLT has not become overgrown in the short time since the re-route, and I suspect that landowners are maintaining it as an ATV path until the towns are able to put in the Rec Way extension. A couple of areas along this section of footpath that are normally pools of standing water were nothing more than muddy holes today.
The group reached Ridgeway Rd without incident, taking a minute to check out the water levels in the field on the opposite side of Ridgeway Rd. When I first started hiking with the group the water levels there were much lower than they currently are.
After a short stop on Ridgeway Rd the group returned to the trail and re-traced our route, turning back onto the FLT and crossing back over the open fields to the parking lot and our cars. Right about this time the rain began again, and while we ended the hike a few minutes sooner than I had planned, no one was complaining.
Photo by Jim
Saturday, November 9
Loop Hike: Lower Treman Park
Hike report by Jim
Twenty-nine hikers and two dogs met in the Tapan Mitra Preserve parking lot at Shady Corners, the junction of state routes 13 and 34-96, for an out and back hike on the Finger Lakes Trail through Robert Treman State Park led by Mary W. This is hike # 8-1 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/208-2. This section of the FLT is on map sheet M16, which can be purchased in electronic or paper formats here: https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/. Sale of the map sheets helps to defray the expenses associated with maintenance of the FLT.
The group posed for a photo and then headed west on the Finger Lakes Trail, initially through the lower park camp area in Treman before entering the woods and beginning an uphill climb that persisted for the majority of the hike for most of the group.
The hikers quickly broke down into subgroups, consisting of a fast group, a medium speed group and some casual strollers at the back of the line.
The day was cool at the beginning, but with the climb underway most people forgot about the chill. The fallen leaves were thick underfoot, the sound of rustling leaves under so many feet drowning out the sounds of conversation that normally accompany our hikers.
The sub-group I was with encountered no other hikers at all, although there were several cars in the parking lot at both the beginning and end of our hike that belonged to other people.
At the turn-around time a few of the faster hikers chose to break away from the main group and continue on with their own hike. The rest of the hikers scooped up the slower hikers as the faster groups absorbed the slower hikers as they passed them on the way back to the trailhead.
The group arrived back at the cars at our normal time.
Warm welcome to Michelle and Margaret on their first hike with the group!
Photo by Jim
Sunday, November 10
Roy H Park Preserve to Hammond Hill State Forest, Dryden
The morning was sunny but cool with a persistent wind blowing across the parking lot as other hikers were arriving for today’s hike. Looking across the boardwalk at the hill we would soon be climbing, I observed that the fall colors were mostly gone, with some isolated and rare examples still remaining. The hillside was now mostly a dull earth tone of muted greens and browns.
The last hikers were still pulling up as the group prepared to set off on the hike…a reminder to all to arrive early, as we do try to start at the listed start time for each hike. Crossing the boardwalk, we plunged into the woods and were passing through a section of trail that on one of our more recent hikes here was literally a flowing stream. On todays hike the footpath towards Hammond Hill Rd was dry, with even those few areas that are sometimes muddy quagmires during the summer months being mercifully bone-dry today. Theres also been some sawyer work done along the trail, so we were spared having to do any step-overs at all. I’m not complaining at all about today’s trail conditions!
As the red blazed trail begins to climb the hill it begins a series of modest switchbacks that make the uphill climb more enjoyable. The fresh leaf cover was deep enough and past foot traffic here so infrequent that I lost sight of the route a time or two. If we hadn’t come here so often in the past, that feature might have confused a newer hiker here. So, a few more blazes along the route, particularly at turns, might be called for.
Soon we reached the flat stretch of trail that occurs just before Hammond Hill Rd. By now the group was spread out over a wide section of trail, so we waited a minute on Hammond Hill Rd for the stragglers to arrive so we could take a group picture.
In the past we’ve continued the hike onto the Hammond Hill trail system, but the group had an incident here a couple of years ago during hunting season when someone discharged a firearm very close to the group, and so I avoid the Hammond Hill trails during hunting season now. Instead, the group walked up and down the seasonal portion of Hammond Hill Rd until we reached the gate that blocks off the abandoned part of the road from through traffic. Most of this last section of seasonal road is a fairly sustained uphill slog on the outbound part of the hike, so if uphill climbs are not your thing, you might find that last bit of seasonal road to be a challenge
Turning around at the metal gate we re-traced our previous route back to our parking area, the last of the hikers arriving back at our cars at exactly the two-hour mark. We encountered two other couples hiking the trail section between Hammond Hill Rd and the Park Preserve. The only other people we saw today were some bicyclists in the large Hammond Hill Rd parking area.
The morning was cool as hikers arrived at the park, and while the weather forecast said that the day would warm up, many hikers started with more layers on than they ended the hike wearing.
The group walked across the stone bridge where park workers were busily repairing the stone retaining walls and began the long steady climb up the north rim trail. This set of stairs crisscrosses the hillside, alternating between older stone steps and the newer pressure treated woods steps that were installed a couple of years ago.
Eventually the stairs end, and the path begins a looping route through the woods, your feet crunching the numerous acorns and shuffling through the carpet of freshly fallen leaves that lie across the trail. Much of the trail here follows the lip of the ravine, offering many good views of the creek below and the woods on the south side of the ravine.
The hikers bypassed the short cut to the Gorge Trail but turned into the waterfall loop trail, which they completed before returning to the North Rim Trail and continuing on our route.
Eventually the trail comes out at a nice pond with dam, which we crossed to get to the South Rim Trail. That trail bypasses a lean-to and kiosk that drew some attention from hikers, at the same time dipping in and out of a park road before finally returning to the woods.
Nancy paused the group for a minute at one overlook area, then continued on towards the lower park area we had started from. Passing a pavilion, the hikers began our final descent towards the lower park. Reaching the end of the stairs, Nancy led the group to the near-by Cow Pens area before bringing the hike to its inevitable conclusion.
By now the sun had been out for some time, most hikers had shed at least one layer, and the temperatures of the day had approached 70F, if not higher.
The hikers shared the trails with a decent number of other day hikers. while encountering only one slightly muddy area along the entirety of the route.
A warm welcome to Rich, who hiked with us for the first time today.
This was an Ithaca area hiking day for many groups….during the hike we ran into FLTC sawyer Erin Potter who brought a group from Binghamton to upper Robert Treman. After the hike I encountered the Triple Cities Hiking Club standing along the side of West King Rd where they were doing the FLT spur trail hike that we did a couple of weeks ago….also during our hike, we ran into Cayuga Trails Club hikers Lucy Gagliardo and Tom Formanek on the trail. The trails were full of hikers today, to put it mildly.
As to our own group hike….
Eighteen hikers and one dog met on Stone House Rd in the Town of Enfield on a cool windy morning for a group first-time hike of a new route that we ‘ve stitched together to form a new two-hour hike. This hike is not yet posted to our hikes page.
The hike starts out with the new loop trail in Margarets Woods, the Land Trust property that will eventually be absorbed into Robert Treman State Park. After completing the loop, the group took the new connector trail that meets the FLT and the CCC trail near the wooden bridge just off Woodard Rd. Taking the CCC trail into Upper Treman, we took a slight pause near the Old Mill and then hiked across the old upper Treman camping area to the base of the Red Pine Trail before looping back to the Gorge Trail.
Because we were ahead of schedule I changed our route and the group hiked into the gorge area to view Lucifer Falls. Returning to the Upper Treman parking lot the group walked back to the CCC trail and re-traced our route back to Stone House Rd. For our first hike using this new route we ended up about five minutes over our scheduled time; not bad for a first attempt, not counting the pre-hike that Leigh Ann Vaughn and I did a couple of weeks ago when we first planned this hike.
Overall, I like the new route. The loop through Margarets Woods could use a little extra blazing at points, and the connector trail to the FLT/ CCC trails will be helpful in changing up some of the other hikes that we currently do in the area. I highly recommend that hikers check out the new Land Trust Loop trail when they’re able!
Warm welcome to Jennifer E on her first hike with the group!
The day was a beautiful and clear day for our hike. Some of the early morning chill persisted until the beginning of the hike but was soon forgotten once the group started to move over the very flat and mostly well-maintained grassy trail surface. Compared to many of our recent hikes on more traditional hiking trails, the rail trail offers hikers the chance to walk and talk to others in the group without being forced to watch your feet continually for trip hazards
This was a go-at-your-own-pace hike with no real hike leader or sweep. The group mostly made if to Railroad Street (state route 38) in the Village of Freeville before turning around and re-tracing the route.
I recall when this trail first opened a few years ago, I was hiking it when the footpath in many places was still a muddy, uneven mess. I am happy to report that the trail has really come into its own since then. I still prefer to hike here on Sunday mornings when the road noise from near-by roads is greatly diminished compared to weekdays.
The day was mostly sunny, putting some wooded parts of the trail in shadow. The distant views across the William George fields were good.
There were several other day hikers, dog walkers and bicyclists sharing the trail with our group today.
The slowest subset of our hikers got back to the cars at 1 hour 59 minutes; the lead hikers were already long gone, so maybe we’ll have to add some distance to this hike when we do it again in the future.
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.
Photo by Mark Sussman
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.
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.
