Author: Benben

Wednesday, July 31

Shindagin Hollow State Forest

Hike report by Mary Weiz

With a threat of light rain and some precipitation, eleven Hikers met on South Road in the Town of Caroline at the FLT crossing to hike eastward for 3.9 miles to Old 76 Road. And, with a bit of hiker’s luck, little to no rain reached our hats or shoulders during our time in the woods. 

This hike takes hikers predominantly through Shindagin Hollow State Forest until reaching Boyer Creek near Old 76 Rd at which point hikers travel a short distance on private land with current permission to do so. 

This is a typical hardwood forest with a  pleasing overstory, shrub layer, ferns and ground cover layers throughout. It’s an out and back on the FLT with a hefty elevation gain (500-1700 feet depending on the source of information) on the return leg when beginning from South Road. The trail was generally clear with only one blow-down walk-around. Many thanks to those who host clearing this section.

On this last day of July summer 2024, the air temperature reached up into the high 70’s, but it was the humidity that was challenging. This particular hike (IMO) can be classified as this summer’s sweatiest to date.

Here’s a shout-out of thanks to two pre-hikers and one canine who took the hike with me on Tuesday, which was nearly as humid.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Saturday, August 3

Finger Lakes Trail through Lower Treman

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Fifteen hikers gathered at the Shady Corners parking lot on 13, to hike under 13 and west on the FLT. This was another humid day that felt cool when you weren’t moving, but once you started moving was like being in a rain storm. This is an out-and-back that can have 1000+ feet of elevation gain, depending on how far you go, so people went at their own paces. Some folks returned to the cars early after turning around right at the 1-hour mark. Others got all the way to the rim trail and took the stairs down to the overlook of the gorge trail and returned at 11:45 after 6 miles. It’s a satisfying hike, however far you go, and it’s one of our best “cliffs of insanity” for sustained steepness.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Many of these hikers went to Roger and Gunilla’s beautiful place for the hiker’s picnic/cookout right afterward, and we met many more people there.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, August 4

Connecticut Hill, Newfield

Hike report by Dave Bock

18 hikers and 2 dogs met on Connecticut Hill, with the temperature a bit cooler and the humidity a bit lower than the recent sweltering days. A short walk down Lloyd Starks Rd brought us to the trailhead, where 2 potential hikers opted out. Now 16 hikers + 2 dogs strong, we climbed through a somewhat brushy area along one of the DEC cuts before entering the forest. The trail was fairly flat and in great shape as it looped eastward through some lovely woods. Along the way, one of the dogs lost contact with its owner and headed back, the owner following in hopes of finding her pet and then catching up with the group. Our troupe of now 15 + a dog continued the hike to a nice view across the valley that’s home to the hamlet of Newfield, with layers of hills beyond. Upon our return to the main trail we were met by hiker and dog, happily reunited; hearing our voices, they were able to take a shortcut to rejoin the group. The trail stayed in the forest quite a while before crossing the road for a brief — and hotter — walk across a recently mowed field. From there it was woods and more woods as we headed mostly downhill to parallel a deep ravine before emerging at a large pond formed by a wide and tall beaver dam. A short trail later led us back to the road near our initial point of entry, leaving us only the quick walk back up Lloyd Stark to the cars. All hikers and dogs accounted for, we wrapped up 7 minutes early and 4 miles healthier!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, July 24

Cayuga Trail from Freese Rd

Hike report by Jim

Nine hikers met on Freese Rd at the Community Gardens parking lot, for an out-and-back hike of our adopted section of the Cayuga Trail following recent storms that caused some significant damage to area hiking trails. This is hike # 5-3 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-5.

The skies starting spitting rain at us in small amounts even before the hike started. Once the group set off the volume of rain increased but never so much that it became unbearable. Under the trees the rain volume was greatly diminished and almost enjoyable.

Temperatures were warm, footpath conditions were good, even with the precipitation we were hiking in. By the time we reached our turn-around time the rain had mostly ceased.

I’m happy to report that we found no storm related damage. Some trail maintenance issues were identified and will be addressed on our next planned trail workday.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Saturday, July 27

Black Diamond Trail from Houghton Road

Hike report by Jim

Twenty-two hikers and one dog met at the CNC parking lot on Houghton Rd for a southerly out-and-back hike on the Black Diamond Trail, led by Tom. This particular hike isn’t listed on our regular hikes list, as we normally start our BDT hikes from elsewhere along its length.

The day was perfect summer recreational weather, and we were sharing the BDT with a LOT of other bike riders, dog walkers and joggers.

I was looking for some of the BDT footpath damage from recent storms that I’ve heard recent reports of, but it appears that repairs have already been made.

The hike was a mix of not-too-hot exposures to direct sunlight and pools of shade under the canopy of leaves. There was no running water in any of the streams we passed over.

The group photo for this hike is going to have to come from Leigh Ann at a later date, as my camera had an issue while I was taking my group photo. The issue was resolved later in the hike when I managed to get a couple of candid shots of the hikers underway.

Warm welcome to Karl and Elisa on their first hike with the group!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, July 28

Lindsay Parsons Preserve, West Danby

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Twenty-two hikers and two dogs met at the Lindsay Parsons Preserve parking lot for a hike through this lovely preserve. On a prehike the day before, I had found that the trails had gotten a lot of love. The few newly downed trees had already gotten some chainsaw love, the trails and verge had gotten some mower love, and the trails had been picked free of branches. Whoever keeps the trails so lovely in this Preserve has done an amazing job, and the group thoroughly enjoyed our hike!

We did a counterclockwise loop. The blue trail over to Coleman Lake was still fairly cool, and we went along the unmarked but well-mowed trail from there to the red trail to stay in the shadow of the woods as much as we could. Then we took the red trail over to the southern end of yellow trail where it enters the woods. We crossed the train tracks on the southern end of the orange trail and took the purple trail where it heads uphill. Then we came down the orange trail back over the railroad tracks and went north on the yellow trail where it passes the drowned forest and fire hydrant. We returned via the observation point and the longer side of red trail, away from Rt. 13.

It was hot and humid by the time we returned to the cars after about 3.8 miles and 550 feet of elevation gain, so no one chose to do the Coleman Lake observation loop. This little 0.4-mile trail will be amazing in a few weeks when the goldenrod is fully in bloom.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, July 17

Finger Lakes Trail from Comfort Road

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Today’s hike was soupy, broken-up, pine-scented hell – but the company was good. Ten hikers met at the junction of Comfort Rd. and the FLT and hiked west for an out-and-back. After the tornados and other severe storms last Wednesday and yesterday, we expected to find a lot of downed trees and expected to do a lot of trail cleaning. This we did. 

As usual at this time of year, this stretch of trail was dry. At other times of the year, this is a mud slog. We picked our way slowly along it, having a visit with each other and removing smaller branches and trees. There are a few new step-over trees and one that will need chain sawing, but the trail is much nicer now up to the first field west from Comfort Rd., which is where we turned around. 

For the first half hour, the weather was nice, but the humidity increased so much that it felt like Alabama. We returned to the cars early at 11:15 after about 3.75 miles and 450 feet of elevation gain, and that was plenty.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Saturday, July 20

Dabes Diversion Loop, Kennedy SF, Cortland County

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Twenty hikers met at the corner of Hauck Hill and Bleck Roads on this third day in a row of classic Finger Lakes summer weather. That is, not Alabama summer weather. Jim and Nancy H. had prehiked this route the previous day to see if it was passable, after the previous weeks’ storms had brought down too many trails to keep some of the International Loops open. They had found six new downed trees over the trail on the Kuzia Cutoff, and it was evident that they had ensured that the trail was clear of branches for Saturday’s hike.

Because we knew the conditions of the Dabes Diversion Loop, we kept to the prehiked route on Saturday. It was a fabulous hike. The field west of the rock pile had just been mowed and it was as pretty as I’ve ever seen it. This is an excellent place to pause, admire, and gather everyone back together before heading down to the fancy new footbridge heading up to Bleck Road.

Even with the six new downed trees, hikers at the front arrived back at the cars in usual front-of-the-group time (1 hour 35 minutes). The day was warming up, so most folks were happy to head on to their next Saturday activities. A few walked back to where the Kuzia Cutoff meets Hauck Hill Road and re-arrived at the cars in exactly 2 hours from the start of the hike, after 4.12 miles and 512 feet of elevation gain.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, July 21

Potato Hill State Forest, Caroline

Hike report by Jim

Twenty-two hikers and three dogs met on Level Green Rd in the Town of Caroline, for a hike of the Finger Lakes Trail through Potato Hill State Forest and Summerland Farm Preserve.

This is hike # 29-1: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-29 on our list of regular hike locations. Todays route was on FLT map sheet M18, available here: https://fingerlakestrail.org/store/maps-and-gps/.

The day was sunny and warm, with a hint of humidity but overall, a pleasant day for a hike. The heat was nowhere near as oppressive as it has seemed in recent weeks, and several hikers were overheard commenting that today was more of what we’ve always thought of as traditional summer hike weather.

Quite often the lower sections of the FLT near Level Green Rd are quite muddy, but everything was pretty dry today. I had pre-hiked this route on Thursday to check for storm damage from our recent bad weather. There were a few blowdowns on today’s hike route, but nothing that presented a real obstacle to the group.

Reaching Blackman Hill Rd the group entered the Summerland farm Preserve; there is a short hike through the woods before the FLT breaks out into open fields with a spectacular view of several peaks in the far distance in almost any direction you look. There was a little haze visible in the air, but overall, it was still a great view.

After pausing for a quick group photo at the memorial bench the group pressed on, leaving the open fields behind and continuing through the woods on the FLT towards State Route 79, before turning around to retrace our route back to the cars.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable hike, and a great group of people to share the trail with. Thanks to all who came out for today’s hike!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, July 10

Robinson Hollow State Forest

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Eleven hikers met where the FLT crosses Harford Road, and we headed south for an out-and-back hike. The weather was increasingly tropical. Given that the remnants of Hurricane Beryl were moving in, and the heat index was expected to be about 90 by 11:30, we decided at the outset to turn around early and not break any land speed records. We turned around at 10:20 and returned at 11:10 after about 3.9 miles and 700 feet of elevation gain and were completely happy about ending early. At the end of the hike, we hung out chatting at the cars for a good 20 minutes, not moving around much.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Saturday, July 13

Westward on the FLT from South Danby Road

Hike report by Jim

Nineteen hikers and three dogs met on South Danby Rd for a westerly out-and-back hike on the FLT through Danby State Forest. This is hike # 22 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-22

The day started out sunny and warm, particularly in the more exposed areas such as Fisher Settlement Road and some more open areas the trail footpath passed through without the benefit of a forest canopy overhead. On the return leg of the hike a small breeze had begun to blow, which made things more enjoyable.

Once under the trees it was a mottled mix of shadow and light on the forest floor. Very enjoyable to pass through, although the effect is not obvious in the photos, as my camera opted to start using the flash in the more shadowed portion of trail.

There were a few blow-downs along the way, a mix of trees laying across the Trail or suspended in mid-air. Fewer in number than I expected, given the weather conditions that Danby had earlier this week

Normally the section of FLT just west of Fisher Settlement Rd is quite muddy, but that section was mostly mud-free, the ground in some places having at most the consistency of cookie dough. I’ve included a picture of the only standing water I saw during the entire hike.

The hikers broke down into faster and slower groups, the faster group being led by Leigh Ann and reaching Curtis Rd before turning around for the return leg of the hike.

Warm welcome to Nathan on his first hike with the group!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, July 14

Potomac Rd trails, Finger Lakes National Forest

Hike report by Jim

Eighteen hikers and one dog met on Potomac Rd, for an out-and- back hike in the Finger Lakes National Forest led by Jack V. This is hike # 42-1 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-42.

The day was very sunny and warm, but thankfully the heat wasn’t much noticed except for the open areas around the ponds we passed along the way.

Jack took the group on a somewhat looping route that took us through parts of the Interloken Trail as well as a couple of other trails in the vicinity

We shared the trail with a mix of bicyclists, dog walkers and a small group of overnight tent campers we passed early in the hike.

Trail conditions were generally good, although we did pass through a few areas that had more mud than I have seen on any recent hikes. The group did pass under one fairly large blowdown tree along our route

Since my last hike here many of the broken puncheon sections that I’ve seen over several years of hiking here have been replaced, which really added to my enjoyment of the route. Some of those old sections were downright dangerous to traverse, especially in rainy conditions.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, July 3

South Hill Rec Way/Six Mile Creek

Hike report by Jim

Twenty-one hikers and one dog met on Crescent Place in the city of Ithaca for a hike of the South Hill Rec Way and associate trails. This is hike # 2-1 on our list of regular hike locations: 

https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-2.

The day was warm and sunny as we gathered on Crescent Place and took our group photo. Starting the hike on the actual Rec Way, we soon turned off into the woods and began a slow descent to join the many hiking trails that run along the Rec Way and towards the creek below.

There was no water running at the small water crossings, no mud at the usual locations along our route, and the footpath was in good shape.

The green tunnel blocked our view of second dam once we arrived at that vantage point.

Rejoining the Rec Way the hikers walked out and back towards Burns Rd to use up a few minutes of hike time, before taking the Rec Way directly back to our cars.

We encountered a few runners and bicyclists along the way today, but not as many as I expected.

Warm welcome to Hal on his first hike with the group!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Thursday, July 4

Woodard Road northwest to Hines Road and beyond, Enfield

Hike report by Jim

Nineteen hikers and one dog met on Woodard Rd for a special holiday hike of the FLT towards Hines Rd and beyond. This is hike # 13 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-13

The morning was nice, with a hint of precipitation that never materialized except for a small amount of rain that some hikers reported encountering while they were en route to the hike.

The footpath on this hike is a mix of overgrown weedy plants (including a LOT of poison ivy!) and a forest floor devoid of anything other than a nice spongey layer of pine needles. The terrain is a mix of rolling ups and downs, with a couple of minor stream crossings that rarely give us any issues this time of year.

Before reaching Hines Rd the FLT leaves the woods and crosses the open fields at the Treman Center: https://www.tremancenter.com/. A short jog up Hines Rd and the group hiked another five minutes towards Rockwell Rd before the group turned around for the return leg of the hike. Everyone got back to the cars fifteen minutes early, so I probably should have continued the hike to Rockwell Rd before turning around.

Temperatures were not excessively hot but by the time we turned around I was definitely experiencing the heat of the day, even under the cover of the forest canopy.

On the return portion of the hike usually the group is fairly well divided between those who want to make it a loop hike by road walking back to the cars, and those who want to do a return hike on the FLT. Today only a couple of us did the road walk, while Mark L and Randy O led the main group of hikers back on the FLT at a good pace, with both subgroups arriving back at the cars at the same time.

Thanks to all who came out for this special hike today!

Saturday, July 6

Connecticut Hill Bridges & Quarry Loop 

Hike report by Dave Bock

18 hikers met at the Connecticut Hill Cemetery on a warm morning for this forested 4-mile trek. Heading steadily downhill for the first mile, we passed the remains of what’s rumored to be a Depression-era moonshiner still: a rusty old metal sink with a nearby cistern. At the bottom of the hill a stream crossing and some rolling terrain brought us to the top of an old gravel bank, a chance to enjoy a bit of a view and take a brief breather. A short but steep downhill then led to a streamside trail and eventually another crossing alonside some old pilings marking the location of a long-gone bridge that once bore the trucks hauling out the gravel. And then the climb back to the trailhed began — a mile steadily (relentlessly?) uphill, now at a much warmer temperature, with higher humidity and an escort of gnats. We paused along the way for brief visit to an abandoned homestead marked by stone foundations of both a barn and house, with a deep stone well (with water). Most of the group returned to the cars by 11:45 as advertised (Thanks, Jack!) while leader Dave accompanied a few slower (and hotter!) hikers at a more forgiving pace. Everyone was on their home before noon, after some quality time in the woods (OK, that’s redundant…) and a good workout.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, July 7

Shindagin Hollow State Forest

Hike report by Mary Weiz

Nineteen hikers, zero canine met at the FLT crossing on Braley Hill Road in Shindagin State Forest on Sunday morning. As planned, they hiked a pleasant and rigorous approximate 4 miles exclusively on the FLT starting at Braley Hill Road and proceeding westward to White Church Road. The sky was clear and the air temperature was about 70F at the start. The woodland was filtered with bright sunlight although the day warmed up quickly. Hikers made it to White Church road in no-time pacing at about 2.5mph! 

On the return trip, they traced their tracks uphill on the FLT eastward back to Braley Hill Road. Hikers ascended about 1600ft (or more) back into the forest still at a good pace, about 1 – 2 mph on the return thrip. Surprisingly, due to the temperature, now 75F, and the elevation rigor, hikers reached the cars with 10 minutes to spare . . . a fine bunch!

Throughout this hike there is a nice mix of hardwood forest, a fern glen, a small creek, meadow land, and when approaching White Church Road, distant views of forested hills. 

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.