Author: Benben

Wednesday, March 27

Taughannock Falls State Park

Hike report by Mark S.

Twenty-two hikers and a single dog met on Rice Rd in the Town of Ulysses for a hike of some of the trails in the vicinity of Taughannock Falls State Park led by Mark S. 

This hike is now listed as the Rice Road parking area to our existing Taughannock Falls State Park trailheads, hike #39 on our list of local hiking areas: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-39.

The day was sunny and clear as hikers cars continued to pull into the parking lot; the group eventually paused for the group photo with Cayuga Lake in the background before setting off on the hike. 

The hike started with hikers walking downhill towards Route 89, following the white blazed multi-use trail found on the map at https://parks.ny.gov/…/parks/TaughannockFallsTrailMap.pdf. This route passed through a nice ravine area before crossing Rice Rd and continuing towards Taughannock Park Rd. The group paused briefly at the falls overlook before continuing along the Rim Trail towards the Black Diamond Trail and the overlook area above the falls. Reaching the parking area on Jacksonville Rd we found the expansion project for the Black Diamond Trail parking area well under way, with many trees being cleared for the new parking area and rest rooms. 

Crossing Jacksonville Rd the group continued on the trail on the westerly side of Jacksonville Rd ( not displayed on the linked map, but displayed as a shaded area on the park bowhunting map found at https://parks.ny.gov/…/TaughannockFallsBowHuntingMap.pdf ) which we took in an out-and-back due to some high water levels that made stream crossings unwise. 

Returning to the Rim Trail the group soon crossed back over Taughannock Falls Rd and took the white blazed trails back to Rice Rd and our cars.

After the hike many hikers reconvened at the Cider House on Rte 89 for lunch.

Welcome to Ann R and Laura J on their first hike with the group!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Saturday, March 30

FLT south and east from the corner of Townline and Layen Rds

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Twenty-five hikers and one dog met and hiked on this cool, sparkly, and remarkably non-muddy day. Five people were with us for their first event, and I am looking forward to learning everyone’s names better on future hikes! 

The route followed the Finger Lakes Trail south from the junction of Layen and Townline Roads for an out-and-back, and the farthest anyone in our group got was about 2.4 miles from the trailhead. Everyone arrived back at the cars by the end of two hours.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, March 31

Monkey Run Natural Area, south side of Fall Creek, Varna

Hike report by Jim

Seventeen hikers and three dogs met at the parking area at the dead end of Monkey Run Rd outside of the hamlet of Varna, for a loop hike of the Cayuga Trail. This is hike # 6 on our list of regular hike locations: 

https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-6.

The day was generally cool and overcast at the start of the hike. A few drops of rain had fallen before the hike, but to my relief there was no rain during the hike itself.

Our hikers set off from the parking area in a westerly direction towards Varna, initially following the orange and red blazed footpath with associated moderate elevation changes along the way.

Reaching the open fields along State Route 366 outside of Varna, we followed the dirt farming road there until we reconnected with the red blazed trail that runs along the bank of Fall Creek. A short stop along the way and we pressed on until we reached the high bluffs above the creek. Erosion of the edge of the bluff was obvious, as the recent loss of several trees along the bluff to the creek below since our last hike here was apparent.

The group continued on our route, the path now descending back to near the creek shore. in addition to the loss of the trees mentioned above it appears that there has been quite a few recently fallen trees across the trail which have subsequently been cleared, some by hand as the axe work was obvious. Thank you trail maintainers!

By now it was clear to me that the trail conditions were a little muddier than I liked, so when we got to a side trail that connected with the Dryden Rail Trail I took the group in that direction, stopping along the way for a short entry in the trail journal.

The hikers ended our hike with a short out-and-back to Route 13 on the Dryden Rail Trail. We arrived back at our cars a few minutes later than planned, but no one was complaining.

Other than a couple of groups of day hikers with dogs encountered near the end of our hike, we had the trails to ourselves today.

Welcome to new K9 hiker “Benny” on his first time with the group!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, March 20

Mulholland Wildflower Preserve

Hike report by Greg

Once Casey had talked 2 police into parking their cars illegally so the rest of us could park legally, 13 of us with no new hikers, dogs or cats were ready to hike.

A beautiful day again. My voiced concern that this hike would be too short led to Nancy L suggesting extending the hike into terrain I had thought too difficult. With unanimous agreement we were off. Though one hiker departed early we still returned with 13 hikers. How could that be?

Ten minutes shy of completion we encountered a very late hiker – a former deputy sheriff. Hugs all around and now with our new leader we arrived Intact 10 minutes late to our cars.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Saturday, March 23

Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area

Hike report by Nancy Lorr

Dave Gislason graciously led this hike after expertly grooming the trails. Nine hardy hikers gathered on a cold snowy morning at the Lloyd Starks Boylan junction on Connecticut Hill.  Snow was lightly falling rendering the roads a little slippery.  On my way I was chastened by the sight of a car off the road which reminded me to take my time getting there. There were plenty of rescue vehicles converging upon it.  The trails were quite passable since the snow was about 2 to 3 inches and quite soft. The first part of the hike went through a quite active beaver area where they are currently chop/chewing down trees to expand the dammed ponds. Next we climbed uphill in the territory between Boylan and Connecticut Hill roads finally arriving at Connecticut Hill road close to where it meets Tower Rd. We crossed the road to follow a trail which crosses many small streams called the  seven streams section of the hike.  All were picturesque winding through the snow. This was followed by a stretch on the FLT before turning down a trail taking us to a large pond.  Normally there is an escape route around the pond by crossing over the pond outlet and walking the dike to the road but this time the outlet was flushing a torrent of water due to the efforts of the beavers and the increased precipitation. No one wanted to quit hiking at this point so we turned north to visit a little pond and some streams in gently undulating terrain. Finally we crossed an alternate stream to make our way to the cars.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

View Nancy Lorr’s photo album.

Sunday, March 24

Potato Hill State Forest, Caroline

Hike report by Nancy Lorr

20 hikers and 1 dog gathered on a wintry spring morning at the junction of the Finger Lakes Trail with Level Green Rd to hike eastward into the Potato Hill State Forest.  Parking was a challenge.  There was a pull off accommodating a few cars.  The rest had to park along the road which did not have a wide curb.  The trail had a blanket of snow but was somewhat wet with several challenges to keeping your feet dry.  On the first portion of the hike in Potato Hill State Forest from Level green to Blackman Hill road, it was quite woodsy with beautiful snow laden conifers.  Crossing the road, we entered the new Summerland Preserve.  After a brief hike uphill through trees we emerged into a field following the markers to a summit graced with an attractive but snowy bench and a good view. The trail proceeds into the woods again and soon plunges downhill making its way toward route 79.  I’m pretty sure some of the hikers made it there (lol).  On the way back several of us took a short side trip to a pond that is picturesque in all seasons.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

View Nancy Lorr’s photo album.

Wednesday, March 13

 FLT west from Logan Rd., Finger Lakes National Forest 

Hike report by Casey

Eleven Hikers showed up at the trail head on Logan Road in Burdett (which by the way is no farther away from Ithaca than the Shindaigin hikes that we do) and headed west on the Finger Lakes Trail. The weather was exceptional for this time of year. The trail was still muddy in many places, but the views were spectacular.

We managed to get to the rail bed for our turn around and by the time we got back to the cars we had logged 5.04 miles with 789 feet of elevation gain.

Saturday, March 16

Lindsay Parsons Preserve, West Danby

(1) Hike report by Mark Sussman

17 hikers and 1 dog explored the various trails at the Lindsey-Parson’s Preserve. On this beautiful sunny day the group moved at a steady pace, and observed the various ponds surrounded by rolling hills.

The main hike finished about 20 minutes early so a group decided to do an extra loop on the red trail. Others decided to just head for their cars.

An additional 6 hikers did an alternate hike – the challenging scramble up to the Pinnacles.

(2) Hike report by Casey

There were two somewhat separate hikes starting at the same time from the same location. Mark Sussman led the regular Lindsay Parsons Hike while Casey started with 7 people for a more challenging hike that starts on the regular trails but eventually takes a turn for the steeper, where we do a bushwhacking climb off the beaten trail to make our way all the way to the Pinnacles that is on the Abbotts Loop trail. I think we managed to get to the Pinnacles in one hour.

On the way back we added a little to our hike by taking the purple blazed alternate trail off of the orange to get back to the railroad tracks crossing.

We managed to do the whole 4.39 miles, 971 feet of elevation gain, in 2 hours and 7 minutes without rushing.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, March 17

Ekroos/ Wheeling/State Land Rd.

Hike report by Mary W.

This St. Patrick’s Day morning, fifteen hikers met to walk Ekroos Road in the Town of Candor, Tioga County. Getting there is one of the rigors of this walk, gps and cell connection is unreliable in this area.

It rained lightly enroute to the hike, however once our walking began, the rain stopped. Hikers walked the rambling, rural road (having three different names) for about two miles eastward to 76 Road. It remained mostly cloudy and about 40F. As Casey pointed out, this was the first time in which every hiker reached 76 Rd and thus we were able to gather there for a group photo, cheers all!

Following the brief gathering, hikers turned around and walked back toward the cars. Many hikers continued walking beyond the cars to reach South Road and then back to the meet-up area in order to complete the full road distance. 

No one mentioned the recent and tragic history regarding Ekroos Road, so I’ll leave it as a mystery and not sully the hike. Instead I’ll call it a rigorously pleasant rural road hike on which we met to stroll for a total of about 4.2 miles with a terrific bunch of walkers!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, March 6

South Hill Road heading east on FLT to Texas Hollow Road and back

Hike report by Casey

It was a wet Wednesday. We started with ten hikers at the FLT on South Hill Road in Benettsburg. Because we had two Toms we might have to name this the Tomtom hike. We also had two new hikers with us and they seemed to have a good time.

We went east towards Texas Hollow Road. In the past there were a few confusing spots on this hike, but it seems that someone did some blazing to get rid of any confusion.

As you get close to Texas Hollow Road. The trail becomes quite a challenging downhill. And because of the rain, that challenging part had slippery leaves, roots, rocks etc. It was tricky, but we survived, and from there we continued on the FLT into the normal Texas Hollow hike for about ten minutes and then turned around and headed back.

Because the steep downhill was such slow going, the steep uphill on the way back didn’t take us any longer than the downhill. Once we got to the top of the hill, it was a slight downhill on the way to our cars. We ended up ten minutes shy of two hours with only 3.72 miles and 738 feet of elevation gain. It was still a challenging hike for part of it.

Saturday, March 9

Shindagin Hollow Road east to South Road on the FLT, Brooktondale

Hike report by Mary W.

Nineteen hikers met at the southern end of Shindagin Hollow Road to hike the FLT to South Road. This location starts in the “hollow” proper and at the junction of Gulf Creek Road. An issue that was clear at the meet-up for this hike is that Google Maps, and GPS in general, is unreliable in this area. To explain, GPS is spotty, or absent in places due to lack of cell coverage. In addition, Google Maps routed several drivers to Gulf Creek Road. This may look like an efficient route to the meet up location, but Gulf Creek Road is a non-paved, largely unmaintained, seasonal access road that is very difficult for automobiles to travel. Talking with Nancy H briefly we highlighted two approaches to remediate the navigation trouble:  A.) Hike leaders will write out directions to the hike meetup when in this particular area. B.) Hikers are advised to contact the hike leader prior to the meet up if they are unsure of the area and where to go. A hike leader’s email is listed in each hike announcement. 

It was 39 degrees and cloudy at the meet up. Hikers traversed the FLT for about 4.3 miles and for two hours before returning to automobiles. The rain held off and the residual mud wasn’t too bad. As usual, the pine groves, the lean to, the stream and small gorge, the rock sculptures and the cedar grove were the highlights of the forest this morning.  

It is with great sadness for the loss of a fellow hiker that this hike is dedicated to Linda Verling. She was a friend, farmer, mother, grandmother, wife . . .  a strong and kind, long-time hiker who recently lost her life unexpectedly to a respiratory illness and related causes. 

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, March 10

Havington Hill, into Cortland County

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Seventeen hikers and one dog met at the junction of Lake Road and the Jim Schug Trail and hiked north to where the Finger Lakes Trail crosses Lake. The Havington Hill hike goes east on the Finger Lakes Trail from Lake Rd. It is reliably excellent and enjoyably varied with steep parts through the woods, expansive views across fields, and several stream crossings. This was a great day for anyone that liked water underfoot – lots of it. Although we got snowed on immediately before and after the hike, it was the water underfoot that was remarkable. Today the entrance field was a 3-5-inch-deep lake with grass all through it. One crossing of a deep stream took rearranging rocks to make it passable for everyone. There were many opportunities to hop across trail-eating streams or just slog through them. Overall, an excellent day – one for telling stories about (“You wouldn’t believe…”).

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, February 28

Deputron Hollow, Danby

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Nine hikers met near the corner of Marsh Road and Nelson Road for a nearly 6-mile hike down Deputron Hollow Road to Coddington Road. Two hikers arrived shortly after I took this photo, by which point the sky had opened up into a heavy, warm-for-February rain. It wasn’t good for more photos, but it was motivating for speed. We arrived at our turn-around spot at or within sight of Coddington in 50 minutes and took 55 minutes to return to the cars. Fortunately, the rain let up about half an hour into our hike. By the time we had climbed the almost 700-foot hill back to the cars, we were pretty dry.

Saturday, March 2

FLT east from Logan Rd. toward Burnt Hill Rd., Finger Lakes National Forest, Burdett

Hike report by Casey

Ten hikers who were not worried about a little rain started on Logan Road in Burdett and headed east on the FLT.

This part of the trail does a gradual climb for a full mile and then crosses Burnt Hill Road for the first time. It then continues, and without being obvious, it gradually makes a sweeping 180 degree turn to the right so that it eventually intersects Burnt Hill Road again only this time from the east, heading westerly.

We were at the one hour mark at this point. We could have turned around and gone back the way we came or turn north on Burnt Hill Road to head back to where the trail first intersected the road. Instead we chose to follow the FLT as it turns south onto Burnt Hill Road and goes downhill as it heads into Bennettsburg. After maybe ten minutes or so, just before the bottom of the hill, we turned around and climbed back up Burnt Hill Road and headed to the first intersection where we then got back onto the FLT heading west towards our cars with a gradual one mile downhill.

The end result was 5.14 miles, 1,010 feet of elevation gain, in 2 hours 5 minutes.

Sunday, March 3

Shindagin Hollow State Forest

Hike report by Leigh Ann

On the first non-rainy hike day in a week, 24 hikers and one dog met at the second parking area down Braley Hill Rd. for an out-and-back east on the FLT. This hike has two stream crossings within the first half mile. While these are easy to navigate on the way out, they are a Bermuda Triangle for hikers on the way back. 

This is because as you’re heading west back to the cars, there a blue-marked trails that parallel the west sides of the streams that look much more like trails than the FLT does from that direction. So, the following helps: as you’re coming up to the first stream crossing, turn around. Look at your feet (where you’ll be looking right after the stream crossing heading west), then look just past your feet to see what the FLT looks like from there. You can repeat this at the second stream crossing. Unlike every other time we’ve done this hike recently, no one went the wrong way on the way back to the cars.

Fourteen hikers went past Shindagin Hollow Road on the FLT and continued up a steep hill that heads toward a lean-to, until the 1-hour mark, then returned in exactly an hour. This hike has a good amount of up and down on the out and back, and we got almost 1000 feet of elevation gain altogether.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.