Author: Nancy H.

Wednesday March 29

Dawes Hill Road, West Danby

Hike report by Jim

Ten hikers (plus a local dog) met at the junction of Beech Hill and Dawes Hill Roads in West Danby for a rural road walk. We were joined by a neighborhood dog that chose to come along with us, a first that I can recall, so at Casey’s urging I’m including the dog in our official tally.

It was a sunny day, a far cry from the snow showers we’d been promised when I scheduled the hike. As we began our hike, walking to the end of Dawes Hill Rd., water gurgled in the roadside ditches and the sun warmed the frozen dirt road underfoot. Unfortunately, the long-distance view of distant peaks in Pennsylvania was a little hazy and underwhelming.

We returned to the parking area and walked the seasonal part of Beech Hill Rd. This consists of a steady downhill walk, followed by an often steep climb back to our cars.

About midway down the hill on Beech Hill Rd., there is a Finger Lakes Land Trust holding that I checked out for a few minutes while the main body of hikers continued down the road. The bulk of the property along the seasonal part of the road is owned by Cotton Hanlon and is thoroughly posted against trespassers. The Land Trust property must have been Cotton Hanlon property at one time and still has old logging roads heading downhill toward streambeds. I’m hoping that I can return to the area and plot out a future cross-country hike for the group using the logging roads.

Saturday April 1

Dabes Diversion Loop, Kennedy SF, Cortland County

Hike report by Jim

Saturday started out cool and with a stiff breeze blowing through the trees around us through much of the early hike. The day was overcast, and I was certain that the rainy weather overnight would contribute to a lower-than-normal turnout for this hike.

While waiting for the group to arrive at the trailhead, I took note of the patchy snow on the forest floor and the sections of water-logged trail leading from the trailhead. Deer jumped across the road, and birds sang from the trees. In the calm before the hiking storm, it was an enjoyable and peaceful prelude, even with the cool wind.

Thirteen hikers and a dog ultimately arrived to participate in this hike. After we’d left the parking area it didn’t take long to encounter our first waterlogged trail sections. Snow on the actual footpath was minimal but seemed to be on hillsides and the shaded sides of trees we stepped over, ready to make any hiker slip if they weren’t taking proper care.

The first water crossing was uneventful; quite a bit of water was flowing, so the normal stream crossing rocks were slick and hazardous. I personally gave up and resigned myself to having wet feet for the duration of the hike.

I always think of this hike as having distinct trail sections: the initial downhill combined with a stream crossing and then climbing the hillside on the opposite side of the stream, a couple of level sections of trail, some nice sections of old stone wall, stands of hemlocks that were somewhat brooding on the overcast outbound leg of the hike but had some nice play of shadow and light on our return after the sun came out.

Around the time we reached the open field with the rock pile, the sun decided to make an appearance and the nature of the hike changed immediately. The second half of the hike had a nice warm breeze, and the sun made a distinct improvement to the hike’s second hour. It didn’t take long for hikers to start shedding layers.

After the rock pile, we headed toward the international loop trails, which always fall outside of our time limit for two-hour hikes. Along this section of trail there’s another, more significant water crossing, more stone walls, and the lean-to.

At the hour mark, we turned around and retraced our route back to the cars.

Casey reports FLT mileage at 4.53 FLT miles for those trying for their FLT50 patch this year.

A warm welcome to Brian on his first hike with the group!

And a belated welcome to canine hiker Po Boy! (Apparently I didn’t acknowledge Po Boy by name after his first hike with us.)

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday April 2

The Pinnacles from Bald Hill Rd., Danby SF

Hike report by Jim

Twenty-two hikers and one dog met at the junction of Bald Hill and Station Roads for a hike to Thatchers Pinnacles and beyond. The morning was sunny and cold, with a chill wind blowing. The early arrivals were soon voicing a longing for the warmer temperatures of the previous day as we waited for the last hiker to arrive.

Before the hike started, we discussed routes. We’d all hike to the Pinnacles and down the other side of the hill back to the seasonal part of Bald Hill Rd., where hikers would have three options:

(1) Turn around and retrace the route back up to the Pinnacles. (Casey C. led this group. Thanks, Casey!)

(2) Come with me as I hiked a loop around parts of the Abbott Loop and Dove Trails back to Bald Hill Rd.

(3) Cut the hike a bit short and walk directly back to the cars.

In the end, the group split into three fairly even subgroups, one for each option.

After our briefing and a quick group photo, we took off down the seasonal part of Bald Hill Road, which was a  mix of semi-frozen mud, running water, and puddles. The line of hikers quickly stretched out as we proceded.

By the time we left the road and began the climb to the Pinnacles, I could see a long line of single-file hikers strung out along the trail ahead of me. As we climbed the hillside and the trail curved around the hilltop, I lost sight of the lead hikers and also those trailing behind me.

Our stop at the Pinnacles was extremely brief, even though the views were great. The wind did little to encourage practicing the art of standing around. By the time I reached the peak, the lead hikers were already disappearing down the trail.

I arrived at the seasonal part of Bald Hill Rd. to find my Dove Trail loop hikers waiting for me. Casey had already taken his faster Abbott Loop hikers ahead on the Abbott Loop section heading down to the stream. My hikers reported that the subgroup who were headed straight back to their cars had already departed.

My group walked a short way down Bald Hill Rd. to access another section of the Abbott Loop. We hiked that section downhill, followed the stream a while, and crossed over to scale the hillside and reach the Dove Trail. We took the Dove Trail back to Station Rd., arriving back at our cars about 10 minutes early. Casey’s group of hikers arrived at the cars right on time.

For those trying for the FLT50 patch this year, I believe that the Abbott Loop qualifies as mileage toward the patch. If so, today’s mileage per Casey and Joe was about 4.5 miles.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday March 22

Black Diamond Trail from Kraft Road

Hike report and photo by Jim

Ten hikers met on Kraft Road in the town of Ulysses for an out-and-back hike of the Black Diamond Trail. It was a pleasant hike, with nice weather and glimpses of distant fields and homes through the leafless trees. We shared the trail with a handful of bicyclists, but otherwise the midweek volume was fairly light.

The group set off heading south, everyone doing their own pace. From my point of view, it seemed that the larger group had quickly broken down into subgroups of two or three hikers, and each smaller group was a microcosm of hikers engrossed in conversation as we all made our way down the footpath.

At turnaround time, I personally had gotten as far as the bison farm (no bison observed today), and the faster hikers had made it a considerable distance farther than I did.

Welcome to Lee Ann W. on her first hike with the group!

Saturday March 25

Finger Lakes Trail south and east from the corner of Townline and Layen Rds.

Hike report by Jim

Saturday’s weather started out with a rather intimidating rainstorm, which I suspect deterred some people from joining the hike. But seven hardy hikers met on Townline Road in Danby for a hike of the FLT. Thankfully, the downpour abated as we set off.

The first section of the FLT we traversed was as muddy as we’d expected. By the time we entered the open fields, the wind was whipping enough that I found myself pausing periodically to brace myself against the gusts. Because most of us knew what conditions can be like in this section, hikers had worn enough layers that I don’t think the weather caused much discomfort for anyone in the group.

Inspired by David Priester of Cayuga Trails Club, I recently acquired a Kestrel handheld weather meter, and this hike was my first real opportunity to put the gizmo through its paces. I found myself trailing the group as I measured wind speed, checked the temperature of water at stream crossings, etc. (Wind speeds in the open field hit 19 MPH on the hike’s outbound leg, while the water temperature at the first major stream crossing was barely above freezing).

The other hikers eventually made it to our usual turnaround point at the far side of the open fields, and they scooped me up on the way back.

For those working to earn their 2023 FLT50 patch, Casey gave an FLT mileage of 4.5 miles.

Sunday March 26

Finger Lakes Trail through Finger Lakes National Forest, Burdett

Hike report by Jim

Twenty-two hikers and two dogs met on Logan Road in Schuyler County for a hike on the FLT. It was a sunny, clear day, the weather a vast improvement over Saturday’s hike.

We started with a quick group picture, followed by a hike briefing as everyone clustered around the rebuilt map kiosk (there were actually maps available in the map boxes today!). Then the group was off and climbing the hill, with Casey and Joe leading the charge. The immediate climb provided a quick warm-up for those who had gotten chilled waiting for the hike to start.

Because of the recent rain, a decent amount of water flowed over the cascades in the ravine that the trail follows for the first mile or so. Roger and I brought up the rear, and we found ourselves stopping often along the way to admire the forest around us.

The trail crosses the stream and begins a wandering path through the woods, making a second, much smaller stream crossing before finally arriving at Burnt Hill Road. Because I knew that the other hikers had gone far ahead, I opted to road walk to where the FLT comes out on a lower section of the road, rather than try to race ahead to catch up.

This worked out pretty well. Because the fastest hikers found themselves with some extra time on their hands, they opted to do a quick detour down Wyckoff Road to burn up some minutes until all of the hikers emerged onto Burnt Hill Road. When everyone was accounted for, we hiked back to the FLT and descended the hill to our cars.

After the hike, a few of us gathered at Grist Iron Brewing Company for lunch and conversation. A warm welcome to Beth and her canine hiking companion, Stout, on their first hike with us!

Today’s hike, per Casey, counted as 4.9 FLT miles for those working toward their 2023 FLT50 patch.

View Cian’s photo album.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday March 15

Smith Woods and Habitat Nature Preserve, Trumansburg

Hike report by Jim

This was an unusual hike location and arrangement that combined two hike locations, each with relatively short trail sections, at opposite ends of Trumansburg village. In anticipation of the predicted storm, I’d planned this hike with two things in mind: trailhead accessibility and an easy hike, given that both locations are relatively flat.

Eleven hikers and a single dog met at Smith Woods. The snowfall of the previous day and evening had dissipated, but when I arrived at our meeting place, the wind moaning through the trees convinced me to wear thicker layers of clothing on the hike. The sun was out, however, and I warmed up quickly once we started to walk.

I’d hiked here once previously, with the CTC about two years ago. I did not prehike the location before Wednesday’s hike. Problems developed fairly quickly after today’s hike began.

On this morning, the trail surface was mostly fresh, unbroken snow, with only the footprints of a single dog walker to guide our way. The trail system displayed on Smith Woods’ downloadable map shows three distinct, color-coded trails. During the hike, we came across an old sign showing a former layout that was quite different from the map I’d brought. The sign displayed more trails than my map, and they had different blazing. The blazing on two of the three current trails (yellow and blue) is not intuitive and can actually send you off on a wild goose chase; there are, for instance, random trees in the woods with yellow spray paint on them that have nothing to do with trail markings.

The group ultimately did two laps around the Smith Woods trails, trying to figure out the legitimate trail routes, which was impossible with snow covering the trails.

We then returned to our cars and drove to the Habitat Trails at the other end of the village. We parked at the Farmers Market and walked along Salo Drive to the trailhead.

In the Habitat Nature Preserve, a short feeder trail plunges into the woods from Salo Drive and leads to a figure-8 trail that winds through the preserve. A hiker who lives nearby offered suggestions on which direction to take within the trail system. The trail route was fairly easy to figure out, thanks to some very worn blazing, chainsawed sections of fallen trees along the route, etc.

Several hikers indicated that they’re interested in trying out this hike again in the summer. Perhaps it will be easier to find our way through the Smith Woods trail system then.

In addition, hikers suggested that next time we could walk from one trail to the other through Trumansburg (instead of driving between sites), possibly with a stop in the village afterwards for refreshment.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

A Note on This Weekend’s Hikes

From Jim:

This weekend we did two hikes under some very different and sometimes difficult conditions. I appreciate everyone who showed up for one or both of these hikes.

Recently, Casey told me that he’d been asked by someone outside of our group if he was looking forward to the beginning of hiking season. A lot of people, hikers and nonhikers alike, think of hiking as something that’s done two, maybe three seasons at best.

In hiking three times a week for all 52 weeks of the year, we really do manage to pull off some interesting hikes under conditions that many people would hesitate to deal with. This weekend’s hikes exemplify that.

Saturday March 18

Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale

Saturday’s hike was a repeat hike of the Shindagin Rim and bicycle trails. We’d originally done this hike in February on a day when half a dozen well-dressed hikers braved some seriously cold single-digit temperatures. This is one of my favorite hikes, and I wanted to hold another hike here sooner rather than later so that more hikers could enjoy the location. So on Saturday 32 hikers and five dogs met at the end of the maintained portion of Shindagin Hollow Road.

Temperatures were warm at the start of the hike, and although the skies were overcast it was a pleasant hiking day. There were several inches of crunchy snow on the seasonal portion of the road, and the group moved quickly to the turn-off for the trail that leads to the gorge rim.

Because we were a large group, we’d arranged to have faster and slower groups before we set out, and it didn’t take long for the hikers to stretch out along the footpath.

Views along the gorge edge were great, and while the snow wasn’t extremely fresh, it still retained enough of its pristine appearance to make an excellent contrast to the waterways, trees, and cliff faces that surround the trail.

Very few hikers had preceded us on the trail. Leigh Ann, who was leading the fast group, reported having to break trail through the snow for much of the route.

Soon hikers were turning from the rim trail onto the bicycle trail that leads down to the streambed. We were so spread out by this time that the lead hikers were already crossing the stream by the time the sweep (me) was starting the descent down the slope from the top of the ravine. The first stream crossing presented fast-flowing water that challenged hikers. In fact, a few hikers decided at that point to return to Shindagin Hollow Road walk along it rather than try to cross the stream.

The section of the hike through the bicycle trails to Gulf Hill Road went fairly quickly. The sun came out during this part of the hike, shining its brilliance over the white snow around us.

By the time we came out onto the lower end of Shindagin Hollow Rd., the sun was turning the snow on the road into an increasingly slushy mess. Hikers in the faster group who’d trekked up the hill to the lower parking area near the Jeep trail opted to go back into the woods and return to the cars by retracing their path along the rim trail. I chose to remain on the seasonal road, and by the time I met the hikers coming out of the upper end of the rim trail, the road surface was very slushy and slippery going indeed.

A warm welcome to Jed, who joined us for his first hike of the area. Jed was visiting Ithaca from NYC, and I’ve heard from other hikers that he thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to rural Tompkins County.

NOTE: After the hike, Mary asked that I relay to hikers that the Town of Caroline enforces parking restrictions in snowplow turnarounds. Those turnarounds, like the one on Shindagin Hollow Rd., are covered under a town law that allows for the ticketing and towing of cars parked there. I didn’t think it would be an issue on Saturday because it was a weekend and no active plowing was taking place, but Mary is right that hikers should be forewarned about this issue for future reference.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

View Cian’s photo album.

Sunday March 19

Finger Lakes Trail to Woodchuck Hollow Lean-to, Cortland County

Hike report by Jim

This hike was intended to be an FLT hike from Carson Road to the Woodchuck Hollow Lean-to and beyond. However, we arrived at Carson Road to find a bone-chilling wind that cut through clothes and encouraged hikers to don additional clothing.

I had not prehiked this hike location, and while Ithaca and Freeville had barely a dusting of snow, this section of the FLT was buried under several inches of unbroken, crusty snow.

Nineteen hikers set off, with Casey breaking trail, as the wind chased us up the hill. I had hoped that the wind would be less of an issue once we crested the hill and descended into the hollow. Even in the hollow, however, the wind whipping high up through the trees was our constant companion.

The original plan for the hike was to visit the lean-to, and then continue to the blue-blazed trail that leads back to the FLT for the return leg of the hike. Because of the slow going, Casey ultimately opted to leave the FLT and hike to Pipeline Road on the blue-blazed trail before returning to the FLT for the return leg of the hike. This plan fit our two-hour window perfectly, and the lean-to will have to wait for our return to this section of trail in the summer.

For those tracking their FLT miles for this year’s FLT50 patch, I believe that today’s hike easily counts as three FLT miles.

Despite the issues we encountered on this hike, the group rose to the occasion. Multiple hikers told me they enjoyed this challenging winter hike.

That said, this experience has prompted me to revisit the issue of polling our regulars to see who owns snowshoes. I’ve been saying all winter that I would schedule some Tuesday snowshoe hikes if we ever got enough snowpack, and today’s hike would have qualified!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday March 8

Chestnut Lean-to, Danby State Forest

Hike report by Jim

This was not an organized hike but a volunteer work party. Eight hikers met in Danby and hiked into the Chestnut Lean-to for a work detail to gather, cut, and stack wood in preparation for Saturday’s upcoming winter cookout.

Saturday March 11

Hike and Annual Winter Cookout, Danby SF

Hike report by Jim

Saturday morning dawned after some very wintry weather the previous day and night. When I arrived at the corner of Bald Hill and Comfort roads, the surrounding forest was covered in a fresh layer of new snow. Occasional breezes caused a fine mist of snow to spray to the ground. Stronger wind gusts resulted in what I called “snow bombs” – clumps of snow that fell from trees onto hikers throughout the day.

Approximately 18 hikers came for the hike, the picnic, or both.

Several cars in the parking area were not from our group. After hiking to the Chestnut Lean-to, we found the site occupied by several Ithaca-area Boy Scouts who had spent the night there and were waiting for another contingent of scouts to hike in from the Tamarack Lean-to as training for an upcoming hike. The scouts were kind enough to share the lean-to with us.

A handful of Ithaca Hikers stayed at the lean-to for bonfire and food prep, while Casey led most of the hikers on an out-and-back hike of the FLT to Diane’s Crossing and beyond.

When those hikers returned to the lean-to, the food came out of bags and was passed around, to everyone’s satisfaction. After eating, our group started to dwindle as hikers began to find their way home. We left some food and the remaining firewood for the scouts to use that evening.

Thanks to Mary for her overall planning of the event! Thanks also to Wednesday’s volunteers for donating their time and work to help make Saturday a success!

Photos by Dave R.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday March 12

Ekroos Road, Tioga County

Hike report by Jim

I’m not normally a fan of road walks, but Ekroos Road is rural enough, with some good views along the way, that I make an exception for times when we need a route that is reliably clear of snow on winter hike days.

There were several inches of fresh powder, and when I arrived at our meetup point I found that road crews had not plowed the parking area we normally use. But our group of eight hikers was small enough that we could park single-file on the shoulder along the banks of plowed-up snow

We set off from our cars and quickly spread out as the faster hikers set a lively pace that took them far ahead of the trailing hikers.

On the outbound leg, the road is a gradually descending, winding route that takes us through varying surroundings such as hemlocks that crowd the road so densely that you can’t see beyond the first couple ranks of trees – what we sometimes call “atmospheric” – to open fields that offer sun-drenched views of distant peaks across the valley.

At several points along the route some active brooks cross the road, the water flowing noisily along either side, the streambed dark against the layer of freshly fallen white snow. Cuts into the banks along the roadway offered shadowed havens for a series of icicles at one point along the route.

There is one house under construction midway along the road and another near the end of the maintained portion of roadway. We had the road to ourselves for the duration of the hike, without even a sign of snowmobilers using the snowmobile trail that crosses Ekroos Road.

After passing the sole occupied home, Ekroos Road (which carries another name in Tompkins County) turns into a seasonal road that makes a sharp descent while running along a nice ravine.

At the bottom of the hill, the area surrounding the road opens up into fields, and a couple of homes that are notable mainly for the dogs that let the world know about our group on every hike at this location.

At the end of the road, the lead hikers turned around and climbed the steep hill, collecting the slower hikers along the way and retracing our route back to the cars. Several hikers arrived at the cars early and walked to the intersection with Honeypot Road and back to fill up the two hours.

View Cian’s photo album.

Wednesday March 1

Robinson Hollow State Forest

Hike report by Jim

Eleven hikers met on Harford Slaterville Rd. for a hike south into Robinson Hollow State Forest.

I was surprised at the snow depth we found on this hike. While not particularly deep, the snow was still deeper than various hikers reported at their homes.

The FLT leaves Harford Slaterville Rd., crosses over the beaver dam (no beavers visible today!), and weaves through lower elevations, gradually making its way up the hillside before leveling out. Here, the trail skirts the edge of the state forest, and many trees by the trail are festooned with posted signs. Distant fields and hillsides were visible through the leafless trees along the trail.

At the crest of the hill, the trail passes through some nice sections of woods, crosses over the natural gas pipeline right-of-way, and continues south through the forest. When the trail starts to go downhill, the hikers who’d gone that far turned around and made their way back.

Due to the snowy conditions, we didn’t get as far as we get on this hike in summer months, but it was still a good hike through beautiful snow-covered woods.

Saturday March 4

Groton Village Trails

Hike report by Jim

Twelve hikers and one dog met on Spring Street Extension for a hike of the Groton Village trail system. Weather conditions were overcast with intermittent winds, although nothing like the winds that had been blowing in the area the previous evening

Once in the woods, the trail winds through the trees in the form of an old logging road that crosses a couple of small waterways before arriving at the first fork. We took the lower fork and gradually worked our way down the hillside toward Sovocool Hill Rd. Despite being fairly close to Groton Village, most of this section of trail gives the impression of being deeper in the woods than you actually are.

Before coming out onto Sovocool Hill Rd the trail forks again, and we followed a utility line up a steep slope for a short while before taking another fork, which brought us out onto an upper part of Sovocool Hill Rd. We crossed the road and then resumed hiking on the lower trail loops, which brought us out behind Groton High School.

By this time, many hikers had fallen. Although the snow wasn’t deep, it was slippery and concealed a layer of slick mud that sent several hikers slipping and sliding down the hill.

At the high school, I changed our return route. Rather then scale the steep, slippery slopes we’d just come down, we road walked through the village to another trailhead and used that flatter section of trail to return to the upper trail loops above Sovocool Hill Rd. This allowed us to climb a much gentler slope than we’d found on the lower trail loops.

As we returned to our cars, a sharp wind with strong snow flurries arrived to batter us as we crossed the fields back to the parking area.

Welcome to Arlene on her first hike with us!

Sunday March 5

Texas Hollow State Forest, Hector

Hike report and photo by Jim

Fourteen hikers met at Texas Hollow for an out-and-back hike of the FLT to Newtown Rd. Snow was minimal at the trailhead and through much of the outbound leg of the hike. The snow became deeper and crustier as we got closer to Newtown Rd.

The trail overall was a decent hike as it left the parking lot and entered the woods. After passing the small pond, the trail gradually winds through the woods with some ups and downs, passing over several small streams in the process.

Finally, the trail begins a serious elevation change and goes through a series of switchbacks before arriving at Newtown Rd.

On the return leg, we took the blue-blazed loop trail, which gave us a view of the opposite side of the pond and passed through some nice stands of evergreens before returning to the FLT.