Five hikers and one dog met in Tioga County for a hike of some of the trails in Oakley Corners State Forest
Let me start out this report by stating that unless you know the trail system there well, consider it to be something along the lines of the Hammond Hill trail system. This was my first time on these trails, and the only person in the group who had any previous experience with this trail system was Norm.
We ended the day thinking that we had the system worked out, but who knows.
The DEC map I linked to in the hike announcement was barely helpful in that the trails are numbered, and that numbering system wasn’t reflected on the DEC map.
Those linked maps do show the trail numbering system.
Overall this was an enjoyable hike; temperatures were pleasant under the forest canopy, and bugs while present were not intolerable. The group stayed with the more Southerly trail loops, as my primary sightseeing interest were the several ponds in that part of the forest. Its my understanding that if you want hikes with elevation gain, you should go with the more Northerly trail loops.
Being a weekday there were minimal numbers of other trail users; I’ve been told that on weekends this trail system sees a lot of use; for those who are concerned about possible covid exposures, plan your trip accordingly.
Much of the trail system we saw replicates many of the other trails we hike often; much In the way of stands of pines, some nicely flowing streams. Water levels were adequate. There were some stretches of muddy trail but nothing out of the ordinary. Lots and lots and lots of roots. This was a very root-y hike. Also, if you’re into ants, a tremendous number of ant mounds along the trails.
We stopped to check out the various small ponds that the southerly trail system circles. The largest of these was by far the most attractive ( and appeared to be the cleanest ). Norm stopped at a few to collect samples, which we dutifully documented for posterity.
We ended up running over the normal hike time, but that was as much caused by our unfamiliarity with the trails as anything else. All of the hikers agreed that it was a hike location worth returning to.
Addendum: The more southerly parking area on Hullsville Rd is not well-marked. The Google link I sent out in the original hike announcement is accurate, but unless you are actively looking for the parking lot, you’ll drive right by it as a couple of drivers in my group did ( myself included )
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Wed Aug 24
Hike report by Jim
Bike trails, Shindagin Hiollow SF
Four people hiked the bike trails in Shindagin Hollow as well as a road walk to and from those bike trails.
This hike was supposed to be primarily a hike of the Shindagin Rim trail system
The weather was hot and humid, with many swarms of bugs to accompany the group. I think that this deterred many potential hikers from the Wednesday hike.
A road detour due to a bridge replacement along Central Chapel Rd the usual route to the trailhead confused some of the attending hikers, and the group waited several extra minutes in case there were late arrivals due to the detour
Walking down Shindagin Hollow RD, I missed the turn-off into the woods for the trail, and by the time we realized that the group was so far past the turn that we opted to walk to the other end of the trail and walk back from there.
Reaching the small parking area at the end of the rim trail, the group decided to take the side trail for the mountain bike trail rather than walk the Rim trail back to our cars.
The descent to the stream area went well, and a decent amount of water was flowing. Nothing so significant as to make crossing hazardous. The bike trail area was more pleasant than what i expected the Rim trail to be , probably due to its proximity to the stream. The bugs were much less of a problem as well.
The replacement gold shoe on the stump along this trail was still where we’d placed it a number of months ago.
Reaching the end of the trail we returned to Shindagin Hollow Rd and walked up the road back to our cars. Passing the parking lot at the end of the Rim trail the group opted to stay on the road and expedite our return to our cars. The missed turn onto the trail was observed and found to be overgrown; unless you were standing right next to it, it was easy to miss. Between the bugs and humidity and sun in the open areas of the road walk it was less of an enjoyable hike than what we normally have on this particular hike.
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Sat Aug 28
Hike report and photos by shesse. Additional photos by Cian
Stevens Suspension Bridge, Forest Home
Very grey and humid, mid 70s — I liked the atmospherics quite a bit — got two nasty mosquito bites. Six hikers didn’t make it into the group photo.The group stayed together for about five minutes — by that point we’d formed into a super-fast group and a larger main group — the main group had falled behind just enough that they missed a turn-offWe all reunited about a half-hour later, up in the big Cornell horse fieldsWe were all happy to see each otherFrom the fields, we set out to cross Freese Road and check on the condition of the dramatic Varna cliffs — had they collapsed any more from the recent excess rains?Forget that plan — the path in to the cliffs was completely overgrown — crawling with ticks and bees — so we turned backWe checked out the horse barns and paddocks and then headed back down the hill to the flood plainThe trail along Fall CreekSpent the last half hour in the arboretum
Bock Harvey Forest Preserve and Riemen Woods, Enfield
Fifteen hikers and five dogs met for a hike of the Bock Harvey Preserve in Enfield
In comparison to recent days the weather was cool, with occasional breezes that helped make the hike more enjoyable
Hikers left the parking area, climbing the hill through fields of goldenrod and towards the shelter.
The path itself was slightly overgrown but not enough to cause a problem.
After pausing at the shelter for the group to consolidate, we pushed forward up the blue blazed trail towards the FLT.
Reaching the FLT we turned and hiked Westerly. Once at Porter Hill Rd we crossed the pavement and entered into the Rieman Woods. Quickly completing the short circuit of the FLT within Rieman Woods the group returned to Porter Hill Rd, at which time we walked up the road to meet the FLT again.
Re-entering the woods the group traveled Easterly along the FLT, through woods over streambeds and across fields, until we reached Rockwell Rd. It wasn’t until this very last stretch of trail that we encountered any mud, but as this stretch o0f trail is historically muddy, this was no surprise to me. Some people chose to call an early end to their hike here, while others walked Easterly on Rockwell to re-enter the woods and continue Easterly on the FLT until rehang Hines Rd before turning around.
The group encountered only a small number of other hikers and dogs along todays route.
It was an uneventful return trip to the cars.
Photos by shesse
Entrance to the lean-to groveArriving at Porter Hill Road on the outbound legBack onto Porter Hill Road after walking through Riemen WoodsWaiting for the others to catch up at Rockwell Road
13 hikers and 6 dogs met in the parking lit at the corner of Comfort and Bald Hill Roads, for a hike of the FLT
Rain fell steadily before the hike started, but eased up as the group proceeded down the trail.
It was an overcast day, with a noticeable amount of humidity.
Stream crossings were obviously a little interesting today due to the quantity of recent rainfall. I personally got to a point where I simply decided that my feet were going to get wet no matter what I did, and so just proceeded across streams without regard to any effort to rock hop.
Other than some issues with slippery rocks and roots on the trail the trail surface was mostly enjoyable for me. Not as much mud as a person might expect given recent rains, and the bed of pine needles made for some comfortable mileage on my feet.
The group emerged from the trail at Michigan Hollow Rd and walked to Hill Rd to walk off the remaining hike time prior to turning around. Hill Rd turned out to have an uncomfortable level of washed out surfaces, including one part that is so damaged as to be impassible to vehicles.
After turning around the group hopped onto the FLT where it crosses Hill Rd and returned to Michigan Hollow Rd, without incident.
AS we made our way back up the trail the rain, which had diminished as we made our outbound leg of the hike, picked up in intensity until we were back near the lean-to area of the Trail.
Esps were out on the trail by the dozen, and at Diane’s Crossing the group had an encounter with a decently sized snake that made its escape before we could photograph it.
All things considered and despite the rain, I believe that the group had an enjoyable hike today.
13 hikers and 5 dogs met for a hike of Kennedy State Forest in Cortland County
The weather was a good improvement from Saturdays hike, being warm and only a small but noticed amount of humidity as the hike progressed.
It should be noted that the logging of the past several months in this portion of the forest is done, and the parking are and the road beyond it have been left a ( for now ) well graveled and flat surface. A far cry from the muddy mess that just a few hikes ago at this location left a hikers car buried to the axle in mud.
Hikers set off down the trail from the parking area. My main concern for this section of trail is always the large number of roots; wet weather usually leaves them a slippery hazard, and today was no exception. Careful navigation around the many roots slows the hike down but is preferred to face planting.
The trail scenically proceeds along Rowland Creek for a short stretch, before starting to cross the Creek a couple of times. Neither crossing was particularly worrisome in terms of water flow or crossing difficulty. After those minor water crossings we arrived to the first color coded fork in the trail; here the groups hike route diverges from the FLT and jumps onto the blue blazed Swedish Loop trail. There are no significant elevation gains or losses anywhere along this route, which is unusual for our hikes.
The walk through the hemlocks was enjoyable, with diffused light filtering down to the footpath except for a few short stretches where direct sunlight was observable off to the side of the Trail but not directly on the trail.
The Trail crosses over one of two of the recently created logging roads within the forest; time will eventually soften the mechanically created dirt roads.
Soon the hikers met the yellow-blazed Stockholm Cutoff Trail, which brings the group back to the FLT. Turning Westerly the group passed through the Two Creek bivouac site before crossing the earlier fork in the trail with the Swedish Loop.
The return trip to the cars was uneventful other than a quick encounter with other day hikers/ dog walkers.
The fast pace of this hike found the group arriving back at our cars at only 90 minutes; we previously extended this abbreviated hike time by road-walking down Daisey Hollow Rd to where the FLT continues Westerly, but the Trail in that direction quickly comes to a significant water crossing that’s not well depicted on the FLT map that stops the groups progress on anything but a dry period where water levels have dropped. I will need to walk the FLT and Swedish Loops ahead of our next hike of this area to find an acceptable route that brings us closer to a normal two hour hike duration.
Eight hikers met to walk a parcel of property that will eventually be a re-routed section of the FLT in the area of Eastman Hill, Town of Caroline. A ninth hiker arrived late and met the group as we were returning to our cars.
The weather was cooler than in recent days, with a touch of mugginess. Some small amount of rain sprinkle had accompanied us to the meeting location, but over the course of the hike there was no rain at all. Some sections of the Trail known to be consistently muddy lived up to their reputation on this hike.
The property is an acquisition of the Land Trust; the area we parked in might possibly eventually be a parking area for the parcel and act as an access point for the FLT as it passes through the area.
Leaving our vehicles on Coddington Rd, the group passed through some high weeds before starting up a long section of logging road. While not a particularly steep grade, the duration of the climb requires periodic pauses to rest. By comparison to some of the hill climbs on the current Eastman Hill FLT sections, this stretch of trail wasn’t too bad. The parcels previous owners had installed small benches periodically along the route; while I didn’t get a chance to test them out today, the benches appeared to be inviting. The previous owners of the parcel also named the various logging roads on the property and utilized a color coded route marking system that still remains.
Reaching the top of the hill the topography flattens out for a while before the future trail route leaves the logging road and plunges into the woodline. This results in a short period of bushwhacking that proved to be no problem
Eventually the route connects into the current FLT, and the group passed over the seasonal portion of Eastman Hill before arriving at Heisey Rd.
From there we did a short lollipop circle before returning along the route we had originally taken.
The benefit to hikers in the long run will be that a long section of the FLT will be preserved from loss, as sometimes happens with parts of the Trail that pass through private lands. I will miss some of the trail sections that this re-route will replace, but that is outweighed by the long term preservation of the Trail footpath. Some of the replaced sections of Trail might still be accessible to day hikers, with continued permission of the property owners. Only time will tell.
Photos by Cian
“I got the time wrong and showed up when everyone was returning – so only one picture with hikers , but I did the newly blazed trail until it intersected the old trail.”
8 hikers met on Ellis Hollow Creek Rd for a hike of the Nature Preserve trails there. The skies had been growing darker after I arrived at the Preserve parking lot, and I was concerned that we’d be rained out of the hike entirely. The last weather reports I’d seen before leaving home indicated only a small chance of rain before Noon.
As the group set off, a small amount of rain was heard falling through the forest canopy, but other than a few random rain drops I never felt any of it. The rain ended quickly and the rest of the hike was uneventful.
The group took a clockwise direction along our usual trail route, first onto the yellow blazed trails, which transitioned to the blue blazed trail section. The first stream crossing has a newer blowdown since my last time on that trail that fills the streambed and blocks the former stream crossing location. The trail footpath and been re-routed slightly upstream, with a sawyer cut through the fallen timber. The crossing was uneventful. The group rain into one or two other blowdowns that probably should be eventually cleaned up, but nothing that negatively impacted our hike this day.
Water levels in the streams were minimal at every crossing. Mud was also minimal
The group ran into a total of two other hikers or dog walkers on the first circuit around the Preserve.
Navigating the hills in the red blazed section went without incident, a section that sometimes can provide some unsure footing for hikers.
Temperatures were not particularly high, but the humidity soon had many of us sweating from the effort of hiking the trail. Despite the humidity it was still a pleasing day to hike; the overcast skies I had seen before the hike started had cleared by the time we were well into the hike.
Completing the first loop I stopped to make a quick trail journal entry.
Several of us opted at that time to call an end to our hike for the day, while several others opted to do a second loop around the trail circuit in the opposite direction.
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Sat Aug 14
Hike report and photos by shesse.
Hammond Hill SF ski trails
Lovely cool, dark and damp morning — such a welcome change from the oppressive heat and humidityEight dogs showed up, two named Chico. They provided a good bit of comic activityWe did the original, classic version of this hike that we’ve been doing for years. Luckily we have Tiger to lead the way — for all the times I’ve done it, I still don’t know the way myselfAs soon as we got into the woods, it was too dark to take photos. In the shadier spots, it actually felt like night was coming on, it was so darkArrival at Canaan RoadHeading back toward the cars on Star Stanton Road. This walk involves a big lollipop. The sun came out near the very end, but as you can see, it was still cloudy pretty late in the game (no shadows)
Official head count: 14H, eight D
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Sun Aug 15
Hike reports by shesse and Nancy L. Photos by shesse
Connecticut Hill — south from the radio tower on the FLT
Report by shesse
Jim was planning to lead this hike but then he decided at the last minute to take the day off to try and fight off a cold. I said I’d write the hike report.
It was another gorgeous morning, sunny and in the low 60s when we met up.
Randy and Nancy (left) have been doing a lot of independent hiking on Connecticut Hill and they’re really learning these obscure and poorly marked trails quite well. But today’s trail was one of the very few up here that are clearly marked for those not familiar with the area
The lighting was terrible for taking photos — dappled sun-and-shade and tremendous bright and dark contrasts
As you can see, the woods were a mishmash of sun and shade — very pretty but basically impossible to photograph in
As some of you know, I developed a balance disorder some years back, and then I suffered nerve damage when I took a big fall three years ago, and that worsened my balance even more. But I’ve recently bounced back to the point I can keep up with the group — in most circumstances.
This was a group of super-regulars and they tend to race along at top speed. I managed to keep up for the first 40 minutes — then the trail conditions got really hairy and I had to turn back. Nancy L filled in whatr happened after Tiger and I dropped out.
Report by Nancy L
We all took off together to hike South on the Finger Lakes trail from the radio tower at the top of tower road. The trail was easy to follow and quite pleasant, woody and shady. It went gently downhill for most of the hike South to the hump shaped part of Connecticut Hill Road. The trail continued in a southerly direction from the road. We worked our way uphill until we had hiked most of the way up Hulford Hill (from the north this time). In an attempt to provide a circuit I turned sharply north on an alternate trail a relatively short way north of where we would have reached Boylan. I led a group back on a rather mucky slog down hill and across a creek. After a bit the group had tired of the crummy trail conditions and took a blazed remnant of what use to be the FLT back to the current FLT. They returned to the cars in a timely fashion by retracing their steps on the FLT. Meanwhile Randy and another hiker took a different and clearer alternate route back to the car. Their trail went north first crossing Connecticut Hill Road. They then followed a trail on the other (west) side of Tower Rd for a bit, before intersecting Tower Road, which they took back to the cars. Meanwhile, I and one other were looking for Randy, since there was no phone reception. Eventually we made contact with Randy who picked us up on Boylan Rd so that no one was left behind in the woods. Nancy
Farm road walk — Chicken Coop Road, town of Hector, Schuyler County
Gorgeous morning , 63 when we started, lovely clouds and a nice cooling breeze
Jack V lives just a few minutes walk from where Chicken Coop Road begins. Where is (or was) the chicken coop the road was named after, I asked him. No one knows. But there is this wonderful barn just as the road begins that creates a great rural feeling.
I’ve never done this walk in summer, and it didn’t occur to me the big fields that flank the road in the first stretch would be grown up. In the off seasons they provide a delightful farm-country vista.
Normally this road is almost untraveled, since it doesn’t really go anywhere. But we had the bad luck to arrive during a ditch improvement project, and there was a good bit of heavy dump truck traffic back and forth. It did ruin the peaceful setting a little.
The road climbs steadily as it herads west toward the Finger Lakes National Forest, and the views to the east and south get really pleasing. You can see to the other side of the lake from the higher parts of the walk.
Despite the big trucks, I had a great time. There is just a fantastic country feeling to this neighborhood that I love.
Official head count: 7H, four D. Final temperature as we wrapped up: 72
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Wed Aug 4
Hike report by Jim
Upper Treman SP — various trails
9 hikers and 3 dogs met on Woodard Rd outside of upper Robert Treman, for a hike of area trails.
Walking South on the FLT, the group soon encountered the CCC trail that connects the FLT to the parking area near the Old Mill inside Upper Treman. Most of the times the group has hiked the CCC trail its been from the opposite direction, so traversing the trail from the direction of the FLT was a nice change for me.
Despite being the first week of August, normally a dry time of the year for area waterways, the wet summer we’ve had ensured a good quantity of water was flowing in Fish Kill Creek as we passed along it.
Once at the Old Mill the group passed over the bridge that crosses over Enfield Creek, and walked to the near-by trailhead for the Red Pine Trail.
In my time with the group we haven’t hiked this particular trail, although Stephen has since told me that in past earlier years this was one of the groups regular hike routes.
The Red Pine Trail, compared to other trails inside Robert Treman State Park, is a little more in a worn condition. The quantities of loose rocks encountered and the overall incline of the trail in places makes it a more difficult trail to hike on at anything faster than a very slow pace.
There’s an initial steep climb out of what used to be the Upper Treman camping area, long since converted to picnicking space; the trail passes through some nice stands of pines ( not surprising, given the trails name ). The middle portion of the trail is nicer than either end, with only moderate elevation gains and loss. Approaching the Gorge Trail, the Red Pine Trail makes a seriously steep plunge downhill, especially given the quantity of loose rocks encountered and overall poor trail conditions previously noted. This would be a good place to improve the trails footpath with a series of switchbacks, I would think.
Reaching the Gorge Trail the group took a minute to admire the waterway, then pointed towards Upper Treman and began the trek back towards the Old Mill via the Gorge Trail.
I used to race up and down this trail loaded down with tools and gear with hardly a thought in my early 20s; something seems to have happened to me in the intervening decades. The multitude of stone and wooden stairs are a slower trip than I remember.
We passed a number of other day hikers enjoying the Gorge trail and the scenery around Lucifer Falls. We had encountered no other hikers on the CCC and Red Pine Trails.
Reaching the Old Mill the group jumped back onto the CCC trail, returning to the FLT. Since the hike had taken the group much less time than I had originally planned, some of us turned South on the FLT, continued across the wooden bridge over Fish Kill Creek and onwards to Butternut Creek Rd. Once on Butternut Creek Rd the group walked to Van Ostrand Rd before turning around and re-tracing our steps back to our cars. This resulted in a total hike time a few minutes short of the desired two hour hike time.
Since the group hadn’t done this particular route in a long while, I hadn’t really known what to expect as far as an accurate assessment for hike duration. If I were to do it again I would have hiked South on the Gorge trail along the stream for a few minutes to burn up some time. The appeal of this hike was primarily in its newness for most of the current group of hikers. I might keep it in reserve as a very infrequent back-up hike, but in the interest of hiker safety I think that the condition of parts of the Red Pine Trail really preclude me from using that trail as a regular hike location for the group.
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Sat Aug 7
Reports by Leigh Ann and Jim. Photos by Cian and shesse
Morning hike through Treman SP — Cook-out at Roger’s
Hi, everyone.Jim and I agreed to write two hike reports about this morning’s hike at Lower Treman because, as is usual for this annual hike before the hiker cookout at Roger Beck’s, the group got very spread out.
The nine hikers and one dog started from the FLT parking lot on 13, crossed under 13 and stayed on the FLT for a bit. Then we came to what might be the funniest and best-bang-for-the buck piece of advertising ever: a green trail marker on which someone had written an arrow and “ice cream” with a sharpie. The arrow pointed at a little side trail that ended up at the mothership of Dennis’s Ice Cream (right where 13 and 34 separate), which, sadly, was not open yet. It was sad because the day was already quite hot and humid. This was by about 9:45.
Because it was hot and humid, the cliff of insanity on the FLT just to the west of the picnic shelter where we had last summer’s socially distanced hiker picnic was not as appealing as usual. So, we collectively chose to get onto the Treman State Park rim trail, took that west to the bridge that crosses the creek, and came back on the gorge trail.
By the time we got down into the gorge, the day was warm and hazy, like a North Alabama day in June. This is where we got so spread out that we were hiking in our own little groups.
From the gorge trail, we saw at least a dozen people enjoying splashing around in the stream, or walking slowly up the stream bed, or sitting in the stream under one of the many small waterfalls. The trail became more populated the closer we got to the lower falls parking lot. When the advance trio of hikers from our group arrived at this parking lot, it was packed. Not in a bad way: more in a collectively effervescent way.
Thoughts on the cook-out
Speaking of collective effervescence, the hiker’s cook-out at Roger’s was popping with it. The whole summer feels different after it for me, in a good way. Roger and Gunilla have such beautiful flowers around their ponds, the cooking crews did such a tasty and big job, and it’s always so fun to taste everyone’s favorite potluck dishes. Most of all, it was great to see people I haven’t gotten to see in the past 17 months and catch up. The weather was warm and nice, and it was a great, mellow time. Thank you, Roger and Gunilla, for your hospitality, and to everyone who headed up the cooking and set-up. Best wishes,Leigh Ann
8 hikers and 1 dog met at the FLT pull-off near Shady Corners at the base of Newfield Hill, where State Routes 13 and 34/96 split.
This hike was announced at the parking lot as being unusual from our normal hikes, as I expected some hikers to leave early to attend Rogers picnic near-by.
The group set off on the FLT, entering lower Robert Treman State Park.
An oddity we noticed and commented on almost immediately was a short stretch of trail on the flats that has had some water intrusion. This stretch of trail, normally dry, was wet from water runoff from the surrounding hillside.
The group proceeded up the first short hill from the lower flatlands of the park camping area; after that the trail continues a gradual climb until it reaches and crosses the access road to the YMCA camp.
A short distance further up the FLT we encountered the side trail that runs off into the distance, offering the hiker a chance to buy some ice cream. As it was a hot and muggy day and we’ve never explored that trail, we followed it to Dennis’ Ice Cream at Decker Pond. Unfortunately the ice cream place was closed, so we returned empty handed to the FLT and proceeded Westerly.
Reaching the YMCA camp I made the decision to alter the hike, leave the FLT and jump onto the near-by Rim Trail for a change of surroundings from our normal FLT hike.
The group proceeded up the Rim Trail, meeting a few day hikers and having an enjoyable hike ourselves.
Reaching the turn-around time the rest of the group chose to proceed onwards for a few extra minutes of hiking, while I opted to remain behind waiting for their return. The rest of the group in fact did not turn around and continued on for a loop hike; I’m having Leigh Ann document this part of their hike separately.
After waiting a few minutes and not seeing the group returning, I continued onwards, running into Cian along the way. We continued on the Rim Trail until we reached the bridge below Lucifer Falls that connects the Rim and Gorge Trails. We opted to cross the bridge and take the Gorge Trail back to the lower park.
Here the frequency of other hikers on the trail picked up, with numerous observed swimmers, day hikers, dog walkers etc
The Gorge Trail was very attractive as it proceeded along the waterway. Stopping to dip my hat in the running stream gave some relief from the heat of the day. I was extremely surprised at the number of people I saw on the trails who brought no obvious hydration supplies with them.
Reaching the lower park area we walked back to our cars and headed to the picnic at Rogers. Total hike time was about thirty minutes longer than our normal two hour duration.
There is some retaining wall and footbridge damage along the Gorge Trail. A couple of trees on the park trails requiring sawyer work were observed, but nothing that posed a hazard to hikers.
Report on the cook-out
Arriving at Rogers I found the party well under way. Chicken and other various food items were available in quantities to suit anyone’s tastes. Multiple cold beverage options were also available. A few hardy souls braved the cooler temperatures of the pond to swim. Clusters of people spread around the yard, the buzz of numerous conversations going on throughout the day.
As the afternoon wore on the bulk of the attendees slowly left, leaving a dozen or so remaining people along with a good number of their dogs standing by. Roger broke out the clams as the final food course of the picnic; those were quickly decimated to everyone’s satisfaction.
While people came and went through out the party, I could not get an accurate head count. I can safely estimate attendance at 61 people, but I am sure that even that number is too low for the actual number of hikers and family members present throughout the afternoon
shesse photos:
The chicken crew — Jack V, Bud, Randy and EckhartOnly the toughest people went in
Eight people met at the radio tower on Tower Rd on Connecticut Hill for a hike of the Bob Cameron Loop Trail.
It was a great day to hike; not quite as warm nor as muggy as Saturday.
The group set off down the trail from Tower Rd; reaching the split in the FLT and the Cameron Loop, we veered off to follow the orange blazed trail. Despite recent rains the trail was not hazardous at all; damp but not muddy on the downhills. Given my past history of wiping out on the downhill portions of this trail it is always a concern for me. There were a few sections of muddy trail along the way, but nothing that constituted a hazard to the hikers.
Lighting conditions were excellent, with the forest being well lit and a play of shadows and light from the sunlight coming to the forest floor from above.
I’ve always found most of this route to be an enjoyable mix of minor hills and flat areas. The majority of the footpath on the loop is a nice bed of needles, which I’ll take any day over a sometimes active streambed that’s filled with loose rocks or roots.
Water crossings were not difficult; while there was some minimal amounts of water flowing, it was not in such a quantity to create hazards.
Coming up out of the ravines on the return leg of the hike there was a nice breeze that made the hike more enjoyable.
The group moved along at a good pace that found ourselves back on Tower Road after only 90 minutes. We crossed the road and plunged into the woods on the FLT, quickly making a thirty minute out and back hike there to burn up our remaining hike time
The Cornell Chicken team got 55 ordersTemperature of the pond: low 60sRoger! He stayed in for about two minutes
We’ll have posts from Leigh Ann and Jim about the cook-out in Monday’s regular weekly hike roundup, including Jim’s estimate of the turn-out. We used to have everyone RSVP, so getting a pretty accurate head count wasn’t hard. This year, the only RSVPs were for the chicken.
