ithacahikers

Hello Hikers!

Wed Feb 9

Hike report and photo by Jim

Sapsucker Woods

16 hikers met for a hike of the Sapsucker Woods trails at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

This was a first-time hike location for the group, so it was a bit of an experiment for me in terms of route planning. I much appreciated the advice of Joel and Jane, area members of the group who joined us on this hike and gave suggestions on the route to hike.
The day was relatively warm in comparison to the weekend temps. The trails were well compacted by previous walkers as well as skiers. There were a few other day walkers or joggers on the trail but for the most part we had the trail to ourselves.
We started from the parking lot area and made our way through a long loop that travelled through the woods behind the visitor’s center. The trail eventually came out onto Sapsucker Woods Rd and we crossed over to do a loop of the trail system on the Eastern side of the roadway.

Returning to Sapsucker Woods Rd we re-traced our steps for the most part, although at one point I veered off the path to take us on an alternate loop that took the group further away from one of the local apartment complexes that is adjacent to the Sanctuary.
We came back to our cars and the parking lot a few minutes early; I’ll have to revise the route on future visits to get us closer to our normal hike duration.
I brought binoculars to this hike thinking that we might get a look at some wildlife, but other than some squirrels we didn’t get the opportunity to see any living wildlife today/

A warm welcome to Norm’s friend Mary who hiked with the group today for the first time!

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Sat Feb 12

Hike report and two photos by Jim

Ekroos Road, Tioga County

When I first arrived at the parking area there was a significant amount of cloud cover and the upper branches on the trees around me were alive with the sound of the wind blowing through them. The ground at the parking area was a sheet of ice, so most of the group hiked with some form of foot traction.

As the hike progressed the ice underfoot soon gave way to mud, making the traction unnecessary.

Within the first thirty minutes or so of the hike the wind had died down and the sun had come out. By this time the group was emerging from a section of the road that is well-lined with trees on both sides, to a part of the hike where the southerly side of the road opens up in broad vistas of the fields and hills in that direction. The sun made this particular stretch of the hike very inviting.

Arriving at the two residences about a mile down the road, the group found that the seasonal portion of the road where plowing normally ceases was in fact plowed today. This section of the road is most notable for the deep gully ( I can’t really get away with calling it a gorge ) that runs alongside the road The group pressed onward, hiking down the hill and crossing Boyer Creek as the road approached 76 Road inside of Tompkins County. The group turned around and crawled its way back up the hill for the return leg of the hike.

Passing the two residences at the crest of the first hill, the group found weather conditions changing again. The previous cloud cover returned with a vengeance, the sunny and clear portions of sky still visible to the south but quickly scuttling away from us. Soon a steady drumbeat of granular snow started to fall, quickly enveloping the group in what gave the appearance of hiking in a life-sized snow globe. By the time we made it back to the cars the ground was covered by a fine layer of fresh snow.

Overall, a very good day to hike this particular stretch of road.

Five photos by Leigh Ann

Ypu can see Leigh Ann’s complete photo album here.

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Sun Feb 13

Hike report by Jim

Lloyd Stark and Carter Creek roads, Connecticut Hill

7 hikers and 2 dogs met at the junction of Connecticut Hill Rd and Lloyd Starks Rd for a hike of the seasonal roads in the area. An additional 2 hikers also arrived but chose to ski the area roads together rather than hike with the rest of the group.

The snow on Lloyd Starks was well-compacted from snowmobiles, so the going was not terribly difficult despite recent warm days which I had thought might have softened up the snowpack.

It was a pleasant hike up to the crest of Lloyd Starks Rd; from there it was a gentle downhill to the junction with the seasonal portion of Carter Creek Rd, which had likewise been compacted by snowmobile traffic. Compared to the last winter hike where we hiked this area, when unknown persons had churned up Carter Creek Rd by driving through it repeatedly with 4 wheel drive vehicles, the surface today was an excellent hiking surface. I also found that the logged area along Lloyd Stark was much less of an eyesore thanks to the snowcover.

As the group moved along Carter Creek Rd a small amount of snow started falling, not enough to create any sort of hazard but enough to give the hike a nice wintery feel.

The group reached Hulford Rd before turning around and re-tracing our steps back to the cars.

The hiking group ran into a couple of dog walkers along the way, as well as a porcupine that had earlier lost a battle with some other wildlife, but otherwise we had the trail to ourselves.

The skiers reported to me later that they had relocated to Tower Rd. They advised me that they had skied until 1230 or so, as they found surface conditions in that area to be better.

Photos by Leigh Ann

Two more hikers, Randy and Nancy L, decided to ski the roads. You can see Nancy’s photo album here.

Hello Hikers!

Wed Feb 2

Hike report by Jim

Lime Hollow Nature Center, Cortland County

8 hikers met on Gracie RD in Cortland County for a hike of various trails within the Lime Hollow Nature Center property.

The parking area was fairly well-covered with a layer of ice, which most hikers took as a cue to wear some form of foot traction. I opted for nano spikes, although we later found that the trail conditions were probably better for microspikes. Ultimately the trails were so compacted from previous skiers and hikers that no form of foot traction was really needed.

Setting off Westerly on the Lehigh Valley trail hikers soon arrived at the High Vista Loop  Trail which circles Baldwin Pond. Parts of this loop were the least compacted of any we found on the various trails. Stopping to look at Baldwin Pond, Steve S took the opportunity to walk out on the ice to check it out. Based on some other people present and what I took to be ice fishing holes on the pond surface, I assumed the ice was quite safe. Various wildlife observations also took place at this point of the hike.

Returning to the Lehigh Valley trail the group jumped onto the Hermits Way, which in turn connected to Fen Way and its return to Lehigh Valley. Through this stretch of trail the snow surface was  littered with the bark and needle and seed residue of the forest around us. The contrast of the snow, the darker bark, and this forest residue made for interesting visuals on this sunny day.

The sun was out, no wind was noticed, and so this was an enjoyable portion of the hike for me.

Once back on the Lehigh Valley Trail the group returned to the parking area, passed our cars and continued Easterly on the Lehigh Valley Trail.

We jumped onto  Maple Run, which led us to the Chicago bog. Once there the entire group walked out onto the frozen surface, something we’ve never done on previous hikes there. Walking across the pond we soon jumped back onto solid ground at the Phiilips Memorial Walk trail, which we took to Gracie Rd. The group returned to the Maple Run via the Esker Connector, and from there back to our cars.

Hike duration was almost a perfect two hours, arriving back at the cars with eight minutes to spare.

This was a great day to hike, with minimum difficulty from weather or trail conditions. The group behind me was  a steady hum of conversation for nearly the entire hike, so I assume that everyone with me had an enjoyable morning.

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Sat Feb 5

Hike report by Nancy H

Stewart Park, bird sanctuary and Newman Golf Course

Eight hikers and two dogs met on a cold, snow-covered morning in Stewart Park. As hikers arrived, we found out that the roads inside the park had not yet been plowed. Two hikers’ cars got stuck in the snow when they tried to drive into the park, and the group spent some time digging and pushing to move the cars. Eventually, everyone parked in the lot of the Ithaca Youth Bureau, which had been plowed and salted.

With temperatures in the low teens and a brisk wind coming off the lake, we decided to head into the bird sanctuary to get out of the wind. There we made our way through the deep, powdery snow (it looked like maybe one or two people had been on the trail before us). One hiker in our group wore snowshoes. Norm spotted some mink tracks and (later) fox tracks in the snow.

After we’d looped through the woods, we crossed the bridge and walked across the golf course. Here the wind reasserted itself, but the sun and the astonishing blue sky made up for it. We gave our legs a rest by walking on a plowed road at the far side of the golf course. From there we headed back toward Stewart Park, cut through the woods again, and made our way back to our cars.

Photos by Leigh Ann

You can see Leigh Ann’s complete photo album here

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Sun Feb 6

Hike report by Jim

Quiet rural roads weest of Upper Treman SP

Eight hikers and two dogs  met on Woodard Rd in Enfield for a roadwalk of the surrounding country roads. A ninth hiker arrived late and did their own solo hike. I had originally planned this as an FLT walk, but I arrived early to the meeting location, drove around the surrounding roads to check conditions, and chose to switch to a road walk.

It was a sunny but cold day, excellent for walking. Expecting some windy conditions I wore an extra layer or two but never felt overheated during the walk.

Road conditions, while well plowed and sanded, were slippery in parts and most of the group wore some form of foot traction.

Weather conditions were enjoyable except for portions of Thomas Rd where the group experienced some stiff winds coming across the open fields.

The group eventually arrived on Thomas Rd where the FLT leaves the woods and enters Robert Treman at the gated service road; to proceed further would have meant breaking trail through the fresh snow, which no one was interested in doing. The group used that as our turn-around point dfspite it being not yet quite an hour into the walk.

The group arrived  back at our cars also slightly early, but no one complained.

Photos by Leigh Ann

You can see Leigh Ann’s complete photo album here

Hello Hikers!

Wed Jan 26

Hike report by Jim

Upper Buttermilk Falls SP

Six hikers met in upper Buttermilk Falls State Park for a hike of the Bear Trail and Lake Treman Rim Trail.

It was a cold and clear morning; not as cold as the weather report would have had you believe if you had checked that before coming to the hike.

A few minutes of very fine snowflakes fell when I first arrived in the parking lot, but soon dissipated and ended completely.  Other than a departing hunter and a dog walker or two, our hikers had the park to ourselves at that time of the morning.

Hikers crossed over the new footbridge to reach the Bear Trail. The Bear Trail footpath was well compacted snow, a welcome change from last Wednesdays hike in Shindagin. I had donned nanospikes for the hike after making an initial inspection of the trail footpath. Over the course of the hike I realized that the better option would have been microspikes, as the nanos failed to provide the best traction over the entirety of the hike due to changing trail conditions.

The Bear Trail portion of the hike was uneventful, and soon we found ourselves in the picnic area near Treman Lake. By now the sun was shining, casting long shadows through the woods and causing a glare of light across the fresh snow along the trail.

Hikers climbed the hill towards Treman Lake, crossing the closed off  side trail to the loop trail that crosses over the dam. From there we continued the steady uphill climb.

Continuing on the trail circling the Lake we found the trail increasingly less compacted; clearly the regular users of the tail were not coming this far. Eventually we crested the high point of the trail and began descending. By the time we reached the junction with the FLT spur trail we found that the lake trail was closed to hiking for the season. The group jumped onto the FLT spur trail which was even less compacted than what we had been hiking through.

The group soon reached Yaple Rd at the hour mark of the hike, then turned around to re-trace our steps. Picking up a couple of slower members of the group along the way we soon returned to the picnic area parking lot.

Rather than returning along the Bear Trail we opted to cross the fordway, made possible by a layer of frozen ice and snow covering the flowing water. The wooden footbridge was taken up for the winter season and unavailable.

The group found the park service road was plowed, allowing an enjoyable return trip to our cars with no incidents to report.

A warm welcome to Johanna on her first hike with the group!

Photos by Nancy L

You can see Nancy’s complete album here

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Sat Jan 29

Hike Repoort by Jim

Black Diamond Trail from Kraft Road, Town of Ulysses

4 hikers met on Kraft RD for a Northbound hike of the Black Diamond Trail. Two of the four chose to ski rather than hike the trail. The trail surface had been reconnoitered by Nancy L the previous evening, so we knew that there were several individual tracks running the length of the trail for use by either skiers or hikers.

Two additional hikers arrived at the parking area late and chose to do their own hike in the southbound direction.

While the reported wind chill factor had scared many hikers from joining this hike, the wind was not particularly bad after a few minutes of hiking. Within a half hour of the hikes start the wind had died down to a level where I barely noticed it for the remainder of the morning

.The northbound hikers and skiers proceeded Northerly for an hour, turning around at the hour mark to return to our vehicles without incident.

The South-bound hikers later reported to me that they had made some excellent progress on their own hike before turning around to return to the parking area.

Special cold-weather photo by Jack V

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Special report and photos by Leigh Ann

A little explanation that can go with these pictures:
Saturday, Iris and I arrived at the Kraft Road trailhead shortly after the rest of the group headed north on the Black Diamond. We headed south so we wouldn’t tread on as many cross-country ski tracks and had a very enjoyable hike to Perry City Road and back. The wind chill was -15 to -10, so we kept our face masks on pretty much the whole time. We had the trail to ourselves except for a herd of deer that we startled. Two hours after we started, we returned to the cars and rendezvoused briefly at the Upper Falls Overlook.

Best wishes,Leigh Ann

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Sun Jan 30

Hike report by Jim

Spur Trail, Upper Lick Brook to Upper Buttermilk Falls SP

12 hikers and 1 dog met on Townline Rd for a hike of the Thayer Preserve and the FLT Spur Trail to Yaple Road.

Weather conditions were much improved from the previous day.

While the trail leading down into Lick Brook was closed for the extended January hunting season, the Thayer  Preserve trails were well traveled with a compacted layer of snow on the treadway, probably benefitting from the Lick  Brook side being closed.

The group set off from Townline Rd, quickly scaling the hillside to the flats where the trail runs along the ridge between the gorge and Sandbank Rd.

Reaching the split with the blue blazed trail that runs back to the gorge, the group quickly found out that the well-compacted trail surface was now greatly diminished in the amount of hiker traffic that had been using the orange blazed trail. Coming out into the open fields near the Sandbank Rd cidery there was still a discernable path left by previous hikers, but it had been largely filled in by blowing snow. Reaching the opposite side of the field where the trail returns to the treeline, it was clear that even fewer people had been using that section of the trail.

The group spent much of the time between that field and the powerline right-of-way breaking trail through several inches of fresh powdery snow. Once at the right-of-way we found ourselves again breaking trail to West King Rd.

Coming out on West King Rd we made a short jog down the road and re-entered the woods, now on the FLT spur trail proper. While much of this section was not well-compacted, a trail left by previous hikers served to guide the group through the maze of trees when the blazes were not immediately obvious.

Coming out in the final field the group crossed the field towards Yaple Rd before turning around.

On the return leg the group splintered into several sub-groups. The main body returned to Townline Rd via the more direct route we had taken on the outbound leg of the hike. A couple of us took the blue blazed trail down into the ravine, crossing the frozen streambed and climbing the hill on the opposite side to loop back to Townline Rd. This section is always my favorite part of this particular hike.

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

Photos by Leigh Ann

You can see Leigh Ann’s complete photo album here

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Photos by Cian

You can see Cian’s complete album here

Hello Hikers!

Wed Jan 19

Hike report by Jim

Braley Hill Road, Shindagin Hollow SF

Ten hikers and 1 dog met on Braley Hill Rd for a hike of the FLT from Braley Hill Rd to Shindagin Hollow.

The Trail from Braley Hill Rd had been snowshoed on, and my initial belief was that the surface was packed down  enough to make the footpath hike-able.

This assessment proved to be incorrect once the group left the road and entered the woods. The previous snowshoers had not compacted the footpath nearly enough, and so it was slow going for the group as we hiked through the woods at an extremely slow pace.

Reaching the Jeep trail that intersects the FLT prior to Shindagin Hollow RD, we found that the earlier snowshoers had deviated form the FLT to follow the Jeep trail. Unwilling to have the group break trail through a foot of fresh snow on the FLT I initially entertained the idea of hiking the Jeep trail to Shindagin Hollow Rd to finish the hike as a road walk; a few minutes of walking on the fresh snow of the Jeep trail convinced me that the easier option would be to turn around and return to Braley Hill Rd to do any road walking on that road.

The group returned to our cars early, but the consensus was that the hike had been sufficient and no road walk was desired.

Photos by Leigh Ann

You can see Leigh Ann’s complete photo album here

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Sat Jan 22

Hike cancelled because of cold

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Sun Jan 23

Hike report by Jim

Treman SP on the FLT from Route 13

15 hikers and 3 dogs met at the FLLT parking lot of State Route 13 at Shady Corners, for a hike of the FLT through Lower Robert Treman State Park

It was a cool morning, with occasional sun coming through the clouds and no sign of the snow that was forecast for later that afternoon.

The group set off on the FLT from the parking lot, {which was a challenge in and of itself as only about half of the lot has been plowed or even driven on since our recent snowfall )

The FLT footpath has seen some regular use since the snow fell, but the snow itself was not packed down and was of a consistency similar to running on a sandy beach. Ultimately this slowed down the group enough that we only covered about half of our normal distance for this hike.

The group very quickly broke into about three distinct sub-groups that were hiking at very different speeds Some of these hikers we were able to reconnect with the main body of hikers on the return leg of this out-and-back hike, but some had already returned to the parking lot by the time the main group got back to our cars.

The main sub-group of hikers still covered a decent amount of ground, getting well into the hills above the YMCA pavilion before turning around at the hour mark.

A quick stop at the pavilion for some photos, and we set off again on our return trip to the parking lot.

We encountered a few other hikers on the trail, but for the most part our group had the trail to ourselves

Welcome to new hikers Rick, Hailey, Kris and their dog Pippa o their first hike with the group!

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Photos by Leigh Ann

You can see Leigh Ann’s complete photo album here

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Photos by Cian

You can see Cian’s complete photo album here

Hello Hikers!

Wed Jan 12

Hike report by Jim

FLT starting at Connecticut Hill Road, CHWMA

Four hikers met on Connecticut Hill Rd for a hike of the FLT

An additional two hikers met us on the trail.

Two MORE hikers were unable to arrive at the trailhead in time but did their own roadwalk on Connecticut Hill Rd.

There was a minimal amount of snow cover on the trail today. The bigger problem for hikers was that the trail had recently obviously been quite muddy, and with  temperature drops over the past several days  had frozen into a solidified uneven mass that was not always enjoyable to walk across. Only an occasional animal or two had walked the footpath recently, so our group found itself having to “break trail” across the uneven snow surface as we progressed along the trail.

Despite the single digit temperatures of the previous day, the hike day temperatures were in the more manageable 20s ( F ). The sun was hidden behind clouds for the most part, but it was still a clear, well-lit day to enjoy the sights and sounds around the group.

The initial descent from Connecticut Hill Rd was uneventful. The first stream crossings were a careful affair, with hikers unsure of the ice would hold our weight. Once across the streams we found ourselves laboring up the slope on the opposite side, a section of trail that seemed to go straight up for a very long time. This particular section of trail also has a significant amount of exposed root network which requires careful navigation over and around.

Eventually we found ourselves on level ground and walking a section of the trail that cuts through large stands of Evergreens.

Reaching Boylan Rd the trail jogs slightly to the Southwest before again leaving the road and plunging into the meadows and woods on the opposite side of the road.

The group travelled through  section of woods that in its winter dormancy was less interesting than I recall the same section being during its full summer bloom. At exactly the hour mark we found ourselves entering a small meadow. Knowing that recently clear-cut sections of forest lay shortly ahead, I turned the group around so as to not repeat our recent Yellow Barn State Forest experience with recently harvested woodlots.

The return trip to our cars was uneventful; the now-downhill sections of trail being greatly appreciated by all.

Special auxiliary hike report by Leigh Ann

Hi Jim.  Claire and I had quite an enjoyable adventure Wednesday, once we let you know that we’d missed the meet-up point. We stopped and had a discussion on Connecticut Hill Rd. south of Connecticut Hill Cemetery and just south of where another Connecticut Hill Road heads off to the west. These are all seasonal roads. We figured that we were so far away from the rest of the group that we’d do our own hike. Once we called and let you know about that, we headed south on Connecticut Hill Road because we knew that it would eventually come out at 13. This was also because the hill just behind us was too steep for our cars to get back to the cemetery. The bottom of Connecticut Hill right before it gets to open fields and Rt. 13 seems about 22 degrees steep with deep culverts on either side, and it was very exciting to creep down at 4-5 mph.

After a big laugh parked by the side of Connecticut Hill Rd. in the nice, safe field before it got to 13, we agreed to head south toward Ithaca. We chose to pull off at Fisher Old Growth Preserve and did a vaguely swimmer-shaped hike that included legs and arms of the red trail (with the steepest part of the loop cut off) and the whole blue/red loop near the top of the hill. That took about an hour, and we ended our adventure at 11:15.
Best wishes,Leigh Ann

Photos by Nancy L

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Sat Jan 15

Jim cancelled the scheduled hike because of cold and wind — but then ….

Special small-group hike report by Nancy L — the Ithaca Huikers find a missing child!

Barb, Cian and I gathered  where the South Rec Way ends on Burns Rd.  The weather was frigid and it was hard to take our hands out of our mittens for pics.  We had the goal of approaching Powell Falls from a side trail off the Rec Way.  Trails to the reservoir show on the Gaia map.  When we got to a spot where several trails intersected, we encountered a couple looking for their 7 year old daughter who had run ahead.  We exchanged names and he tried calling my number though I never did receive the call perhaps a number was incorrect.  Barb and I had explored these trails recently so we headed for the trail we hadn’t tried before which indeed was taking us to the reservoir.  Luckily Barb remembered the names of the girl and her dog who were both lost so we  started calling them.   At a certain point we almost turned back because of the no trespassing signs protecting the reservoir.  I reasoned that no one would care and went ahead as much to see the reservoir as in the hope that the girl would be out there.  Sure enough we began to hear the girl  calling and the dog was barking too .  At first she didn’t want to come with us and said she would get back on her own.  But we said we had met her parents so she came.  She was quite upset at first and tripped after which she said her knee hurt a lot.  But her hobble soon resolved.  At first the dog kept vigil but as we got back closer to where the parents had been the dog ran ahead and I was relieved to think the dog must have found them.  Sure enough we soon encountered them .  By this time a large number of emergency responders had arrived.  I am so relieved that we all escaped from the cold woods unharmed Here are photos from Nancy and Cian 

You can see the complete photo album here

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Sun Jan 17

Hike report by Jim

Jim Schug Trail, Dryden

15 hikers and 1 dog met on Lake Rd in the Town of Dryden , for a hike of the Jim Schug Trail.

I had re-scheduled this days hike to the Schug Trail from a more rural location because of the extended forecast that had predicted snow throughout Saturday evening and early Sunday morning. The snow had not arrived as predicted, but the cold didn’t let us forget that we are now truly into winter months.

Ambient temperatures were definitely on the low side at the start of the hike. A cold wind blowing at the start of the hike had hikers thoroughly wrapped up in balaclavas, gloves and layers of other winter wear at a barrier against the cold. As the hike progressed the wind lessened, and peoples gradually shed layers.

The walking surface of the trail was extremely icy due to the heavy use the trail is getting, making some form of foot traction a necessity and trekking poles a welcome accessory.

Despite the cool temps there were a number of other people sharing the trail with us on this day.

The group moved down the trail at a good pace, by-passing the usual side-trip to Dryden Lake in favor of continuing directly onwards towards Dryden Village.

The sun was out, and the sky was clear. This resulted in some wonderful views across the various frozen water surfaces, with the trees reflecting off the surface of the ice and the sun gleaming through the various stands of dormant undergrowth along the trail.

The group made it all the way to Dryden Village before turning around and re-tracing our steps back to our cars. Arriving back at our cars we found the wind was now resumed, making our retreat into our respective cars for the journey home a welcome end to the days hike.

A warm welcome to Souma, Sanchita and Khoi on their first hike with the group!