Six Mile Creek, from Mulholland Wildflower Preserve to Potter’s Falls
This is a great walk, and we used to do it much more often, but the city drastically reduced the space in the parking lot some years ago, and now we can’t do the hike on weekends because there’s not enough room to park for everyone.
This is Potter’s Falls
When we got back to the cars, we realized one of the hikers was missing. Luckily someone had her phone number. It turned out she’d stopped to take a phone call and then couldn’t find the trail. She ended up in Commonland and headed up to Route 79 and walked back along the highway.
Cornell natural areas along Fall Creek from Flat Rock to Beebe Lake
Lovely morning, around 40 and the sun kept going in and out of the clouds — I stood here looking over the creek for several minutes hoping the sun would pop out — finally it did and I like the effect
The arboretum
Mundy Wildflower Garden
The bridge over the downstream end of Beebe Lake
We swung by the Cornell Dairy Bar on the way back to the cars. Some of the prices seemed a bit steep ….
Black Diamond Trail north of Perry City Road, town of Ulysses
I love the scenery along the hillside overlooking the lake as you drive on the back roads toward Taughannock — it was especially lovely this morning because we had some extreme atmospherics
The snow and ice from the big storm were pretty much all gone in town, but there was still a lot up here, more than I expected
If you look at the snow in the parking lot, maybe you can see it’s a bit bumpy and choppy. It was slightly melted, but the overall effect was unpleasant for walking.
The setting along the trail is decent, especially on a foggy day, but I found walking on the choppy snow to be really tiring.
Official head count: 17H, three D
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Sat Feb 29
Connecticut Hill WMA — road walk — Lloyd Starks Road and Carter Creek Road
Mid teens, snowing and many roads unplowed — I suspect the 9 am conditions may have kept some hikers home
Great winter atmospherics at the trail head
Heading south on Lloyd Starks Road — there was a good layer of fresh snow on the frozen base that seems to linger all winter — the snow wasn’t slippery but walking in it was quite fatiguing
The road has a sizeable uphill climb in each direction — great for exercise but a little grueling
A great morning for moody scenery
Carter Creek Road
Carter Creek
My ass was really dragging by the time we got back to the cars — but I loved being in the woods
Official head count: 13H, three D
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Sun March 1
Areas along Fall Creek — Renwick Woods, Fuertes bird Sanctuary, Stewart Par and the Newman golf course
Connecticut Hill WMA — road walk and snowmobile trail walk
I advertised this hike as a snowmobile trail hike, but, as you can see, we spent time on the road too. This was not my idea and I was unhappy with our route. But I’m taking responsibility because I failed to pay attention to the pre-hike discussions while we were waiting to start. I was wandering around taking photos, and I didn’t realize a group of regulars planned out a loop hike that was different from my original plan. I got word of this new plan at the last second as we stepped off — but I don’t know the area and I didn’t understand what was involved. I took the new plan at face value.
On Thursday I posted a link to an online album of my 20 favorite hike photos from 2018-2019 — but then I deleted the link on Saturday. I’m posting it again now in case someone was intending to check the shots out, but couldn’t find the previous link.
A couple of people who have a very strong background in art commented that they really like the photos — this made me realize something I hadn’t put into words, that many of the 20 shots are a bit arty. I’m sure some of you prefer plain straightforward documentary photography, so you very well may not like the shots Tiger and I took, which are only minimally documentary in many cases. They tend more to look like this shot from the album:
Slaterville Springs snowmobile trail
In any case, if you’re curious, the album is here..
I always look forward to the view when you turn the corner off Route 13 onto Irish Settlement Road and start up the hill to Yellow Barn
It’s nothing super-picturesque or dramatic, but I really like the way it rises gently across the rolling fields up to the strip of dark woods at the top — I get a sense of deep countryside, and adventure ….
….. I especially like this slowly decaying farm on the drive up the hill — it has a melancholy feeling of passing time
The snow was pretty deep and exhausting, so we stuck to the snowmobile trail, which was nicely packed down. This trail’s a bit monotonous in winter if you’re looking for lively scenery, but it’s a good way to get some exercise and schmooze.
The mood of the walk changes abruptly about half way in, when you come to a vast field. The sun was shining brightly by this point, and with the glare and the bounced light, it was like being on the beach
The procedure is to walk to the far end, wander back into the scrubby woods for a little while, then turn around
Official head count: 16H
This is the view driving back down Irish Settlement Road toward Route 13 — I think this is a really interesting panorama, and I love it
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Sat Feb 15
Shindagin Hollow SF — snowmobile trail
This is another hike where the last part of the drive to the trail head, south on Central Chapel Road, creates a great rural atmosphere. I really like the scenery all along the way, including this cluster of farm buildings, which I think has a very pleasing architectural massing
It was quite cold at the trail head — five above when we arrived, just 15 when we headed home — but the actual hike didn’t seem cold at all — there was very little wind, and the sun was bouncing brightly off the fresh snow
The snowmobile trail had actually been groomed and it was extremely easy walking. At one point a small group of riders roared by — a couple of us joked about catching a ride back to the cars — even though the trail surface was nice, it was still getting exhausting in the snow.
