ithacahikers

Wednesday, May 14

Finger Lakes Trail from Carson Rd to Woodchuck Hollow Lean-To, Cortland County

Hike report by Jim

Seven hikers met on Carson Rd in Cortland County for a lollipop hike of the FLT through Tuller Hill State Forest to the Woodchuck Hollow Lean-To. This is hike # 60-6 on our list of regular hike locations:  https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-60.

 Today’s hike took place entirely on FLT map sheet M19, available for purchase in paper or electronic formats at: https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/. Sale of the map sheets helps to defray the on-going costs associated with trail maintenance

As could be expected from recent weather, the group ran into a fair amount of mud on this hike. Weather forecasts probably kept some hikers away from this hike, as rain was forecast. While temps were a little cool, we only experienced some light drizzle towards the very end of the hike, with accompanying higher wind gusts. The remainder of the hike was actually enjoyable in terms of weather conditions. We did have some water to deal with on some of the creek crossings, but if I had to guess those levels have dropped from what they were a week ago.

One issue we had to deal with repeatedly was the number of blow downs. I classify fallen trees into one of three categories: step -overs, crawl-overs and bushwhack-around. The group encountered all three types today, and I feel that it did slow down the group a bit as we had to deal with the crawl-overs and bushwhack-arounds both coming and going during the hike. I did submit a trail conditions report to the FLTC and reached out to FLTC sawyer Erin Potter about conditions.

The walk to the lean-to was otherwise quite enjoyable, as the FLT passes through some nice stands of trees and across and along some enjoyable streams and creeks. While things are well along in terms of leafing out, the line-of-sight through the forest is still very good

The hikers eventually reached the Woodchuck Hollow lean-to, where we paused to make a journal entry and take a group photo.

Beyond the lean to we found that the FLT has had a recent re-route due to a significant number of blow-downs. When I reached out to Erin Potter she advised that she had been part of that project, which clearly involved a lot of sawyer work to keep the FLT passable. What the sawyers did was to re-route the FLT along the former blue-blazed side trail, apparently leaving many of the blow downs on the former FLT footpath where they lay. near the forest service road the FLT continues northerly while the blue blazed trail continues along its usual easterly direction back to the FLT. This blue blazed trail did have one fairly large blow-down tree that will need to be addressed by sawyers.

The group took the FLT back to Carson Rd without incident.

For those who are tracking their FLT miles towards an FLT50 or FLT100 patch, today’s hike included 3.6 FLT miles.

Saturday, May 17

Woodard Road east into upper Robert Treman SP, Enfield

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Nineteen hikers and no dogs met where the FLT crosses Woodard Road. It was a great Saturday morning for a varied hike. We headed east across Butternut Creek and turned right on Butternut Creek Road for a lovely walk along the creek. Then we turned left on Van Ostrand Road for a pleasant country road walk over to Thomas Road. After turning left onto Thomas road, we had open meadows and panoramic views until we entered the woods again at the other end of Butternut Creek Road. We walked down to where the FLT comes in and turned right on that to follow Butternut Creek Gorge over to the end of Thomas Road through thick pines. Then we took Thomas Road into the park and joined the rim trail going east. After stopping to admire Lucifer Falls at the overlook, we turned around and headed toward the upper parking lot, then took the first quarter mile of the Gorge Trail to end up exactly across from the overlook where we had just been. It was a satisfying pincer move on the creek without knee-crushing stairs. After returning to the upper parking lot, we returned to the cars via the CCC trail and FLT.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, May 18

Sweedler Preserve/Lick Brook

Hike report by Jim

Fourteen hikers and a single dog met in the Land Trust Tapan Mitra Preserve parking lot at Shady Corners at the junction of state routes 13 and 34/96, for an out and back hike on the FLT through the Sweedler and Thayer Preserves led in parts by Peter H and myself. This is hike #7-2 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-7.

This hike took place on FLT map sheet M17. FLT map sheets may be purchased in paper or electronic formats from: https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/. Sale of map sheets helps to defray the on-going costs of trail maintenance.

The day was overcast with a threat of rain as hikers arrived. The parking lot was already mostly full due to a runner’s event that seemed to have met at the same location.

Hikers assembled for a group photo and then started towards the railroad trestle. Reaching the other side of Cayuga Inlet the group passed through the Cornell Botanic Gardens parcel before entering the Sweedler Preserve. We paused at the bottom of the Lick Brook falls before walking to the blue blazed Jim’s Trail switchbacks that ascended the hillside towards Townline Rd. Water was flowing well in the stream that the trail followed so closely much of the way up the hill. Hikers paused often along the way to check out the views or identify some bird or flower that they came across on the climb.

Reaching the top of the hill and Townline Rd the group crossed into the Tom’s Trail Thayer Preserve. The group turned around at the hour mark and returned to Townline Rd and began the descent back to the forest floor on the white blazed FLT.

Once on the flatlands the group retraced our route back to the cars without incident. By the time hikers arrived back at the cars, it was noticeably brighter than it had been earlier in the morning

We passed a few day hikers along our route but for the most part we had the trails to ourselves.

For those hikers who are tracking their 2025 FLT miles to earn an FT50 or FLT100 patch, todays hike included 3 FLT miles.

Wednesday, May 7

Yellow Barn State Forest, Dryden

Hike report by Jim

Eight hikers met at the junction of Tehan and Signal Tower Rds in the Town of Dryden, for a hike in and around Yellow Barn State Forest. This is hike #33 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-33.

The day started out a little unusual, as our normal parking area was occupied by heavy equipment delivering construction materials for new houses being built along the seasonal portion of Signal Tower Rd. The group size was small enough that we managed to park at the junction of Signal Tower and Tehan without any issues.

We were fortunate that the weather cooperated for us during the hike; we had none of the significant rain that the area experienced the previous day. The day started out overcast with sporadic light drizzle, but by the end of the hike the skies had cleared, and the sun was out.

The seasonal part of Signal Tower Rd had the usual waterholes full of (at least for today ) fairly fresh-appearing water and not the stagnant mess we’ve seen in the past. Eventually our route took us into the open fields, where the lower forests edge had a lot of standing water. The entire field was full of rain-soaked grass, so it really didn’t matter which route we took across the field; we were going to get wet and that’s all there was to it

Eventually we reached the ski/ equestrian loop which we completed without incident. We returned to the open fields, taking the upper edge this time which had no standing water, but which was still as wet as the rest of the field.

We returned to the seasonal portion of Signal Tower Rds and retraced our original route

Flying gnats were in abundance today, so hikers might want to bring their head nets to hikes. Also, as a reminder- spring turkey hunting season is underway. Please wear something preferably in blaze orange or blaze pink, or at least highly visible and not earth toned.

Saturday, May 10

Finger Lakes Trail east from Lake Road, Dryden

Hike report by Leigh Ann

After a week of almost nonstop rain and below normal temperatures, it was time for a gorgeous, warm, and sunny day for hiking, which we got today. Twenty-three hikers and three dogs on leashes met at the junction of Lake Road and the Jim Schug Trail. Two hikers opted to hike along the very pretty and flat Jim Schug Trail for two hours. The rest went east on the FLT from Lake Road, went up and over Havington Hill, and turned around at the top of the second field.

This turn-around spot was before our planned turn-around spot at the stream. It turns out that we had accidentally crossed into a turkey-hunting FLT closure once we headed east on the FLT from Lake Road. Jim had a friendly talk with the landowner, who said we could return on the trail because no one was hunting that morning. One Jim got a hold of me by phone to let me know this update the group was about five minutes from the second field. So, we went down to the field and enjoyed the view for a few minutes and returned to the cars.

This got us back about half an hour early, so many people chose to extend the hike for the last half hour on the Jim Schug trail. This was a gorgeous hike: three miles on the FLT (out and back), plus another 1-1.5 on the Jim Schug Trail.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, May 11

Stevens Suspension Bridge – Cornell natural areas

Hike report by Jim

Fourteen hikers and four dogs met at the suspension bridge on Forest Home Drive in the Town of Ithaca for a loop hike of the Cayuga Trail footpaths and surrounding areas. This is hike #4-3 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-04.

While the FLTC does provide a Cayuga Trail map available for purchase in paper or electronic formats: https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/, their Cayuga Trail map doesn’t display the route for this hike very well. A better option might be the Ithaca Trails on-line map at : https://ithacatrails.org/map?trailList=Cayuga%20Trail.

The day was sunny and somewhat chilly and breezy at points, particularly when we crossed the area of the Robert Trent Jones golf course https://cornellbigred.com/facilities/robert-trent-jones-golf-course/17. There were a few sections of trail that were wet or muddy. Those wet sections on hillsides proved to be a little slippery for some hikers. We encountered one blow-down tree on the high bluffs trail immediately off the horse fields, about half-way through the hike.

Crossing the Stevens suspension bridge, the group turned westerly, following the northerly bank of Fall Creek. The trail here winds through the woods for a while before it turns towards the golf course. The trail loops around the edge of the golf course greens before turning northerly towards the equestrian barns on Bluegrass Lane. The part of our route that passes through the horse barns has been closed to us for a couple of years due to construction; I was pleased to find the fences removed and the route open to us again. We passed through the equestrian area before arriving at Piglets Corner, where we turned back to the south and re-entered the orange blazed Cayuga Trail system on the high bluffs above Fall Creek.

The group took these high trails to a junction that returned us to the lower trail system at creek level. Once there we returned to the suspension bridge and crossed back over to the Forest Home Drive side of the creek. We turned onto the red and blue blazed trails, doing a loop that often came right down to creek level.

We returned to the cars a few minutes early but overall, everyone seemed pleased with the hike.

We encountered many groups of people on the trail today; clearly this hike was a popular Mother’s Day hike destination.

Welcome to Wendy and Aiden on their first hike with the group!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, April 30

Arnot Teaching Forest, Newfield

Hike report by Jim

Fourteen hikers met at the north gate of Arnot Teaching Forest for an out-and-back hike on the roads there. This is hike # 52 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-52.

The day was cool and clear as hikers arrived at the gate. The day would warm up and the sun would come out later in the day, but conditions weren’t there yet during the hike.

I normally schedule this hike as a hunting season road walk; when we last did this hike in the fall many members of the group had asked that we return to the location in warmer weather.

Today was special in that our snowbird hikers Lincoln, June and Dave B have returned to Ithaca and re-joined the group for their first hike since coming home. Additionally, we had Sam, a former Ithaca Hiker from the Hesse years, rejoin the group after many years away.

Today’s dry road conditions and clear weather conditions were very good. I was reminiscing with Dave B during the hike on a former day we were at this location that was much more ethereal due to the heavy fog enveloping the route and the forest around us that day. Nothing of the sort was encountered today!

Saturday, May 3

Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Twelve hikers set out from the snowplow turnaround on Shindagin Hollow road to hike south along the creek. We dipped down to the creek and crossed on rocks I had built up a bit the previous day – but these were under more water because of the moderate rain that was still falling. We kept a moderate pace, and in spite of the rain, many of us dropped our rain hoods so we could hear the pattering sound on the leaves. Wendy noted the location of not one but two golden shoes that had fallen off their normal stump, which we returned to their normal place. On the hike back up the road, trilliums were all over the place up the hillside: white ones and garnet ones, especially down near the pond. This is a good weekend to keep in mind for a trillium hike in Shendagin hollow – it reliably rains, but this makes the trilliums even shinier than usual.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, May 4

Connecticut Hill, Newfield

Hike report by Dave Bock

22 intrepid hikers and 2 dogs ignored the threat of rain for to enjoy this 4.5-mile hike on Connecticut Hill. There was some mist in the air as the group gathered, but that was the last of the precipitation, over before the hike began. Previous days of rain contributed to some muddy conditions and elevated stream levels that afforded a number of opportunities for wet feet, yet nary a complaint was heard. The hike took us past a large beaver pond with an impressive dam, across Carter Creek, and south on an old logging road along the west side of the ravine. Emerging on Carter Creek Road, the group turned north for a brief roadwalk before re-entering the woods for gentle climb along the east side of the ravine. Turning east, the climb became significantly less gentle, eventually leveling out to cross a mowed (and wet!) field. Now at the top of the hill on Lloyd Starks Road, we found a thin fog to be occasionally visible through the trees. Crossing the road, the trail again turned to the north and headed downhill. The final stage of the descent explored a new trail that avoided what would have been a swampy area, but offered its own patches of mud before emerging back on the road amidst the parked cars. Time: 2h10m.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, April 23

Dryden Rail Trail from Dryden Village

Hike report by Chip

Spring may have finally arrived! The last time we hiked this section of the Dryden Rail Trail we were starting to embrace twenty degree temperatures and frozen precipitation. Today, we had abundant sunshine, and the temperature was approaching sixty degrees for the ten hikers and two dogs. The welcoming weather, lively conversations, and relatively flat trail, provided motivation to cover more distance and make it to Freeville. We had a quick history lesson of railroading in the area at Station Park, before returning to the trailhead, having logged around 5.5 miles.

Saturday, April 26

James Kennedy State Forest

Hike report by Jim

Several members of both Ithaca Hikers and Cayuga Trails Club joined the Triple Cities Hiking Club which led a Howard Beye Founders Day hike within James Kennedy State Forest. This was a loop hike that included parts of the Finger Lakes Trail, the Swedish Loop and the Spanish Loop.

Today’s hike took place on FLT map sheet M19. There are several more detailed FLTC maps such as the International Trails, Swedish Loop trail map etc that depict areas hiked today. These maps may be purchased in paper or electronic formats at: https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/

Weather conditions were mostly cloudy, with intermittent rain. Oh yes, it rained. And wind, in parts of the hike.

Trail conditions were mostly good, with the standing water and mud in several places that would be expected given the weather conditions of the day.

For those hikers who are tracking their FLT miles towards a 2025 FLT50 or FLT100 award, todays hike was 7 FLT miles.

The Ithaca Hikers trail maintenance day originally scheduled for today has been moved to May.

Sunday, April 27

Logan Hill Nature Preserve, Candor

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Nineteen hikers and five leashed dogs hiked up the seasonal road to the eastern end of the Logan Hill yellow trail, followed the yellow trail back to the seasonal road, and took the road back down. This 4.4-mile hike is satisfying any time of the year, and most of the steepness is in the first mile. The weather today was windy throughout. We noticed that there are a lot of dead trees along the seasonal road, a few of which we could hear come down in the wind. By 11:30, right near the end of the hike, the wind truly picked up, along with brilliant sun, but some hikers near the end actually saw some trees come down. Happily, all the hikers made it safely to their cars and on with the rest of their day.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, April 16

Allan H. Treman State Marine Park and Cass Park, Ithaca

Hike report by Jim

Six hikers met on a cold wintery morning at Allen Treman State Marine Park, for a hike of state park trails as well as the Cayuga Waterfront Trail and part of the Black Diamond Trail, led by Chip.

This is hike #53-1 on our list of regular hike locations:  https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-53

Weather conditions certainly changed overnight. The marina didn’t have the thin layer of snow that I woke up to in Freeville, but the cold wind coming off the lake as well as the freezing rain reminded me that winter had come back to haunt us on one final hike of the season.

The group broke up into different groups over the course of the hike, even as small as our group was today. Chip mentioned to me after the hike that he had made a second lap around the north point of the marina after getting back to the parking lot sooner than expected.

Saturday, April 19

Lloyd Starks Road and Connecticut Hill Road

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Nineteen hikers met at the eastern intersection of Connecticut Hill and Boylan Roads for a hike led by Dave G. Initially it looked like there would be rain, but the rain held off and the morning heated up nicely. This butterfly-shaped hike led us past several ancient homestead foundations, numerous creeks, and a few large ponds. We arrived back at the cars in exactly two hours, just before the rain truly showed up.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, April 20

Monkey run Northeast Parking

Hike report by Jim

Fifteen hikers and three dogs met at the fisherman’s pull-off on route 13 just east of Lower Creek Rd, for a loop hike of the Monkey Run trail system. This is hike #6-2 on our list of regular hike locations:  https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-6. At our parking area there was a very noticeable whirlpool in the water currents that several people commented on before or after the hike.

The entirety of this hike took place on FLTC map sheet ” The Cayuga Trail”, available in paper or electronic format at: https://fingerlakestrail.org/store/maps-and-gps/…

Weather was overcast, cool and breezy throughout the hike, which made it more comfortable than it otherwise might have been.

After a quick group picture the group set off, crossing under the Route 13 bridge and quickly traversing the open field to the red-blazed trail that for much of our first hour very closely followed the course of Fall Creek. The creek itself was flowing well, the water levels high after the previous day’s rain.

There were relatively minor elevation changes throughout the route today. Trail conditions were generally good, although with recent rains there were a steady supply of muddy spots along our route.

The red blazed trail offers views of Fall Creek at a variety of elevations, with some sections of the route being nearly at water level, while others are from bluffs high above the creek.

We reached the mid-point of our hike where the red blazed trail meets the yellow blazed trails at a high bluff above the creek. People paused there for a few photos, and then we took the yellow blazed trail to the Monkey Run parking lot we often meet at for other hikes in the area.

Crossing over that parking lot we continued on the Monkey Run Trail system, stopping to make a trail journal entry before finally coming out on the Dryden Rail Trail that still bears Monkey Run orange trail blazes.

The group walked the Dryden Rail Trail towards Route 13 before turning back into the woods to take the orange blazed trails back to our vehicles.

We ended up getting back to our cars about 15 minutes early. I know a solution to that which will be incorporated into the next time we do this hike.

The only new hiker today was K9 ” Ellie”.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.