Wednesday, November 26
Hammond Hill State Forest from Route 38 south of Dryden
Hike report by John D.
Today, in the shadow of Thanksgiving, eight hikers met at Hammond Hill for a tromp through the woods. (Ben and I are not in the group photo.) We started at the trailhead at the end of Star Stanton Rd, off of State Route 38 South of the Village of Dryden, but followed a loop using the HH colored trails. See the photo of the route. Many of these trails resemble sidewalks through the woods. The hike started a few minutes late and was just under two hours (10,000 steps!)
Although it rained much of the night before we were lucky to escape rain and even had glimpses of blue sky with temperatures in the 50s. The initial part of the trail was quite steep but after that things were fairly easy going. No one was mistaken for a deer and shot!
We also came across a mysterious mini-pond.
Sunday, November 30
Owl Creek Trail, lower Buttermilk Falls State Park, Ithaca
Hike report by Margaret F.
28 hikers and 2 dogs gathered at the main entrance to Buttermilk Falls State Park to hike the Owl Creek Trail. Margaret F. was scheduled to lead but ceded to Mark S. who wanted to take the group to some additional nearby trails. The group started up the park road at the end of the parking lot to the head of the Owl Creek Trail. The day was gray and chilly, but everyone warmed up on the uphill climb. Many hikers added reflections to the notebook at the Owl Creek overlook. After the overlook, Mark S. lead the group onto an unblazed trail to a historic graveyard featuring a plaque commemorating some of original settlers in this area (see photo). The group returned briefly to the green blazed Owl Creek Trail then diverted through a campground and across some private lands featuring a stone fireplace and stone walls remaining from historic homes. Mark S. led the group past a babbling brook (see video) and along a path that wound back to the park road. The group followed the road back to the parking lot arriving at about 11:10AM, 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
