Wednesday, March 18
Dryden Rail Trail from Dryden Village
Hike report by Kathy K
9 hikers and 2 dogs had a delightful walk in the sun that passed quickly with good conversations; very pretty with a few inches of snow on the trail. We went about 2 1/2 miles to the west and back again.
While only 20 degrees or so, there was no wind and we were all shedding layers.
Welcome to new hiker Sandy who joined us for ½ the walk (after the photo).
Saturday, March 21
Finger Lakes Trail in Danby State Forest from S. Danby Road to the Tamarack Lean-to
Hike report by Anne Becker
19 hikers met on South Danby Road for a hike east on the FLT. Mud was abundant, but the fresh dusting of snow was lovely. The group had time to visit the Tamarack leanto before we turned around for this out and back hike. We finished the hike just shy of the 2 hour mark.
Sunday, March 22
The “Chunks” Hike, Stone House Rd., Enfield
Hike report by Leigh Ann
Fourteen Ithaca Hikers and two leashed dogs hiked at least part of today’s pleasantly rainy hike. Thirteen humans and the dogs set out from the Margaret’s Woods parking lot with no rain. By the time we had finished the 1.2-mile Margaret’s Woods loop, it was raining hard enough for many hikers to trade poles for umbrellas. Three humans opted to end their hike at that point. The remaining ten humans and the dogs hiked through the fields and woods chunk of the hike to the CCC trail. By then it was still raining enough for another human to end their hike at that point. Then we crossed Fishkill Creek, turned left on Van Ostrand Road, and took the FLT into Upper Treman. At Lucifer Falls, we picked up another Ithaca Hiker (human). We also enjoyed how short and fat the falls looked compared to normal. Eight humans and the dogs returned to the cars via the CCC trail and connector chunk while the other two humans headed back at a more leisurely pace. It rained pretty much the whole time, and the temperature was perfect to get wet in with the clothes people had on; very enjoyable. The eight humans and two dogs arrived back at the parking lot exactly two hours after the hike started, about 4.5 miles and 780 feet of elevation gain later.
