Wednesday, July 29
Cascadilla Gorge Trail and Cornell Campus, Ithaca
Hike report by Mark Sussman
On Wednesday, July 29th, nine hikers and 2 dogs met for a hike up Cascadilla Gorge, across the Cornell campus, around Beebe Lake to the Herb Garden, then down Tower Road to Libe Slope and Llenroc. One of the highlights was seeing a Bald Eagle sitting on a log in Beebe Lake.
We finished in a bit under 2 hours. Aside from a fine cooling mist at the beginning of the hike, we avoided rain. The group definitely seemed to enjoy the route.
Saturday, August 1
Bob Cameron Loop, Connecticut Hill, Newfield
Hike report by Nina F.
Fifteen hikers and four dogs met to hike the Bob Cameron Loop of the Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area. This lovely hike features a small gorge, switchbacks, and pretty hemlock forests complete with abundant ferns, moss and pine needles covering much of the path. The hike begins along Tower road, where you briefly along the Fingers Lakes trail before turning to follow the orange blazes that denote the Bob Cameron Loop Trail. The total distance for this hike is 2.8 miles, with 465 feet of elevation gain. Since the trail is slightly shorter than the club typically hikes, we finished a few minutes early, allowing a little time for socializing before people departed.
Sunday, August 2
Potato Hill State Forest, Caroline
Hike report by Leigh Ann
Nine hikers and two dogs on leashes did part or all of this 4.25-mile hike on the FLT. The route went from Level Green Rd. through the new Finger Lakes Land Trust Summerland Preserve. We turned around to return when we reached the new sign at the eastern edge of the Summerland Preserve, which is about 0.2 mile away from where the FLT begins to go steeply down to 79. Weather forecasts for at least a week had predicted rain for this morning, and it pounded about an hour before the hike started. Although it didn’t rain on us, there was certainly a lot of water on the trail. The huge field at Summerland was golden with tall grass, and the air was clear enough to see Endicott if you knew what direction you were looking.
