Hello Hikers!
Wed Aug 19
This report was written by Jim
Rail trail between Freeville and Dryden
12 hikers and 5 dogs met on Springhouse Rd on the Dryden Village line, at the parking area for the Dryden Rail Trail
Hikers first walked towards the village of Dryden on a mowed, well-maintained and almost civilized section of trail. Upon reaching the first buildings inside Dryden Village and the end of the trail, hikers turned and retraced our steps to Springhouse Rd.
Continuing towards the Village of Freeville, in this section of the walk hikers were often inside a “green tunnel” which concealed the surrounding fields from our view. This was a big change from the last time we’d walked this trail in the spring, when the trees had not yet leafed out.
Despite the surrounding greenery there were still several breaks in the foliage which gave us views of the fields and waterways we were walking past.
This was particularly true at the road crossing at George RD, which offered a stunning sun-lit Easterly view across the fields near the William George Agency.
Upon reaching the paved roadway in Freeville near the village sewer treatment plant, hikers again turned around and retraced their steps to their vehicles on Springhouse RD.
While this trail is not a favorite of mine due to the almost omnipresent sound of vehicle traffic from near-by state route 38 and heavy use of the trail by others, these were not noticeable problems for the group today.
************************
Sat Aug 22
This report was written by Leigh Ann
Woodard Road south into Upper Treman SP, Enfield
Thirteen hikers and six dogs met up at the spot where the FLT crosses Woodard Road on the western side of Treman State Park. This woods hike was a good choice (thanks, Steve and Susan), because the day quickly became hot and the air was still. It was very dry and sunny.
We headed east on the FLT to the CCC trail, past the mill at the Upper Treman parking lot, and east on the rim trail.
The plan was to bop down to the Lucifer Falls overlook and then back west to pick up the FLT where it comes close to the rim trail and take the FLT back west to Woodard Road.
We followed that plan but discovered – when found and advised of this by a State Park employee – that the state park trails are one way. He didn’t make us turn around, because we were only going about 0.2 mile the wrong way.
At Treman, the Rim Trail (the one on the south side of the creek) is for going up and the Gorge Trail (on the north side of the creek) is for going down. This is good to know, and here is an update on the state park site.
Best wishes,
Leigh Ann
More photos:
***********************
Sun Aug 23
This report was written by Jim
Dabes Diversion Loop trail, Virgil, Cortland County
8 hikers
3 dogs
Hikers and their dogs met in Cortland County at the Dabes Diversion Loop trailhead at the junction of Bleck and Hauck Hill RDs.
It was a great day for a hike. I was glad to finally be able to do this loop with the group, after my hike on this trail earlier this year had to be handed off to Nancy L after my leg injury.
Temperatures were definitely felt by some members of the group on some of the up-hills, and the occasional breeze was greatly appreciated. The sunlight as it filtered through the trees, creating a mix of shadow and light on the forest floor, was observed and commented on often within the group.
Hikers proceeded through the mix of hard and softwoods found in that section of forest, cresting the hill and finally descending down towards the overview of the farmers fields at the junction with the FLT.
Hikers took a long minute to enjoy the view over the valley; on the suggestion of one hiker the group made a short detour to the near-by shelter on the FLT. None of us in Sundays group had seen it recently, or at all. We found the shelter to be occupied by some section hikers from Rochester, so we quickly returned to our regularly scheduled hike.
Descending on the FLT towards Bleck Rd hikers found water levels in the streams to be minimal depth. Crossing over Bleck Rd, hikers continued on the FLT to the Kuzia cutoff. The Kuzia cutoff runs through a section of woods that the DEC has recently cut back, but it was not intrusive to our enjoyment of the hike.
Upon reaching the seasonal portion of Hauck Hill RD, the group returned to our vehicles.