Hello Hikers!
Wed Oct 21
This report was written by Jim
Black Diamond Trail from Kraft Road south, town of Ulysses
Ten hikers ( I believe my count is correct; there were some late arrivals as always ) and four dogs met on Kraft Rd where the Black Diamond Trail crosses. The day was a beautiful, warm and truly fall day for a hike.
The group set off in a Southwesterly direction towards Ithaca, and almost immediately the lead element outpaced the late arrivals.
Everyone quickly set their own pace within their splinter groups, and from where I was in the rear of the group I could see small clusters of our hikers walking and talking as they progressed down the trail.
‘The trail was in heavy use by others, primarily other walkers and bicyclists.
The undergrowth along the path shoulders hasn’t yet lost its leaves, so there wasn’t the clear views that we see of the side fields when the group walks this path in the winter. Still, the thinning shrubbery still offered many glimpses of fields, houses and other signs of development along the path. In many places there was still a solid canopy of golden leaves overhead that the group was walking under.
Three scenic shots taken from the edge of the trail:
The ground underfoot was still wet from the previous nights rain, and the streams we passed over were all sending a good amount of water towards the lake. This was a welcome change from the almost universal dry streambeds that we’ve seen on so many recent hikes.
Eventually the lead element reached a good turn-around point, and everyone returned to their cars at their own pace.
All in all, this was a good hike. It may not have the challenging elevation changes that we see elsewhere, but its a good locale for the groups members to share an appealing hike experience with each other.
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Sat Oct 24
Hike rained out
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Sun Oct 25
This report and the embedded photos are all by Randy
Carter Creek Loop, Connecticut Hill WMA
Twenty hikers and six dogs met at the junction of Lloyd Stark and Boylan Roads. The day was generally clear and quite cool, the trails had only modest mud from the recent rains, and the forest was free of hunters. We didn’t see any hikers either…at least I didn’t.
Nancy led the eager-to-get-moving group up Boylan, and made a left (south) to follow the slightly-uphill contours of the hill overlooking the creek below, with magnificent views of richly-colored Rowell Hill.
We then regrouped on Carter Creek Road, and met Steve and Tiger who hiked the road…good timing!
After a short hike down the road we found the Vinca-lined trail down to the creek, which was easy to cross thanks to some well-placed rocks.
After a short uphill, we headed north along the western flanks of Doll Hill, then after crossing the road again, Rowell Hill. This part of the trail was previously a road, so the going was easy until we came to a narrow spot where there was a steep drop-off on the left.
Soon we could see a large pond through the trees, and we approached it on the east side…the water level was at its highest…a beautiful finish to the hike
And just to avoid a short muddy section of the trail we made a short detour over to Lloyd Stark Road from where we could see the cars and some of the first hikers in our group.
All in all, it was a good hike. We stayed safe, had fun, met some new friends, and got a little exercise.
Meanwhile, here’s another set of photos, taken with a bigger camera
