Wednesday, October 15
Hill Road and Curtis Road, South Danby
Hike report by Jim
Twelve hikers and one dog met at the junction of Curtis and Hill Roads in the Town of Danby for an out and back hike that included parts of the seasonal portion of Curtis Rd, the Finger Lakes Trail and the Abbott Loop.
Today’s hike took place entirely within Finger Lakes Trail map sheet M17. FLT map sheets may be purchased in paper or electronic formats at: https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual…/… . Sales of map sheets helps to defray the on-going costs associated with trail maintenance.
The day was cool and blustery as hikers arrived, some being delayed by a power outage in the city of Ithaca. Hikers set off on the unpaved portion of Curtis Rd, which runs between open fields and forested lands. The open fields often have good views across the rolling hills, for the price of some stiff winds on cooler days like today. Things were no different on this cool morning, with the fields being dotted by the many large hay bales spaced across the field. It was unfortunate to see that these fields are now for sale, so it is most likely that these views will soon be replaced by another development.
Curtis Rd enters the state forest, the last few driveways into private residences soon being replaced by a rutted seasonal road. Soon the road intersects the Finger Lakes Trail, and it was here that we turned onto the FLT into a westerly direction. The FLT here passes through many stands of pine trees, in a mostly continuously downhill trail section. The trail section was well-blazed and the footpath in places well-covered by recently fallen leaves. The deciduous trees are well along the process of color change, but around half of the leaves are still in the trees.
The FLT soon meets the Abbott Loop. The group turned southerly onto the Loop, still in a mostly downhill direction. This section of the Abbott Loop can sometimes be a little watery, but despite recent rains there was little evidence of mud. The roots and puncheons proved to be a little slippery from recent overnight rains but were no problem with some care being taken.
Soon enough the Abbott loop begins an uphill climb towards Hill Rd. It was here that the group hit its turn-around time, and so we all reversed course and retraced our route back to the cars. By the time we hit the open fields again it was clearly much closer to the high temps for the day and the sun was out, making the return portion of the hike much more enjoyable than our outbound portion
For those hikers who might be tracking their 2025 FLT miles towards an FLT50 or FLT100 patch. I estimate that today’s FLT mileage at around 3 miles, not including the various sections of road walks that were part of the route.
Saturday, October 18
FLT Watkins Glen West
Hike report by Mark Sussman
On Saturday, October 18, twelve hikers and 1 dog met to enjoy the section of the Finger Lakes Trail just west of Watkins Glen. It’s a beautiful and interesting section of the trail. The weather was mild and overcast, and we did get some light rain towards the end of the hike, but it was not an issue in the woods. The trail has some modest ups and downs, and passes some beautiful stonework stairs, a dam, a lake and a 4H camp that bring interest to the hike.
Sunday, October 19
Loop Hike: Lower Treman Park
Hike report by Anne Becker
20 hikers and one dog headed up the Treman section of the FLT on this gorgeous fall day. The group quickly spread out with the early hill climbs. A great out and back hike that works well for hikers both fast and not so fast.
