Hello Hikers!
Wednesday Aug 17
Treman SP on the FLT
This is one of our steepest hikes, and it can be a bit of a grind on the wrong morning — but it wasn’t hot or very sunny, and we had a great time. I think the woods along this trail are more attractive than average, and the lighting is often really nice, as it was this time.
Official head count: 25H, three D
Saturday Aug 20
Potato Hill SF, Caroline
Woods extremely dark — I didn’t attempt any photos. Here we are emerging on Blackman Hill Road:
Supposedly you can see Pennsylvania in the far distance in the background here. Charlie’s pointing to a sundial that’s become a tourist stop
On the way back from walking in the second woods, which are also too dark for me to try any photos
The fields were full of grasshoppers — a pleasure to find the grass cut so short
Official head count: 24H, four D
You can see Annie’s photos here.
Sunday Aug 21
The Pinnacles look-out from the north leg of the Abbott Loop, Damby SF
We have pretty good luck at not getting rained on when there’s a storm coming at us, but our luck ran out this time — it started to rain fairly hard right after we turned back from the look-out, and it rained the whole way back. Interestingly, it didn’t rain at all at the weather stations north of town before noon — we were just hiking on the wrong trail. Fabulous atmospheric conditions on the first half of the hike, extremely dark and sultry. Some of the hikers brought along rain gear but almost everyone walked back in their shirts — this was definitely a group that likes walking in the rain.
Official head count: 20H, two D
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With all the news from the Olympics wrapping up, it seems like a good time to mention that we have our own champion sprinter and long jumper who hikes with us almost every weekend, Tracey — “One of the best athletes in SUNY Cortland history,” according to her citation page at SUNY Cortland’s athletic hall of fame site — she still holds school records in five events 30 years after she graduated — if she’d attended Cornell or Binghamton, her best time in the outdoors 100m would put her in second place among all-time record holders at both those schools — in all, Tracey won five individual national titles and earned 13 All-America honors. It’s really fun to have such a great athlete as a hiking companion – — she has wonderful energy and enthusiasm/