ithacahikers

Hello Hikers!

Fabulously dark, damp and moody walk in Danby SF  —  perfect conditions to get the best from this great trail through the pine woods.

A little rain on the drive out to the trail head to moisten everything up nicely  —  by the time we wrapped up, the sun was just out and the sky was full of beautiful puffy clouds  —  wonderful morning!

Unfortunately, I can never get photos from the most dramatic parts of these somber hikes, because the light’s so dim.  So you need to come out in person if you want to experience the gloom I’m always raving about.  The only shots I ever manage to get are in the few bright spots.

Official head count:  17 hikers, five dogs

We had some excitement  —  first, on the outbound leg, one of the dogs got stung  — then, coming back, three hikers got stung one time each  —  fortunately, we were on a nice downhill stretch at the time so we were able to start running  —  I’ve never run on a trail before  — pretty exciting, even though (because?) I felt out of control.  One of the hikers who didn’t get stung is actually allergic  — she usually carries an epi pen  — but this time it was in the car.

I already met my yearly obligation to use a photo of myself in a hiker report, two weeks ago, when I ran the candid shot in my bathing suit showing the love handles  —  now I’m going for extra credit  —  Tiger thought I looked picturesque with my hood half off  —  very clear light and a pretty crisp focus  —  you can really see the aging at work, especially if you click on the photo twice to see the blown-up version.

Click here to see nine more photos online.

Hello Hikers!

Fabulous afternoon get-together at Twin Ponds

hot out on the big lawn but just right in the shade  —  no bugs  —  the rain and lightning in the forecast passed us by

a bit cooler than usual in the pond, thanks to the chilly nights this month

but it was gorgeous once you managed to ease in

I didn’t eat a single bite of dish-to-pass, but everyone else was all over it and I guess it was a big success as usual

We had some kids with us for the first time  –  they really add a fun touch  —  that’s Emmie, who last hiked with us into our famous mid-February cook-out in 15-degree weather in Danby SF

No official head count but we had at least 80 people, the most ever

My yearly moment of truth:

If you start to follow our weekly hiking adventures, you’ll soon realize I never show photos of myself.  To make up for that, I have to undergo a close-up shot of myself in my bathing suit at every cook-out, diligently enforced by Liz.  This year it went one better  —  Liz chased me down in the pond as I was trying to get in gradually, while Hobit took photos:

I knew what’s coming so I dieted this time in hopes I could whittle down my puffy middle in time for the photo ordeal

Liz was pretty aggressive

at the end, she was strutting

So how did I do with the diet?

For whatever reason, we have a wonderful time at this cook-out every year  –  this has left me with a deep pool of great memories, and very strong affection for our group

We all owe thanks especially to Roger and Gunilla, and Liz for the food operation, and her daughter Nicole for doing far more than her share of the grilling

Click here to see 12 more shots online

Hello Hikers!

another great morning on the trail, warm but not hot, almost no mud or bugs, a sweet smell in the air from autumn olive  —

and dazzling sunshine everywhere, sparkling in the creek and lighting up the woods

Official head count:  37 hikers, 11 dogs

we fractured into sub-groups as soon as we turned uphill away from the creek bank, and there were hikers scattered all over for the rest of the walk  —  at Potter’s Falls, a surprisingly large group decided to keep going, along the frightening cliff-face walk that drops right into the creek 100 feet below  —  I didn’t realize we have so many daredevils

everything out in the open looked fresh and wonderful in the intense light  —  in the deep woods, it was dark and lovely  —  too gloomy for any good shots, alas

 

I got back to the parking lot in precisely two hours flat  — those of you who know my minor O-C tendencies will know this made it into a super-perfect walk for me.

You can see 11 more shots online  — click here.

Hello Hikers!

another gorgeous sunny mild morning  —  mud galore  —  a festive holiday spirit in the air  —

 

great walk up a fabulous trail!

I really love three things about this walk ….

…. one is the wet boggy glen full of little streams and wildly tumbled-up fallen trees where a tributary of Michigan Creek starts ….

….  another is the way you get an intense green glow year round from all the evergreens that grow here in abundance  —  especially beautiful when the sun is shining through …

….  and the last is the fantastic terrain all along the way, at its best when there are no leaves

official head count:  24 hikers, five dogs

as promised, it was extremely muddy  —  you need to be ready to fall at any time, and several hikers took big arsers   —  I like mud myself so I had a ball

on the way back we ran into regular hiker Katharine, who broke her spine in a dog-leash accident in early March and who’s been knocked off the trail since  — we were all so happy to see her back in the woods, although she had to proceed very slowly, especially in the mud.

Click here to see eight shots online of the stretch from Bald Hill Road to The Pinnacles look-out, including the obligatory group portrait.

Click here to see 10 shots of the stretch from Michigan Hollow Road to Bald Hill Road.

Hello Hikers!

gorgeous balmy morning along upper Six Mile Creek

an adventure!  the creek we always walk down was too full, so we had to climb the infamous steep hill right away, in a spot where it’s quite a bit longer and steeper  —  extremely slick mud under the perpetual dead leaves  —  I had on clunky stiff-soled shoes  — couldn’t get traction  —  periodically sliding backwards  — I ended up crawling on my hands and knees and clawing my way up by my fingertips  —  the toughest hill climb I’ve had to do in many years  —  fun!

official head count:  16 hikers, eight dogs

20 of us also hiked up this watershed Saturday, on the other side of the creek  —  walking here two days in a row really makes you realize what an amazingly varied, delightful, beautiful and wild place this is

Click here to see 10 more shots online.