2019 Hikers’ Reunion Cook-out

Our food coordinator Liz K, vamping with balloons she was on the way to tie up along Route 13 to mark the entrance to Roger’s driveway
If you’re new to the web site, be aware that if you click on any photo, you’ll see a large high-resolution version pop up, which will let you see the details.

Official head count: As of 1 pm, that’s to say very early, the official count was 85H, already more people than we’ve ever had before — and new people were steadily rolling in. It seemed like the final total might well approach 100.

More photos:

Annie

Report to Hikers: week of July 15-July 21

Hello Hikers!

Thu July 18

Upper Buttermilk Falls SP and La Tourelle, from Yaple Rpad

Everyone who hiked made it into the group shot
It was supposed to get hot but it didn’t; it stayed cloudy and damp until we finished the hike, and it was very nice

Official head count: 14H, one D

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Sat July 20

Hike cancelled — excessive heat and humidity

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Sun July 21

Wooded areas along Fall Creek near Flat Rock

We managed to keep under the trees for almost the whole walk — so, even though it was in the low 80s and getting humid when we wrapped it up, we were pretty comfortable

Official head count: 23H, four D

Report to Hikers: week of July 8-July 14

Hello Hikers!

Wed July 10

Woods road walk through Danby SF — Curtis Road, South Danby

I managed to get everyone except one hiker
It can be tough to find a spot for photo-taking in summer where the light is not too harsh or too dark. I found some relatively clear light here, but it was a very small spot squeezed in at the edge of the road.
Before Curtis Road heads into the woods, it passes two lovely farms — I’d love to live here
Most of the walk is in the shade, though there are some areas of recent logging that are now opened up
Curtis Road ends at Fisher Settlement Road — it’s almost exactly an hour, and the perfect place to turn around
It was 82 by the time we got back to the cars, but it didn’t feel too bad — maybe it wasn’t that humid, or the road back wasn’t all that steep

Official head count: 16H, three D

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Sat July 13

Shindagin Hollow SF — FLT east from Shindagin Hollow Road to South Road and beyond

I didn’t have time to take all the photos before the hike started, so I had to take this shot after we got back. The light on the road had changed drastically. I don’t care for this sun-and-shade effect — but if you have wrinkles or signs of aging, they can’t really be seen in this type of lighting.
There weere three additional hikers I wasn’t able to photograph.
Tiger said she snapped this shot because she liked the way Randy and I were mirroring each other with our postures.
As we hoped, there was almost no mud and it made a big difference — the walk is much better without it

Official head count: 18H, five D

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Sun July 14

Danby SF loop trail — Comfort Road to Diane’s Crossing and back

This is what the meet-up spot looked like as the hikers were arriving — terrible conditions for photo-taking — but I managed to find a spot along the edge of Bald Hill Road where the light was OK, provided the hikers faced in precisely the right directioin
I didn’t work fast enough — had to skip four people
There was pretty much no mud on what can be a very muddy hike — but Bald Hill Road was very dry — this is dust raised by a car that passed.
We met three more hiking waiting for us at the entrance to the trail — no question of taking photos of them — we were in high gear by then
It was lovely in the woods, but too dark for the photos to work out
Beautiful morning — not hot

Official head count: 23H, seven D

Report to Hikers: week of July 1-July 7

Hello Hikers!

Thu July 4

Woods road walk — Smiley Hill Road and Hill Road, Danby SF

My latest attempt to get a shot of everyone just before we stepped off ended in failure once again. People kept darting in and out of the line-up, or from one end of the line to the other, some kept getting hidden by others (deliberate?), some some just arrived late.
So the best I could do was this shot of some of the people who hiked
It was pretty warm and not much breeze
We went by Katharine’s house for a beer afterwards — she’d just had some kind of new cooling system installed using a technology I couldn’t grasp — it was working beautiful — there were two nurses and a physician sitting at this table — do you think their conversation was gory? (I was sitting near them.) Septic shock!

Official head count: 24H, five D

More photos:

Jack V

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Sat July 6

Hammond Hill SF — ski trails in the NE sector — with Jack V

I started out hoping to get clear close-up shots of all the hikers — that plan fell through — once again ….
The walk begins with a fairly steep uphill in the full sun — and it was quite hot
Very nice in the woods
Jack V’s photo show at Hopshire. We had the place to ourselves for a change.

Official head count: 20H, four D

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Sun July 7

Doll Hill, Connecticut Hill WMA — with Dave B

Not everyone arrived in time for the group shot
If you know the hikers, you’ll be able to spot four more here who weren’t shown above
As soon as we stepped from the road into the woods, it was like entering a very dark room
Excellent hike!

Official head count: 21H, two D

Report to Hikers: week of June 24-June 30

Hello Hikers!

Wed June 26

Woods road walk — Bald Hill Road from Station Road to Michigan Hollow Road, Danby SF

Bit warm in the sun, but very nice in the shade — there was a lovely breeze blowing in our faces on the outbound leg, and birds singing away in the sun-dappled woods — very pretty morning!
There is just one spot on the whole walk where you can get a decent group shot on a bright sunny day — where we parked
Five hikers arrived too late to make the shoot
The group was in a pretty cheerful mood as we headed off down the road
The temperature had climbed to 79 at the thermometers around the county by 11, and the breeze was at our backs as we walked back, so it was a little bit of a slog — but bearable

Official head count: 24H, three D

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Sat June 29

Roy H Park Preserve into Hammond Hill SF, Dryden

Official head count: 25H, one D

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Sun June 30

Woodard Road southeast into upper Tremann SP on the CCC Trail and the FLT, Enfield

Official head count: 20H, seven D