Report to Hikers: week of Jan 25-Jan 31

Hello Hikers!

 

Wednesday Jan 27

YMCA and EcoVillage property on West Hill
YMCA-EcoVillage 163          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
This was a new walk for most of our hikers — through some delightful scenery a little west of town off Route 79. We hiked through extensive deciduous woods on a large tract belonging to the YMCA, and in sweeping brushy fields connected to EcoVillage.
YMCA-EcoVillage 043          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Notice anything odd about this photo? It’s in black and white. I was fiddling with the camera controls while wearing gloves as we stood around waiting to start — I couldn’t really feel what I was doing through the glove, and I changed the camera settings without realizing it. When I got home, I discovered a lot of the photos were too dark to use — until Tiger suggested I convert them into B&W. This sidestepped the problem I’d created — pretty ingenious of her.
YMCA-EcoVillage 171          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Luckily, when we were out in the open areas, the wrong setting I’d put on the camera didn’t exert so strong an effect, and I was able to use the original color shots — colors came out a bit lurid but I like the look
YMCA-EcoVillage 085          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Didn’t seem like there was really any snow at all on the ground when we were driving to the trail head — but as soon as we set off I wished I’d worn my YakTrax — there was a nasty layer of hard ice under the light snow — to avoid it, you had to walk off to the side of the trail, right next to the brambles

YMCA-EcoVillage 144

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
This is definitely a good hike — Tiger and I have done pieces of it in the past but not often enough to remember the way — thankfully we had Virginia to lead us around — she lives nearby and walks here all the time
YMCA-EcoVillage 017          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Official head count: 21 hikers, five dogs

YMCA-EcoVillage 180

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
I was a little upset I messed up the camera settings, but it ended up producing some very dramatic effects I could never have gotten deliberately — looks a little fake, maybe, but fun.

 

More photos online:

Me

Annie

Jack V

 

 

Saturday Jan 30

Roy H Park Preserve and Hammond Hill SF, Dryden
Roy Park Preserve 084          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
We failed to wait my preferred minimum time (three months) to do this hike again, so I was concerned it might seem a little stale — but it’s such a beautiful walk, and it was such a lovely day, everything turned out great
Roy Park Preserve 135          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Basically no snow on the ground on the way to the trail head, but by the time we got up into the higher areas of Hammond Hill SF, there was complete coverage and it looked very wintery. Not deep enough for skiing, according to our own Mr Nordic Ski Jack V, but he steered us away from the ski trails anyway for fear we’d damage the base by punching through.
Roy Park Preserve 224          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
My one and only real complaint about this walk is that the Roy H Park boardwalk is too short and the wonderful swampy area is over so fast. We tried in the past to extend the walk into the swamp but we got turned back by high water almost immediately.
Roy Park Preserve 196          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Some hikers have a little prejudice against walking on rural roads as opposed to sticking to woodland trails, but I like them both equally myself — as long as the scenery along the road is decent. In favor of the roads, the footing can be better, and it’s usually easier to walk side by side and talk
Roy Park Preserve 154          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
One of the downsides of being older and exerting yourself on a chilly day — nose just runs and runs — this isn’t a posed picture
Roy Park Preserve 037          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Official head count: 20 hikers, four dogs

 

More photos online:

Me

Annie

Jack V

 

 

Sunday Jan 31

Cook-out at Chestnut Lean-to, Danby SF
Cook-out at Chestnut Lean-to 120          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
So was I a genius for scheduling our midwinter cook-out for a day 25 degrees above normal, or what?
Cook-out at Chestnut Lean-to 056          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
The huge amount of wood we cut and hid off to the side 10 days ahead of time was all there untouched, and we had a fire so magnificent it could have warmed the dead
Cook-out at Chestnut Lean-to 099          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Eckhart was in complete charge ot making and managing the fire — at first, there was a lot of skepticism that he was using too much green wood, and piling on too many logs before the fire really caught — but as the fire progressed, people began to say it was the best fire they’d ever seen — in the end, it was universally judged a masterpiece
Cook-out at Chestnut Lean-to 010          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

****
Cook-out at Chestnut Lean-to 036          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
There was supposed to be a regular two-hour hike before we started to eat, and most of the people set off on this (Tiger and I and some others stayed behind at the lean-to) — but for reasons that weren’t entirely clear to me, the hikers returned very early, and everyone seemed content just to stand around and work their way through the cook-out menu
Cook-out at Chestnut Lean-to 076          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Special citation to Roger: Best improvised use of a non-commercial hot dog skewer

Cook-out at Chestnut Lean-to 149-001          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Official head count: 32 hikers, three young granddaughters who played hike-and-seek in the woods, and seven dogs

More photos online:

Me

Annie

Jack V

Report to Hikers: Part 2, week of Jan 18-Jan 24

Hello Hikers!

 

Saturday Jan 23

Lloyd Stark Loop, Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area
Lloyd Stark by Mark 070          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Something different. — I asked several regulars if they’d like to handle the photography for this hike report — not that I’m tired of photographing the hikes, but I thought it would be fun to give others a chance — so all the shots in this report are from Mark, who’s been taking photos for many years and who has an impressive collection of classic film cameras on display at his house — I took just one photo, an up-to-date mug shot of Dave G, who guided us along this confusing trail.
Lloyd Stark by Mark 015          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Maybe we didn’t get any snow from the blizzard to the south, but I wonder if the big storm affected our weather in some other way — I thought it was unusually raw at the trail head, and it continued even after we were in the woods — wore my face mask the whole time — very roasty-toasty except it made my nose run vigorously the whole time, and there was some steaming up of the eyeglasses.

Lloyd Stark by Mark 019

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Dave G almost had to skip leading us on the hike — he was doing a last run-through of the trail the day before on skis when he took a nasty fall and hurt his foot — there actually wasn’t enough snow for skiing, which caused him to crash — luckily for us, he felt OK by morning. This is not the smoothest trail in the world — we hit lots of frozen leaves and crusty thin ice that kept collapsing underfoot — not that great for the ankles if you’re not careful.
Lloyd Stark by Mark 046          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Don’t know if it was due to my dire warnings, but no one fell behind and got lost — just a little standing around waiting for everyone to catch up — the going was somewhat slow because of the poor surface
Lloyd Stark by Mark 054          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
The temperature never climbed above the high teens but there were enough uphills and we all warmed up before too long — we had two new hikers, steered to us by Norm — this is Dave — he got a huge “like” from Katharine …. not too hard to figure out why if you know her — there are two fantastic overlooks on this trail, both of them at their best with snow cover and gloomy light
Lloyd Stark by Mark 010          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Official head count: 16 hikers and Yoda

More photos online:

Mark

Jack V

 

Sunday Jan 24

Kennedy State Forest, Virgil
Kennedy SF 048          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of evergreen forests — if you feel the same, this walk just beyond Dryden is definitely the one — I was really struck this time by how long we were able to spend walking through fantastic stands of hemlocks, and how dramatic and satisfying the evergreen scenery is. There are stretches of hardwood forest here too, but I’m pretty sure this walk contains the largest stretch of evergreens in our roster.
Kennedy SF 184          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
It’s even more fun because much of the trail is a bit challenging — narrow, bumpy, rising and falling, roots in the path — the snow cover was quite slippery and there were hikers with less grippy soles on their shoes who actually had to crawl uphill in a few spots
Kennedy SF 071          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
I like the ruggedness of the trail myself but it’s harder than usual for me to get action shots of the hikers, because I’m so busy trying to keep from tripping or falling, there’s no way I can keep turning around to photograph the people behind me. I really need to be able to stop and stand still.
Kennedy SF 164          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Much easier to get shots on the non-hemlock parts of the walk — the beech trees with their pale leaves add a nice luminous touch.
Super-regular hiker Brenda recently got a new hat — she said she loves hats and she always has a car full of them — very jazzy and I like the way it brings a touch of style into the woods.
Kennedy SF 118          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Some hikes have a high point, some don’t. Not everyone got to see this one, but I’d say it was definitely the high point — or low point, depending on how you define it
Kennedy SF 110          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
That’s Norm — we were all steamed up when we emerged from the woods at the halfway point at Owego Hill Road, but he was the only one to tear off his clothes — I didn’t have to egg him on, either, it was his idea — pretty hairy guy ….
Kennedy SF 121          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Official head count: 26 hikers, five dogs

More photos online:

Me

Annie

Report to Hikers: Part 1, week of Jan 18-Jan 24

Hello Hikers!

 

Wednesday Jan 20

Chestnut Lean-to, Danby SF
Chestnut Lean-to 114          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
I’m posting this report on Wednesday’s hike ahead of time in order to get the ball rolling on our hot dog cook-out coming up next Sunday. We did the hike in to the lean-to for our midweek hike so we could collect enough wood for the fire, which I’ve learned from experience is the most important item in a winter cook-out.
Chestnut Lean-to 128          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
At the first cook-out we had, two years ago, the fire was too small and we were a little chilly. Last year we had a big fire but we started it too late and it didn’t get really blazing until we were wrapping up. This year I’m advertising a fire guaranteed to be five feet high, and we’re going to start it early so it will be just right when we gather.
Chestnut Lean-to 090          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
We thought we might have to do some extensive foraging for firewood, but the state DEC has done a great deal of tree-cutting in the area near the lean-to in the last year, and a lot of the wood has been left lying around, so there was actually a tremendous supply for us, though it required sawing. We had a number of saws with us and we managed to produce a huge amount of good-sized logs. We hid most of the cut wood a ways off in the woods to be sure no one camps out between now and the cook-out date and spots our logs and burns them.
Chestnut Lean-to 072          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
If your idea of a great outdoor get-together is to sit alongside a pool while a waiter hands you a drink, you won’t like the cook-out. But if you like a little challenge mixed in, this event is fantastic. The hike in from the cars is short, about 20 minutes, but there are several lively ups and downs along the way that will get you warmed up. If the snow is deep, we’ll have our snowshoe team walk in at the front of the line to pack the trail down into a solid base (we did this last year). We’ll have a two-hour walk as usual for those interested, but if you just want to come for the cook-out, by all means do it.
Chestnut Lean-to 085          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
The lean-to’s in an idyllic setting and it’s especially pretty with snow. You can get inside the open part of the lean-to if you want shelter, though no one has done this to date. There are rustic benches around the fire, and we cut some large stumps to use as stools. With the fire blasting away, it’s really quite pleasant. I’ll give details about the food next week — there’s no need to pre-order anything — just show up and you’ll find a hot dog waiting for you.
Chestnut Lean-to 031          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
We had a lot of fun cutting and gathering the firewood on Wednesday’s hike. It didn’t seem like work with everyone pitching in.
Official head count: 16 hikers and Yoda

More photos online:

Me

Jack V

Report to Hikers: week of Jan 11-17

Hello Hikers!

 

Wednesday Jan 13

Yellow Barn SF followed by a birthday party at Steve and Diane’s in Ellis Hollow

Yellow Barn 061

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

It was so horribly cold and windy at the trail head I briefly thought we might have to abandon the hike, something we’ve only ever done once or twice before.  But then we reached the shelter of the trees in a minute or two and the wind was blocked.  Still unpleasantly cold for a while until we got warmed up.

Yellow Barn 109

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online.

The snow cover wasn’t very deep and it was nice and powdery, but we hit a surprising amount of slick ice underneath, and the terrain was generally bumpy and choppy, which made walking a little tough, especially for those with knee or ankle problems.  Tiger’s knee swelled up when she got back home and it was hurting in bed; she had to take Aleve several times.

Yellow Barn 177

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

This walk is a very pleasing mixture of woods and fields  —  we hit some windy areas out in the open but by then we were steamed up and it didn’t feel so miserable.  Extremely beautiful sky with big puffy clouds and a lovely sun.

There’s a large pond along the way that was covered with snow.  I asked if anyone wanted to test out the thickness of the ice:

Yellow Barn 081

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

That’s Eckhart, our #1 daredevil.  If you look closely, you’ll see he was up on his toes jumping up and down, and grinning.  So we learned the ice could support one person.

But how many more?

Yellow Barn 189

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

How many of you think this was a fun challenge?  How many a foolish and risky one?

Yellow Barn 137

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

Official head count:  18 hikers, two dogs.  Everyone came out a bit small in order to get them all into one long lineup.   I have  another version of this shot online broken in two so everyone appears larger and you can see their faces better.

Yellow Barn 225

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

Six more people came to the party afterwards  —  we had NY-style cheesecake baked by Diane, shrimp and pizza, and lots of beer and wine  —  plenty of that left over for our hot dog cook-out coming up Jan 31 in Danby.

More photos online

Me

Annie

Jack V

 

 

Saturday Jan 16

Lindsay Parsons Preserve, W Danby

Lindsay Parsons 062

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Sometimes a hike comes across as more than just a string of different scenes. Several of us were talking about music, and it occurred to me this walk unfolded like a beautiful tone poem — fantastic saturated subtle shades of brown and grey — pale mist hanging on the hillsides — dim light than got lighter and darker — wet tree trunks and logs gleaming
Lindsay Parsons 039          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
The start was a little disconcerting — parts of the parking lot were a sheet of treacherous ice — but it was fine once we headed down the hill into the preserve.
Lindsay Parsons 026          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Supposedly the rain that passed through a few hours before we set out was finished, but then we got a 10-minute burst on the trail — one of the hikers who was wearing a down coat got soaked and had to turn back early. For those of us wearing water-resistant gear, it was fun.

Lindsay Parsons 093          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
There’s a big pond here — not clear from looking whether the ice was weak or not — that’s daredevil Bud checking it out — evidently still solid but he didn’t venture any further out from the shore into the flooded areas

Lindsay Parsons 197

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Later, Bud found a garter snake in the middle of the trail, something we haven’t seen before in cold weather — you can see him lifting the snake in the bottom of the photo — the dogs ignored it

Lindsay Parsons 226

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
On the hike I was trying to think of an arty women’s designer who created a very successful clothing line in the mid-80s using a palate of muted woodland colors — couldn’t think of her name but Tiger knew it  —  not that our ladies do much hiking in stylish sportswear.  Tiger thought the scenery looked like a rich and subtle tweed.

Official head count: 20 hikers, four dogs
More photos online:

Me

Jack V

 

Sunday Jan 17

Willseyville Creek, Caroline

Willseyville Creek 024

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Delightful grey morning along a very low-key and easygoing trail well off the beaten track.
Willseyville Creek 069          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
This walk resembles the Jim Schug Trail in Dryden in that it’s an old railroad right-of-way running through a swampy floodplain — it differs because there are some lovely woods and rolling fields to see along the way — and because you get the strong feeling hardly anyone walks here
Willseyville Creek 091          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
In winter, the right-of-way becomes an official snowmobile trail — it would definitely be fun to roar along here on a frigid morning — as long as the big puddles were frozen over
Willseyville Creek 137          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
The walk takes us across Ridgeway Road up to the edge of a very large pond Willseyville Creek has formed — couldn’t manage to get a shot showing some of the extent, but the views to the east into the hills are beautiful too
Willseyville Creek 146          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
The creek passes under Ridgeway Road at the low point in the background of this shot — quick walk back to the cars —

Willseyville Creek 190

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
…… very little traffic to dodge ….
Willseyville Creek 188          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

Official head count: 28 hikers, four dogs
More photos online:

Me

Jack V

Report to Hikers: week of Jan 4-Jan 10

Hello Hikers!

 

 

Wednesday Jan 6

Potato Hill SF, Caroline

A minute or two after we set off for the trail head, Tiger noticed a “low tire pressure” warning light on the dashboard. It took a lot more time than we expected to resolve this, thanks to a series of semi-comical mishaps, and so we had to miss the hike. I regret this, because from the photos by Annie and Jack V, it looks like it was a really good one. Annie prepared a report for everyone, and Brenda added more info. I asked Annie and Jack V to send me their two favorite photos, and a blurb explaining why they especially liked the shots they picked.

**

Annie’s report:  Today’s hike started out with a bit of a surprise. Several cars lined up on Level Green but no Hesses were to be found. We then got the word that they had car trouble and would not be hiking today. We were on our own! The first challenge was finding the trail. What I learned later was, if you were using Google Maps and its dropped pin for the meeting place, and if you stopped right where the pin dropped, you were precisely at the trail head. Of course, we were parked hither and yon so we did scramble back and forth until we got it right. Jack V. led the way through the snow covered woods, which were filled with shafts of sunlight, tall tree shadows, crunchy snow and ice. It was beautiful and we all knew that Steve and Susan would have loved it.

There is the trail head! Why didn't I notice it when I drove pass it?
          Click here to see a version of this photo online

Photo by Jack V. He chose this shot because ‘Here is the trail head! How did I drive past it without seeing it?’

Crossing Blackman Hill Road, we noticed a state trooper parked near the Hidden Driveways sign. (Of course, in my photograph, I would have liked to change the sign to read “Hidden State Trooper” but the sign was too small in the photo for a quick change by yours truly!). We were very careful to hike to the left of the power poles and driveway (especially aware of the watchful eyes of the state trooper) and up the field we climbed, entranced by bright blue skies, streaks of white clouds, and bright sun that warmed us up. The views were lovely and we were told that we were seeing Pennsylvania mountains on that clear morning.

16-_AEW5250-001

          Click here to see a version of this photo online

Photo by Annie: “I enjoyed all the vistas we saw today but I particularly like this photo where I zoomed in on the view. I like seeing the various hills and mountains in the distance, with varying shades of blue, streaks of white clouds, with the red barn in the foreground.”

We walked through some more woods and then returned to the pasture and walked up even higher for more views. It was definitely worth the short climb and we lingered there for a while. We all enjoyed the hike back. I, for one, also like to observe things that I hadn’t seen going the other way. Those of us at the end of the group were interested to see that hikers hung around the cars for a little while before departing.”

Do you see the cat?

       Click here to see a copy of this photo online

Photo by Jack V:  “Do you see the cat?”

We all noticed, on our way in on Level Green from Route 79, that the trees were covered with ice and they glistened in the morning sun. The beauty of the ice was gone on the return trip but definitely worth remembering.”

Garnished by beech leaves
          Click here to see a copy of this photo online

Photo by Annie:  “I like this one because it captures the bright colors of our hikers as they move through the trail and the garland of brown beech leaves that hang tenaciously on their branches. I wouldn’t have known what they were if I hadn’t been for walking with Jim Rundle on a fall hike when he told me about those beech trees. I love learning things from my fellow hikers!”

**

And from Brenda:  “A few additional comments:  Jack V. did his best to keep us off the private driveway off Blackman Hill Road and directed us to walk in the parallel field. He reinforced this by pointing out the State Trooper waiting (lurking) to arrest non compliant hikers.
This worked and the hikers complied until our return trip when Yoda decided to walk on the driveway. Jack tried his best to inform Yoda of the error of his ways but Yoda ignored him. Due to Yoda’s small stature the Trooper probably did not see him and he evaded arrest.
Being curious about the terrain we covered on the hike I found out (googled)
that Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps worked to plant trees on Potato Hill.”

Official head count:  17 hikers, two dogs

You can see Annie’s photos here

You can see Jack V’s photos here

 

 

Saturday Jan 9

South Danby Road west to the Abbott Loop, Danby SF

So Danby Road west 033

          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
Here’s a rhetorical question. It’s supposed to be a drizzly morning, but when you step out the door to leave for the hike, it’s raining briskly. Do you: a) push ahead, or b) go back inside and plop down on the couch?
So Danby Road west 002          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
I always make Tiger push ahead, of course, but it can be a dilemma for others. In this case, it obviously worked out, but you never can predict. Halfway to the hike, the rain stopped, the sky cleared and the sun burst out — then, when we reached the trail head, it was another typical dark and gloomy winter morning …. but not raining
So Danby Road west 119          Click here to see a copy of this photo online
There was a thin coat of slushy snow, and the trail was quite wet and muddy in spots. So I want to give a shout-out to some new shoes I just got at EMS — other hikers were slipping and skidding but my shoes were extremely grippy, and I didn’t get my feet wet — list price a bit steep but Tiger got them for 1/3 off.
So Danby Road west 114          Click here to see a copy of this photo online.
Ever smash the top of your head on a log that’s fallen across the trail high up that you failed to notice? I did it once and it was very upsetting, quite painful and I briefly wondered if I’d gotten a concussion. I was talking to to a hiker behind me about Trump when he abruptly cried out — I turned around to see him rubbing his forehead and looking at a fallen log at head height. This is actually a bad trail for these head-smashing logs — this same hiker hit his head here once before, on a different log. It’s not hard to let your attention relax and bash into one of these menaces.
So Danby Road west 084          Click here to see a copy of thi photo online
Otherwise we had a great hike. Official head count: 22 hikers, three dogs

More photos online:
Me
Annie
Jack V

Sunday Jan 10

I hate to have to cancel a hike because of rain  — half the time it ends up that we could have hiked  —  but this time it probably was the right decision  —  according to the various rainfall loggers at the Ithaca Climate Page, we got just about 1/4″ of rain between 9 and noon  —  hard enough to make hiking uncomfortable for those of us who don’t love getting soaked  —  and one hiker told me it was pouring at her house on West Hill a little before 10.