Baltimore Woods is a nature center and natural area managed by the Central New York Land Trust. Despite Frankie attending summer camp here for the last few years, and it being in semi-regular (though infrequent) rotation, I have somehow never dedicated a full post to our hikes here. Today we met Erin and Alden, and made our default circuit. This loop follows the Valley Trail down the steep hill, then crosses the stream and turns right, following the Boundary Trail east until the small gravel bed on the left. With the labyrinth buried under the snow, we moved on, climbing up the hill on the Overlook Trail. Of course we stopped for a snack at the eponymous overlook, then continued along, dropping back into the valley and following the Boundary Trail until the turnoff to the other side of the Valley Trail, which we climbed back up to the parking area at the top.
The trails were icy in places, particularly on the steep section of the Valley Trail. After his fun in the Adirondacks last weekend, Frankie was thrilled to get to butt-slide again so soon. This time all of us joined in; it seemed like the best way to descend the vertical ice rink. Whee!
Luckily, once we got past the steep part, the trails were less icy and we were able to walk normally. I had not brought microspikes, since Erin and Alden don't have them, but they weren't necessary.
Erin had ordered these adorable hand-made Pocket Bears for the boys, and gave Frankie his today. He was thrilled, of course! Look at these guys... so freaking cute.
This loop is about 1.5 miles. It was great to see Erin and Alden, and the boys had fun playing together. We had less drama than our last visit here, so that was good. We already have plans to take a different route next time, so that will be fun, too. It will be good to mix it up a bit so the boys don't get too fixated and think this is the only acceptable hike here.
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