It has been delightfully cool all weekend -- pants weather, long sleeves even. It feels so good! Such a relief after the oppressive heat and humidity. The forecast shows that this nice weather won't last, though, so Frankie and I headed out for a hike on the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT). Get it while the getting it is good! To keep our drive time low, we went to one of the closer sections, which passes through Highland Forest County Park. I hiked this section in 2016, as part of a two car traverse across the entire park with Erwin. With just one car today, I opted to park at Cowles Settlement Road, and hike east, using the Skyline Lodge as our turnaround point. Frankie was excited to revisit the lodge, where we lunched during our cross-country skiing adventures this past winter.
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| where the trail enters the woods from Cowles Settlement Road |
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| maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) |
When we got to the Lodge, it was a bit of a disappointment. We couldn't eat in our regular spot by the fireplace, because the common room was closed off and decorated for a wedding to be held later today. The ladies room was closed for private use by the bridal party, with a sign for the general public to use the family room. It was a bit annoying to find, after a long wait, that the family room was also being used by the wedding party. With no where to go, we headed back outside. We walked around to the front of the lodge to see the view, and decided to eat there, in a swinging chair.
This is a pretty nice place for lunch, actually. We got a little chilly after a while, but rather than add layers, decided to simply start hiking back.
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| taking pictures with his camera |
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| glade fern (Homalosorus pycnocarpos) |
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| chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus) |
Roundtrip, this out-and-back hike totals 6.0 miles with approximately 730 feet elevation gain. The portion of trail at the western edge of the park is most charming, where it is just NCT. I love the winding single track that is so characteristic of the Finger Lakes Trail system.
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