FLT: CR53 to Paradise Hill Road

Since today was a "regular" school day solo hike, and not the extended version I enjoyed last week, and we had a lot of snow that would slow things down, I decided to stay closer to home.  I grabbed the snowshoes, and headed out to Mariposa State Forest, parking along County Route 53 where I left off after completing a Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) roadwalk during hunting season.  This section of the FLT is east of the three trails junction, and is the first off-road section of the FLT I have hiked that does not coincide with the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT).  The NCT originally brought me to the FLT, but since my favorite NCT sections to date have all been part of the FLT, I will definitely keep exploring the FLT even where the two diverge.

FLT/NCT: Robert Treman State Park to Stevenson Forest Preserve

I had extra time available today, as my Dad was picking Frankie up from school and bringing him home again later and staying for dinner.  I wanted to make the most of my extended time slot, so chose a hike both further away and longer than I had previously attempted for a school day solo venture.  I drove down to Robert Treman State Park, and parked at the upper lot.  There were no signs indicating where the FLT might be, and data coverage was very poor.  Conditions did not appear to match the map I had, but I found an orange-blazed trail where I expected the white-blazed Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) to be, and for lack of any better choices, decided to follow it.  I passed one white blaze amidst the orange, and took that as a good sign.

NCT: Skyline Lodge to Cowles Settlement Road

The weather forecast for today included snow squalls, but it was clear and sunny in the morning when Frankie was getting ready for school, right up until about 5 minutes before we had to leave.  We went upstairs to brush our teeth and when we came back down, darkness had descended.  It snowed enough in just those few minutes that I had to clean the car off, and was snowing hard enough that the window I cleaned first was already completely covered again by the time I did a lap around the car.  Not exactly ideal... I dropped Frankie off and headed south toward Mariposa State Forest, which I had been looking forward to exploring after knocking out a Finger Lakes Trail roadwalk leading there during hunting season. 

NCT: Bardeen Road to Rowley Hill Road

With the madness of the holidays finally behind us, Frankie and I set out for a hike on the Onondaga Trail, just the two of us.  In order to earn the patch for completing the Onondaga Trail, the entire trail must be hiked within five years.  Since Frankie hiked several sections in 2016, this would be his last calendar year to complete the trail, if he wanted to count those sections.  This is not something he has been actively pursuing over the years.  However, the realization made him want to hike a new section today, and I wasn't about to complain about that.  We got a late start, not heading out until after lunch, so I picked a short section, parking in the NYSDEC lot on Bardeen Road and hiking west.