FLT/NCT: Cabin Road west to Old Foundation

I didn't think the deep snow pack at Pharsalia Woods State Forest, where I did my last hike on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), would have melted yet.  With all the warm weather we've had, I knew any remaining snow would be soft and messy, and I didn't feel like post-holing in snowshoes.  Poring over the online maps for the FLT and North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT), I discovered the NCT maps have a layer for live feed snow depth from the NOAA.  According to this data, my suspicions about Pharsalia were correct, but the Ithaca area had no snow.  I left off my section hike in that area at Cabin Road in Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area.  I decided to see if I could hike the next section, from Cabin Road to an old foundation at a prominent turn in the trail west of Todd Road.

FLT: Hoag-Childes Road to Nine Mile DEC Truck Trail West

Even though we've had a streak of warm weather that has melted all our snow at home, I knew there would still be snow on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT).  The woods always hold onto snow longer, and the FLT always climbs over the biggest hills; I have seen many times how the FLT holds on to that snowpack.  So I packed my snowshoes and my microspikes, not sure what conditions I would find, and carefully scoured the maps looking for somewhere I could safely park to access the trail.  I settled on Pharsalia Woods State Forest, where I found what looked like a paved road with wide shoulder parking.  I would be skipping ahead, not starting at the end of a previous hike, but that was a necessary concession with the prevalence of seasonal roads in FLT country.