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.
I made a few errors in judgement preparing for this hike. First of all, it was raining, and I forgot a hat. This meant my glasses were essentially useless and I had to hike with impaired vision. Second of all, I miscalculated the road conditions leading to the trailhead. I'd seen Cabin Road when I turned around there last time, and knew I wouldn't want to drive it. Therefore, I planned to park on Connecticut Hill Road, hike east a short distance to Cabin Road, then turn around and back hike west past my vehicle to my turnaround spot at the old foundation. I had crossed Connecticut Hill Road further east on a previous hike in the area, and recalled it as a wide, gravel-surfaced road that was plowed in the winter.
Unfortunately, this portion of Connecticut Hill Road turned out to be a narrow, unmaintained, seasonal (dirt) road, with patches of icy snow, potholes, and mud. Not a good fit for my compact car with low clearance. I barreled along for a while, in part because it was too narrow to turn around. When I came to a spot with a long icy stretch visible ahead, I was relieved to find a wide shoulder. I pulled over and discovered I had data on my phone, which showed I was only half a mile or so from the trailhead. Relieved, I turned the engine off -- I would walk from here. A more sensible person might have turned around and attempted to get back out then and there, but not me: I figured I might as well have a wee hike before trying to drive away, since I'd made it that far. So I wriggled into my rain gear and set off. The roadwalk wasn't super pleasant because of the icy conditions and I became even more nervous about my drive out. Once I turned onto the FLT, though, all was good.
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heading east from Connecticut Hill Road
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| sublimation |
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Cabin Road, looking east
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Cabin Road, looking west
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Todd Road, looking north
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Todd Road, looking south
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the sharp turn and old foundation -- my turnaround point
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having some trouble seeing
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beautiful tributary of Cayuta Creek
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Right as I reached my turnaround point, the intensity of the rain increased. I pulled out my phone to snap a quick picture and discovered it was wet inside the pocket of my raincoat. I wanted to take a picture of the creek on the way back, but after doing that, I stopped and put the phone inside my pack to keep it from getting any wetter. This was a torrential downpour! This may be the fewest pictures I have taken on any new hike.
I don't have precise mileage for this hike, because of a pausing error on the tracker that I am attributing to the wetness. However, I estimate the total hike was about 7.1 miles, of which roughly 6 miles was on the FLT and the remainder on Connecticut Hill Road en route to the trailhead. This hike would have been more enjoyable without the stress of worrying whether I'd get stuck trying to drive home; this area is probably best when the seasonable roads are in better condition. I did make it out though, so all's well that ends well, right? I was happy with my adventure (once I was safely back to the maintained dirt road).
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