FLT/NCT: Twin Tunnels to Logan Road

As with my outing last week, this was another non-contiguous section of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) selected because of a looming October 1 hunting closure on private land.  Skipping around like this  allows for the possibility of completing Map M15 this fall.  I don't know whether I'll pull it off or not, but at least I have the chance now.  Since I complete these solo hikes on school days between drop off and pick up, I have a fixed and limited window of time.  It's such a long drive to get down to here that I am incrementally reducing the time available to hike (and therefore the distance I can cover) with each new section I hike.  I keep saying I'm not going to be able to keep exploring new ground on the FLT on school days, and then I keep pushing it.  I am absolutely and irrevocably hooked.  Please send help. 

FLT/NCT: South Hill Road East to Texas Hollow State Forest Property Line

Today's hike is located on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) Map M15, which I started in June.  However, the section I hiked today is not contiguous to where I hiked previously.  I decided to skip ahead and hike it now because the private land between South Hill Road and Texas Hollow Road has a hunting closure from October 1 to December 25.  Now or never!  Or not until after Christmas anyway.  The FLT mapping describes the South Hill Road access as having "limited shoulder parking" and Texas Hollow Road access as having "wide shoulder parking" so I chose the latter, and hiked out-and-backs in both directions. 

Stewart Mountain

I always like to squeeze in a drive day hike, because it allows exploration of a completely different area.  On this trip, Frankie and I stopped and hiked Watch Hill on our drive up to the High Peaks.  Today we were driving back home, and stopped to hike Stewart Mountain.  We have never done any hiking in the Chestertown area, and this is a very short and easy hike, perfect to stretch the legs and break up a long drive.  The trail is soft underfoot and terrain is gentle.  We saw some very young children hiking this trail and it is manageable for even the youngest of toddlers. 

Jay Mountain

It's been a couple lower mileage (i.e., rest) days since our hike up Lower Wolfjaw, and we were ready for another bigger adventure.  I had been wanting to climb Jay Mountain for years, and since we were staying in Wilmington, it seemed like a good choice: less driving than many other destinations we might have chosen.  Descriptions of the Jay hike promised uncrowded trails, and a long ridge walk popping in and out of treeline, a highway in the sky.  This made it easy to sell to the rest of the gang.  There were just a few cars at the trailhead when we arrived and we set out in good spirits through dense forest. 

Flume Knob

When traveling, we always like to have some experiences *extremely* local to where we are staying.  Since we're staying in Wilmington this week, I researched hikes in the immediate vicinity.  We have already done many hikes in this area on previous trips (e.g., Whiteface and Esther, Bear Den, Copperas and Owen Ponds, Cobble Lookout) and hiked Silver Lake Mountain a few days ago.  But I saw Flume Knob on the map in very close proximity, and remembered seeing a trip report with pictures showing a lovely view looking right down into Wilmington.  Sold!