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. 

Northern Exposure Trail, Beaver Lake

Frankie got his first pair of snowshoes as a Christmas gift when he was three years old.  Obviously he has grown a lot in five years, so it seemed like a new pair was in order.  I wanted to get him cross-country skis, too, but my December (and this January too) involved way too many extra work hours to have time for figuring out skis.  I did manage to get him the new snowshoes to put under the tree though.  Then we just had to wait for some good snow.  We wanted to meet up with Erin, so we could pass Frankie's old snowshoes onto Alden, who is 3 years old now and ready to start his own snowshoeing adventures.  I suggested Beaver Lake, because there are two seasonal trails designated for snowshoeing there.  It is fun to go out on trails that only exist in snow cover, secret passages that are all but invisible other times of year.

NCT: Cowles Settlement Road to Skyline Lodge

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.

Frankie's First Time Cross-Country Skiing

Growing up, our family cross-country skiied together often.  My parents had me on skis at a very young age.  I don't even remember the process of learning - it was just something we always did.  Many a Christmas morning featured new ski equipment under the tree.  It was not a hobby shared by many college friends, though, and not something Erwin grew up doing.  As a result, I fell out of the habit of skiing as an adult.  I have had fleeting thoughts about getting back to it over the years, but my equipment dates back to junior high and the boots were a bit snug last time I used them, many years ago.  Plus, we have had a long series of winters with paltry snow cover.  I just never seemed to make it happen. 

Main Trail, Highland Forest

Highland Forest is the oldest and largest of the Onondaga County Parks.  Although the park has seen a lot of improvements over the years, including construction of the large Skyline Lodge, I still find the trail system a little odd.  The website has a ski conditions page that is updated daily, and from checking this site in advance, I knew to expect a detour on the Main Trail.  This was somewhat of a disappointment for me, as I have been looking forward to this hike for some time, but I decided to go anyway.  I asked about the detour when I stopped in the Lodge to sign the register and pay my $3 use fee, but oddly enough, the friendly staff seemed to know little about it.  They assured me it was well marked and wouldn't add much distance to the hike, but couldn't show me anything specific on the map. 

Bog Trail in February

Extenuating circumstances made us wing this hike rather than plan ahead.  Friday afternoon Erin got a call from daycare saying Alden had a fever and red eyes.  Neither of those appeared to be true Friday night when he was home, but since it was unclear if he'd be up for a hike today, I didn't set Frankie's alarm for this morning.  When morning rolled around, Alden still displayed no signs of sickness, and both boys wanted to hike.  However, without the alarm (and without me getting up even earlier to prepare Frankie's breakfast so it would be waiting for him when the alarm went off), we were running way behind schedule.  Beaver Lake was the obvious choice: short hike, short drive, and of course, the Bog Trail is a perennial kid favorite. 

Back to the Bog

Since my mom moved to Michigan, she and her husband Keith visit after Christmas and we celebrate the holidays together at New Years.  Between numerous other previous holiday engagements, Mary and Keith's long drive, and a long stretch of unusually cold weather, everyone had been cooped up inside way to much.  We were all eager to get outside.  But it is still very cold, and it's hard to generate heat moving at a toddler's rate, especially when said toddler is necessarily thickly bundled.  We decided to try a short trail with proximal warming opportunities.  Where else?  The Bog Trail, of course.  It always delivers.

Bog Boys in December

Erin and I wanted to get the boys together for a hike, so we met at Beaver Lake to hike the Bog Trail.  Since it is a park and a nature center, hunting is not allowed, so it is a safe place to hike year round.  And the boys love the boardwalk, of course.  The Bog Trail is accessed via the Hemlock Hollow Trail, so we hiked both. Combined, the short loop is just 1.0 mile, perfect for toddler legs.  Poor Alden had a bout of motion sickness and threw up in the parking lot upon arrival, but at least he made it out of the car.  And he was very brave about the whole thing.  It was so sad: as Erin was trying to clean him up a little, he kept saying over and over, but you want to take a hike!  Maybe thought we were considering not letting him go?  Don't worry, little boy... it would take more than that to turn us back!  So off we went. 

Three Generations on the Bog Trail

Frankie was in the midst of one of his epic breakfasts, where he grazes and nibbles intermittently, but mainly focuses on reading drifts of Highlights and Ranger Rick, when I noticed a text notification.  I had a message from Erin that she was heading to Beaver Lake and had also invited our Dad, Bruce.  Apparently Alden was sad that we weren't coming.  I casually mentioned this to Frankie, and he wanted to leave -- immediately.  I told Erin we might come and find them, but not to wait for us, as we were still in pajamas and have a much longer drive.  It was obvious where they would go.  Alden is two and I remember those days: the Bog Trail is the only trail that matters. 

Southern Exposure Trail, Beaver Lake

There are about 9 miles of permanent trails at Beaver Lake Nature Center, and in the winter, use is designated, with the longer trails reserved for cross-country skiing and the shorter trails open for walking.  But when snow conditions are right, two additional seasonal trails open for snowshoeing.  Unfortunately, it's been a frustrating winter for snow activities.  We've received more than 130 inches of snow this season, but wild temperature fluctuations have caused it to melt rapidly after each storm.  We got about two feet of snow mid-week, and the temperatures finally stayed cool long enough so we still had snow on the weekend.  This was the first weekend all winter that we've had enough snow on the weekend to go snowshoeing locally.

Pine Meadow and Bog Trails, Beaver Lake

When I saw the gorgeous weather forecast, I was determined to get outside for a hike today with Frankie.  It feels like my boy and I haven't been in the woods enough together lately.  When I mentioned hiking, he suggested Beaver Lake.  I'd been hoping to snowshoe, but with the freakishly warm temperatures this week, it seemed unlikely.  I called the nature center and they confirmed the snowshoe trails were closed due to insufficient snow pack.  Boo!  But even with only a few short trails available for hiking, Frankie still wanted to go to Beaver Lake, so off we went...

Lake Loop Trail, Beaver Lake

Beaver Lake Nature Center is a County Park with about 10 miles of groomed trails and a visitors center.  Being a nature center, hunting is not allowed, and as a result, we almost always hike there in November.  Today was unseasonably warm, with temperatures that rose above 70 degrees before a cold front rolled in.  We walked the 3-mile Lake Loop Trail, which as the name suggests, circumnavigates the lake, making use of several elevated boardwalks through the swamps.  Boardwalks are always a hit with kids, so much that Frankie got "stuck" on the Bog Trail for a long time, insisting we had to hike that every time.

North Country Trail: Highland Forest

The weather forecast for today was very fine, sunny and warm, and Erwin decided to join me for a hike while Frankie was at school.  With two cars available, I opted for a traverse of Highland Forest on the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT), a 5.2 mile hike with approximately 740 feet elevation gain.  We dropped one car at the small gravel parking lot on Dam Road by DeRuyter Reservoir, and drove back west to a small roadside parking area along Cowles Settlement Road.  I pulled over a little too soon when I saw a NCT trail marker, but then remembered this section of the trail follows the road, and drove up to where the trail enters the woods, leaving the car at the small shoulder parking area at the sharp bend in the road.

Three Meadows Trail, Beaver Lake

This was another hike that Erin planned, and I was excited by her trail selection.  As I've mentioned before, there has been a lot of repetition in our hikes at Beaver Lake ever since Frankie became communicative.  He just loves the boardwalk so much it's hard to steer him away from the Bog Trail.  But the other trails are nice, too, and with hunting season still open, the nature center is always a safe bet.  So off we went.  The Three Meadows Trail is varied in scenery, passing through pines and hardwoods, and as the name implies, several lovely meadows. 

Deep Woods Trail, Beaver Lake

 My mother Mary came to visit for Frankie's first birthday in 2011, and has made it an annual tradition, coming every fall.  She came a week earlier last year, due to a schedule conflict, and got to participate in Halloween festivities, including pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating.  That worked out really well, so we did the same thing again this year.  Obviously any nice visit must include hiking.  Of course!  We walked a portion of the Morningside Cultural Trail one day, at Frankie's insistence - he loves the "secret stairs" behind the community gardens and the water towers, and wanted to show them off.  That turned out to be a fine adventure, since neither Mary or Erin (or Alden!) had been up there before.  We also hiked at Clark Reservation.  Today we wanted to meet up with Erin and Alden again, so decided on Beaver Lake.  It is a good place this time of year, since we don't have to worry about hunters, and closer to her house than some potential destinations.

Shortcut Trail, Highland Forest

After the scorching hot field hike at Green Lakes last weekend, I wanted some deep shady woods.  I love the glacial hills south of Tully, and although we'd been to both Morgan Hill and Tinker Falls this year, we hadn't been to Highland Forest since Frankie was still riding in the carrier part time.  It's been on my potential hike list for a while, and I finally decided we'd make it happen.  I briefed Frankie the day before so he'd know that we'd be leaving essentially right after breakfast.  He could play toys while I made breakfast and got ready (filled water bottles, peeled carrots and gathered snacks, packed the car bag with a change of clothes, etc.), but then... out the door.  A little mental preparation goes a long way in warding off a Lego time-suck. 

North Rim Trail, Pratts Falls

When we hiked at Pratts this spring, we took the Falls Trail loop down to see the full view of the waterfall at high water conditions.  By the time we got over to the western trailhead, Frankie's little legs weren't too fresh, so we just hiked the shorter Crossover Trail loop.  Today we went back to hike the longer North Rim Trail.

Pratts Falls

Frankie and I have been doing a lot of urban adventuring in the last few weeks, ranging beyond the rectangular grids of our immediate neighborhood into the surrounding environs.  Just in the last week, we’ve taken walks of 1.5, 2.7, and 3.1 miles here in the city, exploring South Campus, the water towers, two long sets of “secret” stairs, and various woodlots that were never developed due to steep terrain.  And of course the playgrounds, of great importance to a 4-year old, albeit somewhat less exciting for me.  Although we’ve been out in all sorts of weather conditions, the weekend forecast looked especially promising.  I decided we’d go to the woods for a real hike on the best day.  And what a day it was!  I truly love spring. 

Beaver Lake: Hemlock Hollow and Bog Trails

I started Frankie out in a hat for this hike, for protection against mosquitoes.  However, it quickly became clear that the heat would be a bigger challenge to our comfort, so we ended up ditching the hat.  It got close to 90 degrees today, and my little sweat-head definitely lived up to his moniker.  Frankie loves boardwalks, so we made a figure-eight shaped loop using the Hemlock Hollow Trail and the Bog Trail.  Even when combined, these trails are only 1.0 mile, and are easy and level-surfaced.  This meant Frankie could manage the hike on his own, which is a bonus for me in the heat.  I'm a sweat-head, too!