FLT: Getter Hill Road to Beals Pond Road, M27

For this Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) hike, I skipped ahead a bit, because there is a lot of road-walking after the spot I left off on my last eastbound hike.  Spring is a time for me to be in the forest, not on the roads, so this seemed like a good solution.  I will return for those skipped sections another time.  I started on Getter Hill Road where the FLT leaves the road, turning back when I reached Beals Pond Road.  I varied my route slightly on the return hike, to venture to the top of an unnamed hill the FLT climbs most of the way up.  It only seemed fair!  This was easy going because the FLT used to run that way - my entire diversion was on old trail.  It is no longer maintained, with the blazes painted over, so there is more blowdown than active sections.  I had no concerns about staying within the trail easement because the old trail is entirely within Beal Pond State Forest.

The Kopac Trail

Frankie is on spring break this week, and I had today off, so we planned an adventure and lucked out with absolutely beautiful weather.  We decided to go down to Bowman Lakes State Park and check out the Kopac Trail, a Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) passport hike that passes by three different lakes.  I picked up passport books from a trail register last summer and Frankie has really been enjoying them: find the post and take a rubbing.  It adds a fun element because the maps don't disclose where exactly the post is, just that it is somewhere along the designated route.  I hiked the very short section of the passport loop that overlaps the main FLT last fall.  That small section included a playground by Bowman Lake, making this hike chock full of attractions for kids.  I was happy to be exploring (mostly) new trails.

FLT: North Tower Road to Bliven Sherman Road

I had been saving this hike for a while, intending to bring Frankie down with me so we could climb the nearby fire tower on Berry Hill.  However, I recently got a Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) passport book from a trail register, and Frankie has *really* enjoyed the couple passport rubbings he's done so far so.  I discovered there is a passport hike on an FLT spur trail within Bowman Lake State Park, the Kopac Loop Trail, and it seemed like that might be a more interesting pairing for Frankie.  Which put this section back on the table as a solo hike, and I decided to prioritize it before rifle season starts because it is my only off-road section left on M24.  By hiking this today, I can complete the M24 roadwalks during rifle season and finish another map sheet.  Exciting stuff!

FLT/NCT: Newtown Road West to Texas Hollow State Forest Property Line

 

 

Today would be a two-part adventure, with my first stop along Newtown Road where I turned around last week.  This would be a very short hike, but I wanted to fill a gap left between two previous hikes on the Finger Lakes Trail in this area.  I parked at the trailhead and hiked west -- actually mostly north -- until I reached the point where I turned around last month on an eastbound hike from Texas Hollow Road.  This was a distinct spot with a NYSDEC property line, but I had also marked it with a waypoint in GaiaGPS so there could be no confusion.   

 

FLT/NCT: Schuyler Veterans Memorial to Newtown Road

 

 

I started this hike at the Schuyler County Veterans Memorial along NY Route 228, where I had parked this past spring for an eastbound hike.  Today I would be hiking west on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), which carries the North Country National Scenic Trail west all the to Pennsylvania.  Today's route mostly consisted of roadwalks, but since the longest section is a narrow private road, I didn't want to leave it for rifle season.  Hunting is not permitted from public roads, but I'm not sure such protections apply to private roads and didn't want to risk it.  Roadwalks aren't my favorite terrain, of course, but this wasn't bad at all -- dirt roads, not paved, and in some cases no wider than the groomed trails at parks like Beaver Lake, Clark Reservation, Green Lakes, etc.

 

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. 

FLT: Shapley Road to Searles Hill Road

 

 

With school year almost over, my solo hike opportunities will soon be on hold for the summer, and I want to be mindful to make the most of my last few chances until September.  I determined that if I was aggressive with pace, I had just two more hikes eastbound on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) before reaching the village of Bainbridge.  That seemed like a good goal for myself, so today I started off on Shapley Hill Road where I'd turned around on my last hike.  There is a small parking lot and kiosk here associated with Wiley Brook State Forest, which made it very convenient.

 

FLT: Brooksbank Road to Shapley Road

I had planned on resuming my eastbound exploration on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) where I left off last time on Basswood Road, but when I arrived, I wasn't crazy about the narrow width of the available roadside parking.  Since the trail follows the road east from here, I decided to keep driving to see if I could find a safer parking spot.  As a rolled along, the notion of hiking the roadwalk in the boiling sun seemed less and less appealing.  There were more houses and more terrain than I expected; it would feel like an extra hot and sweaty neighborhood walk.  So I kept driving.  When I got to the spot on Brooksbank Road where the FLT leaves the road and enters the forest, the parking was manageable so I stopped here -- and then I entered the forest.  Ahhh!  I will have come back for that roadwalk during hunting season.  Today was a day for shade.

FLT: Bliven Sherman Road to Hoben Road

With my last two hikes, I completed the orphaned gap in my eastbound Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) coverage, which was left back in March when I skipped forward to ensure safe parking in deep snow conditions.  This means I have now hiked the entire contiguous length of the FLT between the Stevenson Forest Preserve west of Ithaca to the southern edge of Pharsalia Woods State Forest.  There is something very satisfying about hiking consecutive segments of the FLT, so that even though I am section hiking as opposed to thru hiking, I get a sense of the flow of the trail.  Having said that, I skipped ahead again on today's hike.  About 2 miles east of where I left off in March, the FLT passes Berry Hill Fire Tower, which is accessed from a roadwalk along Tower Road via a short deadend road (essentially a long driveway).  Frankie absolutely loves fire towers, so I decided to save that hike to do together.  The fire tower is currently undergoing restoration, so we will wait until it is reopened and hike Bowman Lake State Park together.  I'll pick up the roadwalk solo during hunting season.

FLT: Elmer Jackson Road to Nine Mile DEC Truck Trail

On this hike I traversed the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) between Elmer Jackson Road and Nine Mile DEC Truck Trail, filling in a gap between two previously hiked segments.  However, because I wasn't crazy about the parking available at either of those locations, I started my adventure in the middle, at the small parking area off Fred Stewart Road.  The FLT online mapping indicated there was "pull off parking for 5 vehicles" which seemed safer than shoulder parking on seasonal dirt roads.  This meant I hiked a yo-yo of sorts, hiking north to the spot on Elmer Jackson Road where I'd turned around last week, then turning around and hiking south past my parked car to the spot on Nine Mile DEC Truck Trail where I'd turned around snowshoeing in March, then back north again to my car.  Whatever it takes...

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. 

FLT: Otselic River to Old Logging Road past Flanagan Road

For this hike, I started at the NYSDEC parking lot by the Otselic River, which I had scouted last week.  I followed the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) east, along and then above the river.  It wasn't raining today, and temperatures were unseasonably warm.  The sun even came out eventually!

FLT: Ridge Road to Otselic River

On this hike, I continued my eastward exploration on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), starting on Ridge Road where I turned around last week.  It was pouring rain when I dropped Frankie off at school and drove to the trailhead, and pouring rain as I wriggled into my rain gear and set off down the trail.  Not ideal hiking conditions, but temperatures were mild enough, and I was determined to get out.  I am still working from home due to COVID, and generally staying home the rest of the time.  Most days I get outside for a walk around the neighborhood, but an occasional change of scenery is so very welcome, making hiking adventures more important than ever. 

FLT: Bamberry Road to Ridge Road

For this hike on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), I parked in the small lot that I had scouted on my last hike in the area, when I used the Bamberry Road crossing as a turnaround point.  Today I headed east from here, planning to turn back at either the Ratville Road or Ridge Road crossing, depending on conditions.  I knew rain was coming; the weather app gave a 100% chance of rain by mid-morning and I could see the storm moving toward me on the radar.  But after missing a solo hike last week, I was determined to get out today.  Temperatures were mild and I brought my rain gear.  No biggie. 

FLT: Paradise Hill Road to Bamberry Road

I started this Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) hike from Paradise Hill Road, which had been my turnaround point on a snowshoe hike in the area back in January.  I hiked eastward on the FLT, crossing several small roads and streams and completing a short roadwalk before turning around at Bamberry Road, where I could see a small parking area or snowplow turnaround that I planned to use as a starting point on my next hike.  It is very satisfying when one hike includes successful scouting for the next.

FLT/NCT: Maple Lane to Sugar Hill

We have taken so many endless walks in our neighborhood since March when we went into corona virus induced shutdown.  But our trip to Greece?  Cancelled.  Frankie's 3rd grade Adirondacks trip?  Cancelled.  Camping at the Pinery?  Cancelled.  I was restless, craving something adventurous, something different from our same old haunts.  I thought I had a good idea, but sadly, this hike did not work out as planned.

FLT/NCT: West from Cheningo Day Use Area

 

Today Frankie and I returned to the Cheningo Day Use Area, from which we'd hiked east a few weeks ago, only this time we hiked west instead.  This section of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), from here to the next road crossing, was a bit long for us to complete given our available time today, but that didn't bother me.  I completed this section in May 2017, so didn't "need" to go all the way to Telephone Road today.  We planned we'd go 3 or 3.5 miles and then turn back. 

FLT/NCT: Hammond Hill State Forest

This hike is a repeat of one I did in 2018, on a cold wet October day in the middle of a rain cloud.  Today I parked at the same spot on Star Stanton Hill Road and turned around at the same point on Harford Slatersville Road, but it was a very different experience.  It was warm and sunny, and I had my dear boy along for company.  Instead of endless white mist, we saw wildflowers and a beaver dam and amphibians.  He jabbered endlessly about Pokemon and we just had a great time together. 

FLT/NCT: East from Cheningo Day Use Area

For this hike on the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT), I parked at the Cheningo Day Use Area.  Frankie and I hiked east, up and over a ridge and back down to Cheningo Solon Pond Road, which we used as our turnaround point.  This is a repeat of a solo hike I did in very early spring back in 2017, so it was nice to return under different conditions to see the area greening up.  We knew there was a risk of rain, but Frankie reviewed the weather forecast and decided today would be the nicer day of the weekend, so out we went.  There were many spring wildflower in bloom, which always slows me down, but it didn't matter since this is a shorter hike.

FLT/NCT: Hoxie Gorge South from McDermott Acess

Frankie very much likes it when Erwin comes hiking with us, but it complicates trail selection, since he prefers shorter hikes with water features and minimal elevation gain.  The Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) is pretty much *all* up and down, up and down.  I love it, but Erwin, not so much, and after getting dragged along on a few hikes at Morgan Hill that were tougher than he wanted, he was firm in negotiating this time: we'd just have to turn back after 3 miles.  I decided on Hoxie Gorge, because it has some super charming streams, and I have already hiked the entire FLT through Hoxie Gorge, so wouldn't fret about orphaning part of the trail due to a premature turnaround.