Monthly Archives: July 2014

Stid Hill

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IMG_0680Seven hikers and three dogs climbed Stid Hill on Sunday.  The trail starts through a mowed field and enters forest as the climb begins.  Stid Hill is a steep hill separating Bristol Valley from Canandaigua Lake.

IMG_0673On the way up the hill, the forest was varied and included large oak trees. The ground was quite rocky. As we approached the top, we passed piles of rocks collected at the time that pastures covered the top of the hill. Here the trees were smaller.IMG_0675

The day was warm and hard on the dogs. Fortunately Joan had a water bowl for Skippy and Duffy to share. Still the stream back at the bottom of the hill was a welcome relief for everyone wearing a fur coat.

After the dogs walked through the stream, the hike ended with a bit of acrobatics getting back up onto the bridge.  Burgers were waiting at Lock Stock and Barrel just a mile down the road.

Hiking and swimming, Cohocton Town Park, August 3, 4 PM

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This Sunday, our activities will be based in Lawrence Parks Town Park, on Atlanta Back Rd., in Cohocton, where we will meet, in the parking lot, at 4 PM.  There is an admission charge for the park of $1.00 per person.  When you pay, you will receive a ticket.  If you leave and return, show the ticket, and you will not have to pay again.  One admission includes use of all of the park’s facilities, such as pool, bathrooms, picnic tables, hiking trails, etc.

For those who want a good hiking workout, Marty will lead a car pool caravan to the nearby Tumble Hill Campground.  There, he will lead a hike, up a hill, where, at the summit, you will see, up close, one of Cohocton’s wind turbines.  We did a similar hike in December but, because it was a week before Christmas, only a few of us were able to attend.

For those of you who prefer something more leasurly, Gene will lead a nature walk on the trail in the town park.  Another option, if the day is hot and sunny, you can get your Sunday afternoon exercise with 2 hours of lap swimming, in the pool.  We had hoped to offer a kayaking option on the Cohocton River but, unfortunately, the water level is too low this late in the summer.  If you like this location, we’ll try it again next summer, this time perhaps in June.

Optional after hike social will be a picnic at the town park.  Bring a dish to pass or make a donation.  If it’s hot and sunny, you can first cool off in the swimming pool.  If you think you’d like to do this, be sure to bring your swim wear.  They have a bath house, with changing rooms and flush toilets, for our use.  The park has 3 pavillions and, although all 3 have been rented for that weekend, if any are vacant at 6 PM, we can use it at no charge.  If they’re all still occupied, and it’s not raining, there may be some vacant  outside tables.  You might want to bring folding chairs and tables, if needed.  If it’s raining, and all pavillions are still occupied, we can always go to Atlanta for chicken and biscuits.

From 390, get off on exit 2.  Left at the exit ramp, then right on Maple Ave (SR 415).  Left on SR 371 and left on Atlanta Back Rd.  The park is about a mile down, on the right.

Trail Building at All Western Tree Farm – Sunday July 20 – 4:00PM

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Join us on Sunday to build a new trail from the Tree Farm to Liberty Pole Road.  We will use this new trail in September for a hike led by Katherine and Carol exploring possible routes for the Springwater Trail on the west side of town.

This is a proposed route for the Springwater Trail as envisioned in 2012. We will be working at the top of the "elephant's trunk". The final route is subject to change based on landowner interest and physical obstructions.

This is a proposed route for the Springwater Trail as envisioned in 2012. We will be working at the top of the “elephant’s trunk”. The final route is subject to change based on landowner interest and physical obstructions.

Much of the trail is an old farm road used to access the upper part of the farm which has been little used in recent years as additional houses have been built along Liberty Pole Road.  We will do some easy cleanup on the old road including some mowing and weed-wacking.  However, the last 200 yards to the road appears to have never been used as a trail and we will be creating a trail through brush and small trees.  Rick Henchen, our Trail Master, has marked a trail which we will try to follow.

Bring clippers and gloves.  Long pants will be appreciated when you need to get through the brambles.  A weedwacker or power scythe will help clear at ground level.  Big lopper clippers will handle all of the trees we need to tackle. Our goal is to create a trail 18 inches wide at ground level and about 24 inches wide at shoulder height so that walking is easy, but motorized vehicles do not try to use the trail.

We will meet at the farmhouse at 4:00 and split into two groups.  A group of five or six will carpool in a single van up Liberty Pole to the entrance to the trail.  This group will carve out a trail through the brush.  The rest of the group will walk up from the farmhouse to the old road and will clean up the trail with clippers and mowers.  When the two groups meet, we will have a chance to inspect the other groups work before returning to the farmhouse for a cookout.  Please bring your tools, work gloves and beverages and the club will provide the food for the social.

Meet at the All Western Evergreen Nursery and Christmas Tree Farm at 6840 Liberty Pole Rd (42.65101,-77.63767). 

Exploring the Ponds in Wolf Gull – June 29, 2014

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the ponds at Wolf Gull

the ponds at Wolf Gull

What makes Wolf Gull in Naples so unique? Is it the narrow valley surrounded by two steep hills, the creeks that flow in two different directions from the lush ponds, the protective environment, the secluded seasonal little cabins, or the variety of plant and aquatic life? Where are the 15 owners and why do they come here? Do they come for hunting, silence from a busy world, or to study nature? Springwater Trails wants to know as they have visited in the winter and summer! Thanks to landowners Mike Arena, John Shipman, and Schum Acres Dairy Farm, Springwater Trails has received special permission to explore the Wolf Gull area from the top of Richards Road/Lanning Road, to the bottom on Atlanta Garlinghouse Road, dropping over 600 feet and following a dirt road through the narrow valley.

P1110411P1110398P1110397Naturalists, lead by Ellen Folts from Amanda’s Garden, identified the following plants: dolls’s eyes (white and red baneberry), wild leek, Jack-in-the-pulpit, wild ginger, common milkweed, white turtlehead, joe pye weed, wild geranium, barren strawberry, hepatica, virginia waterleaf, patridge berry, may apple, rose polygala, solomon’s seal, flowering raspberry, early meadow rue, fall meadow flower, foam flower, red trillium. A variety of ferns including sensitive fern, interrupted fern, christmas fern and others were prolific. Trees included yellow birch, hemlock, witch hazel and maple leaf virburnum. Thanks Ellen for sharing your knowledge and Amy for her photo’s.
image003 Pictures of the native perennials can be obtained from Amanda’s Garden website.

For a little more of a workout, Char and Brook climbed the steep road, allowing most Climbers and Tourists (with good tires) to 4 wheel up the road which housed deep ditches on either side. We began our hike from the top of Richards/Lanning Road at what seemed like a landing pad of some sort to park our cars. In the winter the C-4 Snowmobile Trail and feeder trails pass through this area and Views of the windmills can be seen to the south. We proceeded left on a farm trail passing through the planted fields to a gate that dropped into Wolf Gull. We think the gates that mark the entrances to Wolf Gull are to protect the rough logging roads from erosion, keeping the ATV’s out that tend to dig up the roads, but allowing the snowmobiles in the winter.
image002image001image004 An hour later we arrived at the ponds to rest from our steep drop into Wolf Gull, listen to the frogs, swirl the green algae(?), study the overlow area and how it was constructed, and try to figure out why the creeks go in different directions from these ponds…one to the Naples Creek and the other we suspect to the Cohocton.

After hike social was at our favorite Atlanta Restaurant, the Mountain View. Thanks to Pam, Rick H., Amy, and Ellen who helped to organize this beautiful hike. We will return again in the winter, given permission from local landowners, to answer some of our questions.