This Sunday we return to Sugarbush Hollow, but with a twist. Please check the website for information about Sugarbush Hollow. Saturday and Sunday is Maple Weekend 10:00 – 4:00 and Sugarbush Hollow has many activities you can enjoy as well as hiking the sugarbush. You may want to arrive earlier on Sunday for a delicious pancake/sausage brunch ($5.00 donation to Springwater Gala) , tour the sugarhouse, taste the flavors of maple syrup, watch the maple men run the evaporator and learn how to tap trees. Our hike will begin promptly at 2:00 at the Sugarbush Nature Trail.

Climbers and Tourists will explore our new proposed “Springwater Trail” that skirts the Sugarbush and involves a steep elevation climb of 200′ from the sugarhouse to the top of the hill off Coates Road. Be prepared for a strenuous 4 mile hike through some wet areas, bushwacking, a variety of terrain from forest to fields and spectacular views. We will take some time for photographic opportunities of the early spring woodland wildflowers that are already appearing and wild leeks may be gathered in selected areas. Flatlanders will follow the Sugarbush Nature Trail up into the valley of the sugarbush and continue to the top of Coates Road and return to the Sugarhouse.

After hike social will be at the Sugarhouse at 4:30. Although earlier opportunities for pancakes were our main meal for the day, you can bring light appetizers, salads or desserts and drink of choice.

Please check the weather and wear appropriate layers. This early reminder of summer should also be a reminder of the importance of carrying water on our hikes.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the hiking volunteers who offered their time at Maple Weekends. Our first fundraising opportunity has raised $400.00. Thanks go out to Chuck Winship, Sugarbush Hollow for his donation to Springwater Trails and to Pam Masterson for coordinating the volunteers.

From Springwater, take Rt 15A north. Take the first right onto Wheaton Hill Road (Co Rd 16), (sign to Tabors Corners) go to end of road and turn right onto Wetmore Road, go to end of road and turn right onto Tabors Corners Road, turn left on Pardee Hollow road at Punky Hollow lighthouse sign (watch for maple bucket road sign on right), turn right at end of road and follow signs to Sugarbush Hollow, 8447 Pardee Hollow Road.

From Hemlock, take RT. 15A south over Bald Hill. Just before the hamlet of Springwater, turn left onto Wheaton Hill Road (Co Rd 16), (sign to Tabors Corners). Follow the Springwater directions to Sugarbush Hollow.

From Wayland and Naples, take Rt. 21 toward N. Cohocton. Just west of N. Cohocton (watch for maple bucket road signs), turn left onto CR 38 which is also known as Rowe Road. Go .6 miles and turn left on to Pardy Hollow Road. Follow for 3 miles to Sugarbush Hollow 8447 Pardee Hollow Road.

See you Sunday!

Spring has sprung and the northern pike and walleye are spawning in the Conesus Lake Inlet earlier than usual. This week’s hike will take us right up, close and personal with the fish, amphibians, reptiles, waterfowl, raptors and song birds, and wildlife that inhabit a 1,120 acre wetland area known as the DEC Conesus Inlet Fish and Wildlife Management Area. Bring your binoculars, polarized sunglasses, and dress for a wetland adventure as we explore Conesus Inlet.

We will meet at the DEC parking area on Rt 256 (West Lake Road, West Swamp Road) just south of Sliker Hill Road (at the south end of Conesus Lake). We will have a brief organizational meeting and will then travel to the spawning areas and trails.

The organizational meeting will have several items on the agenda. In addition to reviewing our hiking rules, we would also like to agree on an official name for the organization now that we are separate from the Town of Springwater. We also need officers (a chairman and a secretary/treasurer) to handle our checking account, so please come with nominations or ready to volunteer so we can complete an election on the website next week.

Flatlanders, Tourists, and Climbers can access the trail, hike along the creek, to the dam area and along the inlet which has at least 3 short boardwalk areas into the wetland. This area is also labeled ATV handicap with permit for those that are interested. Previewing of the hike on Tuesday March 27th, there were “few” goose droppings on the trail, no mosquitos, and northern pike, walleye, followed by many smaller perch and bluegills were making their way to the dam area. An eagle and several Blue Heron were seen, red wing blackbirds, song birds, and geese were heard and there are many photographic opportunities. Due to the “silence” of this area and other local tourists that wait for the spawning every year, it is recommended that dogs are in control or left home this time so as not to scare the fish.

Intermediates and Advanced hikers will explore 4 different access areas of the Conesus Inlet including
the boat launch into Conesus Lake for canoeing/kayaking, additional access areas off RT 256, nearby dirt roads to the west, and the area off Guiltner and Swamp Roads at the south end of the inlet.

After social will be at 4:00 at the Par-Keys Lounge located in the tiny hamlet of Scottsburg on Rt. 256 (7290 New York 256) south of Guiltner Road and the intersection of 256 with E. Swamp Road.

To get to the trail head, from Springwater, take Rt15 North for 7.5 miles. Turn left on Co Rd 33 (Sliker Hill Rd) just after Stagecoach Road (Co Rd 71, Rt255) Turn left on rt256 after 2.3 miles at the end of Sliker Hill Rd. From Dansville, go north on Rt 256 about 11 miles to the parking area on the right. From Rochester, take I390 South to Exit 8 (Geneseo). Take 20A East to Rt 256. Turn Right on 256 (W Lake Road). Go 8 miles past the lake to the parking area on the left.

This Sunday we are planning an enjoyable Spring hike. When we discussed this hike, we were very unclear about when the spring wild-flowers would be out, We hope that the flowers have waited for us and the the weather will be warm and dry.

Dena will lead on the Red and Yellow trails at Wesley Hill Preserve (http://fllt.org/protected_lands/protected_lands1.php?id=31) to the cabin and the Briggs Gully overview, and the return via the orange trail which should have nice wildflowers. Although Dena will allow time to smell the flowers, flatlanders will have an option to hike a shorter trail with more time for finding the smaller flowers. Volunteers to be the hike leader or sweep for the flatlanders can reply to [email protected].

The climbers will tackle a three mile hike up and over Frost Hill. After meeting at Wesley Hill, we will move our cars a mile south on Gulick Rd and will walk up the abandoned Frost Hill Rd as far as we can go. This is a 350ft climb on the west side, followed by a 500ft drop on the East side. Of course the 500ft drop will become a climb as we return to the Cabin at the top.

After the hike, the hikers from Wesley Hill will car pool up Frost Hill for a cookout social at the Leopold’s cabin. Karl and Erica Leopold have offered their cabin, their grill and some of their wine for the social. Wesley Hill hikers may want to join our hosts in a short hike at the top of the hill to see the difference that 500 ft of elevation has on the flora of the area.

The Springwater Trails organization will provide hot dogs and hamburgers and buns for the social. Please bring a salad or a small desert to share and your choice of beverage or make a contribution at the social.

Some details:

We will meet at the Wesley Hill Preserve parking area on Gulick Road a few minutes before 2:00 on Sunday. Climbers should park on the road, to simplify moving cars.

After the hike at Wesley Hill, drivers with decent clearance for bumps will carpool south on Gulick Rd for one mile, and then turn left up Frost Hill Rd (you will see the Climbers cars parked on the side of Gulick Rd. Sporty and subcompact cars can be left at Wesley Hill with their mufflers intact.

Directions:
From Honeoye, take Rt. 20A east to East Lake Road. Follow East Lake Rd. south for a short distance and then turn left on County Rd. 33. Continue a short distance and turn right Pinewood Hill Rd. Follow Pinewood Hill, then Gulick Road south toward Cumming Nature Center, for a total of 6.4 miles to preserve entrance, on right.

From North Cohocton, take Rt 21 to Naples. Turn left onto Clark St (Co Rd 36). After 1.2miles, turn right on Gulick Rd. Follow Gulick Rd for 7.7 miles past Cummings Nature Center. Wesley Hill preserve is on the left.

Attached is a picture of a Trail Marker tree at the top of Frost Hill and of Karl Leopold. Some of you may remember Wil Oliver pointing out a similar tree at the Springwater Center. You can learn more at Trees bent by American Indians, a link kindly provided by Karl.

See you all Sunday.

PS: Ballots will be available to vote for Springwater Trails Officers prior to the hike, if you have not been able to get onto the internet.

Hemlock Lake always calls us back. So this week we are hiking on the west side of Hemlock Lake. We will meet at the middle parking area of
3 parking areas off Blank Road, just to the right of Niver Road. You can reach this area from the North by going through Hemlock Park at the end of Hemlock Lake, up Rix Hill and taking a left at the top of the hill onto Blank Road. Follow Blank Road until it becomes a dirt road. Look for the parking lot on the left side just past Niver Road.
We will meet just before 2:00.

The Climbers will drive down Mission Road and park in front of the Mission. The hike is on the Nature Conservancy land (sorry, no dogs
allowed) which surrounds the Eagle Crest Winery along the west bank of Hemlock lake. This hike is for the advanced hikers only and is a strenuous off trail walk with a steep descent and ascent through a hemlock forest. Starting at pole #141 on Mission Road the hike will drop down the steep hill to Hemlock Lake along the north boundary of the Conservancy land. We will then travel south along the lake shore past the Winery pump house and finally ascend the hill on the south edge of the Conservancy land. This will bring us back up to Bishop road and further up the hill to Mission road and finally a flat road walk back to the cars. Rick Osiecki and Wendy Stevenson will be the hike leader and sweep for this group.

The Tourists and Naturalists (and the dogs) will stay at the 3 loop trails in the area of the Blank Road parking area. We will select from
2 or all three of the loops. The loop trails are wide grassy trails with both flat and somewhat steep areas. The trails traverse the west side slope of Hemlock Lake through a dense forest with many different
species of trees and woodland plants. There is a gully to the right
of the middle loop that provides views of the lake and opportunities for advanced hiking. Mac and Duff have offered to lead the Tourist group, and if there are more flowers out, we will recruit leaders for the Naturalists group.

The after hike social will be at the Hemlock Grill on 15A at about 4:30.

From Wayland and Springwater, take 15A N to the North end of Hemlock Lake. Go Left on Rix Hill Rd through the park. Take a left on Blank Rd at the top of the hill. The parking lot is on the left just past Niver Road. From Websters Crossing, take 15N past Sliker Hill Rd and Cole Rd. Turn Right on Niver Rd. At the end, turn Right on Blank Rd, the parking lot is on the left. From Livonia, take 15S 4.2 miles and turn Left on Niver Rd. At the end, turn Right on Blank Rd, the parking lot is on the left.

On April 28, Chuck Winship is hosting a NYFOA (New York Forest Owners Association) Woodswalk from 9:30 to 2:00. NYSDEC Wildlife Biologist Art Kirsch will give a presentation about the statewide deer management plan.

Directions from Wayland : take rt. 63 north from Wayland towards Dansville for 2.5 miles, rt. turn on Whiteman Gully Rd. Approx. .3 mi. to rt. turn onto Mendoleine Rd. Up hill for .6 mi., then turn left onto Sterner Rd. Proceed straight for 1 mi., onto McNeil Rd. Driveway with maple leaf sign on left.

Directions from Dansville: take rt. 63 south towards Wayland, approx. .3 mi. past Moose Club, left onto Sahrle Road. Proceed 2 miles up hill, bearing left at curve, and up Mendoleine Rd. Left onto Sterner Rd. Proceed straight for 1 mi. onto McNeil Rd. Driveway with maple leaf sign on left.

There will be 3 levels of ability for this hike, on fairly developed trails, taking in vistas at a hang-glide launch site, and a Christmas tree farm, views to the Southwest, and of the village of Dansville. Climbers will experience about a 500 ft. elevation difference.

Start and end at the Rounsville home, where Jerri will prepare a dish to be determined; BYOB and something to share, if desired.

This note is intended for all of you who wondered if we really had plans for building the Springwater Trail. I think you will find that the answer is yes.

Pam and Dean and I walked the trail at Sugarbush Hollow again this morning making final flagging. On Saturday, we would like to invite any volunteers who would like to spend the morning building a trail to join us at the Sugar House at Sugarbush Hollow from 9:00 until 1:00. We will have coffee ready at 9:00. We plan to split into groups of five for the building: The lead person will clear the small undergrowth about 18 inches wide to form the basic track for the trail. The next two people will trim branches on the two sides to create an open area about 36 inches wide at waist height. The last two people will trim higher branches to extend the open area up to about 8 feet.

Much of the trail will need this amount of trimming. However, there are a couple of places where larger branches and logs will need to be cut and moved.

We will also have paint and brushes for blazing the trail with blue blazes, but that is the final step, because we need to know how visible the blazes are after the trimming.

What to bring? Wear hiking shoes and bring work gloves – some trimming will be berries and roses with thorns. Also bring water since you will be out working.

If possible, bring a pair of clippers – either short handled for lower branches, or long handled for the upper branches. I have a power Scythe for clearing at ground level. If you have one, a second one would be useful on the upper part of the trail. At times a small handsaw will be useful. We won’t be doing any digging or filling, so shovels are not needed. We will have a few extra clippers, so primarily bring yourself (spouses and friends are also always welcome).

I have attached a Google Map of the trail. The portion we are planning for Saturday is 1.2 miles long. If anyone want to bring a GPS to get an accurate track, that would be awesome.

Our Schedule:
Saturday May 5
9:00 Gather at Sugar House for Coffee, a short presentation and to form teams.
9:30 Separate to points A and B (and C if three teams) on the map for trail building.
12:15 Head back to Sugar House for an easy lunch.
1:00 Dismissed

(Some flexibility will be allowed in the schedule.)

SPRINGWATER TRAILS

MOTHERS DAY HIKE

Bring your favorite mom to Letchworth State Park, for a beautiful outing, on her special day, on the Finger Lakes Trail.

If you can join us, please RSVP to [email protected] to assist in our planning.

We will meet, at 2 PM, at the Mt. Morris Dam visitors center, on the east side of the river (See directions below). We will hike south, on the Finger Lakes Trail. The trail is well maintained, and marked with yellow blazes.

The Climbers will take off at a trot, and will speed up once our hiking boots are warm. We will follow the yellow blazes past the Big Bend, to the cliffs looking across the river to Highbanks Campground. The trail then goes around a few fields and we will take the blue blazed side trail out to River Rd and a waiting car. Mark, with the invaluable assistance of Mac and Duffy, will lead the climbers. Total distance is just under 5 miles. We will need two cars out on River Rd. If you are a climber and can shuttle, please contact Mark at [email protected].

The tourists, led by Pam, will follow the same trail but at a normal hiking pace. At about a half mile past the BigBend, the tourists will turn around and hike back to the start point. Total distance slightly more than 3 miles.

Gene and Georgia Binder will lead the naturalists on a leisurely stroll down the same trail, making stops to observe Mother Nature bringing another beautiful spring to our area. If the weather’s bad that day, we’ll know that one of you has been feeding her margarine. Mid May is the best time of the year for this type of activity. Spring wildflowers are at their peak of bloom. Now, isn’t it better to have mom enjoy wild trilliums along the trail, than buy her flowers? This is also the best time of the year to learn birds. We can see those who breed here as well as those who migrate further north. So, be sure to bring binoculars, if you have them. The cocks are in their colorful breeding plumage and are singing to proclaim their breeding territory and attract a hen. Many birds can be identified by their unique songs, even if you don’t see them. Although this is not the best time of the day for bird activity, we should still see and hear some. There have also been many butterflies spotted. The hardwood trees will have their fresh leaves and we can identify those along the trail.

Unfortunately, the nasty creatures are also out. Bring protection from mosquitoes and blackflies. There is also a large tick population this year. In the summertime, hikers should wear long pants, a light color so you can see them crawling on the legs, and tuck the legs into your socks. Also, stay on the trail.

Our tribute to mom will conclude with a congenial picnic, around 4. There are several picnic spots at the visitors center. If we’re lucky, the one overlooking the dam and river will be vacant. The club will provide hot dogs, paper plates, plastic cutlery and cups. Bring a dish to pass and your beverage, or make a donation.

The hike is about 45 minutes from Springwater, so please plan ahead. You may want to carpool. If you have a GPS, try entering Mt Morris Dam as your destination (it works on Google Maps anyway). Or enter Park Rd or Visitor Center Rd, Mt Morris.

From Springwater, looks like you can proceed west on Liberty Pole Rd., past the beautiful All Western Tree Farm on your left, and stay on it all the way to 63. There, you can take a left, and a quick right, onto 258. At 36, take a right and proceed to Mt. Morris. Turn left onto NY-408 South.

From Wayland, you can take 390 north to exit 7. Turn left at the exit on NY-408 S to Mt. Morris. NY-408 goes left at Main St, then right on Chapel St.

From Hemlock and Honeoye, follow 20A West through Livonia and Lakeville to 390S. Exit at exit 7 NY 408 S to Mt Morris. Stay on 408 through Mt Morris.

From NY 408, Go right on Sand Hill Rd., right on Damsite Rd. and right on Visitors Center Rd. to the big parking lot. (Alternatively, stay on 408 to Visitor Center Rd and curve around to the big parking lot at the Dam).

So, to all mothers, whether you can join us Sunday, or not, here’s wishing you all the best on your special day. You have the world’s most important job, and you do it well. May the Schwartz be with you.