East Side of Letchworth Park – Take 2 – Nov 4, 2012 at 2:00PM

UNDAUNTED,  WE TRY LETCHWORTH AGAIN.  PLEASE RSVP – See below.

This Sunday, November 4, 2012 2:00 – 4:00, Eastern standard time (remember to turn your clocks back) the Springwater Trails hiking group is going back to Letchworth.  Our starting point will again be the Parade grounds but, this time, we will hike north, on the well marked Letchworth branch of the Finger Lakes Trail.  Bring your cameras, as there will be some great autumn views of the falls and gorges that make up the Grand Canyon of the East.

This hike will be a “one way” hike so we will need to stage several cars at the endpoints.  To help with this, please send an email to [email protected] if you are planning to hike with us.  Please include the group you would like to hike with, and if you are able to park your car at an endpoint if we provide a ride to the start point.  We would need to meet at the end point at 1:40 to get to the parade grounds on time.  The available groups are:

Climbers: 4 miles, a steady pace along the FLT Letchworth Branch..
Tourists: 3miles, along the Genesee Valley Greenway trail with time to see the remains of the Genesee Valley Canal.
Naturalists: 2 miles, a slower pace along the common part of the two hikes.  Take time to notice the small natural details.  Continue reading

Hurricane Sandy

Just wanted to let you all know that even Mac and Duff were reluctant to go out in the approaching hurricane.  We usually walk around the neighborhood, but tonight Mac turned around before we reached the end of the street.  And Duff did not argue.  So now we are comfortably in bed – much more comfortable.

Letchworth Hike Canceled

It looks like the weather predictions were correct.   Click for Portageville, New York Forecast It is raining and chilly and we are going to cancel the hike for today.  Please enjoy a good book by the fire.  Check here for more information about next week’s hike. Continue reading

The Genesee Valley Canal

Don has shared several historical references about the Genesee Valley Canal.  Don hiked with us at Ganondagan last week and was pleased to note that some of our history buffs enjoyed sharing the history of where we were hiking.

This Sunday the Tourists will follow a portion of the Genesee Valley Canal route as it passes through Letchworth Park.  Don suggested two specific books:

Wyoming County, New York  Images of our Past by Mark Herman. published 1991 by the Donning Company Publishers, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

History of Allegany County by Beers, F. W., New York, 1879.

There is a article on the canal history written by James Warlick available from the Rochester Library website.  Please check the picture I found on the “Geography of New York” website.  It shows the canal that we saw on the Finger Lakes Trail – Letchworth Branch this summer.

My thanks to Don for the reminders of all of the history in our area.  I hope the Springwater Trails hikes will continue to trigger the sharing of this history.