We owe a big thank-you to Elisabeth (Ebets) Judson who organized and led our hike yesterday at Ganondagan State Historical Site in Victor NY. Ebets talked with Pam nearly a year ago about having a hike at Ganondagan and on the Victor Hiking Trails. The wait was definitely worth while – we had a gorgeous day walking through land that was a beautiful as historical.
Ebets is a volunteer hike leader at Ganondagan so she was able to briefly relate the history of Ganondagan to our lives today. According to oral tradition, The Peacemaker established the Constitution of the Haudenosaunee. The foundation of this law was that thinking and negotiations can replace violence and warfare as a means of settling disputes. Benjamin Franklin was inspired by this union when he told they 13 colonies that they must unite.
I walked with the Climbers. Ebets and her husband Tom led the group of 13 hikers and Amy was our careful sweep – no one got lost!
We headed west toward Fort Hill, the site of a 1680s Senaca Granary. From the top of Fort Hill, there is a wonderful panaromic view to the south. From Fort Hill, we headed south on the Seneca trail to Ebets Judson home where they were ferried back to the start of the hike. Along the way we walked along the creek, saw another beaver pond, and a large White Oak. 
John DeSeyn, Tom Judson and I were just able to reach around the trunk – thats about a 17 foot circumference.
The hike ended by walking across the yards of the Judson home. The man made horse jumps and the glacial drumlins provided a fitting end to a fantastic hike.
The hike was followed by a social hosted by the Friends of Ganondagan with white corn soup and dishes provided by the hikers.
i would add that the reason the french destroyed these villages was to open up new trapping grounds. as early as the late sixteen hundreds, they had already trapped out the vast canadian area they had settled. there must have been a robust demand for fur coats in europe at the time.
I walked with the Tourists. I really like the idea of bringing into our hikes a little about history and to broaden our knowledge of the area. I was very impressed with Ebetz’s leadership abilities and Lou’s descriptions about the Corn Project.
My highlight on our hike was the colors of the leaves in the woods. It was very peaceful there.
Also was meeting Rick French Pack Paddle and Ski. Rick indicated how awesome Springwater
Trails was. This guy travels all around the world leading hikes.
Another highlight was at Fort Hill looking at the distance and seeing Bare Hill, on the east
side of Canandaigua Lake. I imagined smoke signals communicating from these hills that they would see from Fort Hill.
And there was CORN…there were great conversations going on at the farm house on the
importance of this crop all the way to Mexico.
And kids on bikes as we explored the Dryer Town Park. What can we do in Springwater?