Monthly Archives: October 2012

Ganondagan and the Seneca Trail – Victor NY

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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!

Ganondagan View from Fort HillWe 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.

 

Last week’s challenge, continued

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Following, is a continuation of last week’s challenge of identification of the maple tree, in winter.

What did you notice about the maple, other than the leaves, which are not present in winter?  Did you notice that they come in pairs, each node having 2 leaves, opposite each other?  The majority of hardwood trees have 1 leaf per node, occurring on alternating sides of the branch.  Did you notice that the branching also occurs in pairs?  Maple (Acer) is 1 of 4 hardwood tree genera that has opposite branching.  The others are ash (Fraxinus), dogwood (Cornus) and horsechestnut (Aesculus).  The first letters of maple, ash and dogwood spell the word MAD.  Add the horsechestnut and you have a MAD HORSE.  Maybe this will help you remember it.  All other hardwood trees are alternate.

Now, what did you notice about the scar left on the branch, after you pushed the leaf off?  Did you see that it was a thin crescent, forming a semicircle around the bud?  Did you notice 3 bumps on the leaf scar, 1 in the center, and 2 more on the sides?  These are called bundle scars.  The sugars and organic compounds made in the leaves (photosynthesis) go into the leaf’s veins, into the vascular bundle tissue and are transported to all other parts of the tree.  Opposite branching, crescent leaf scars and the 3 bundle scars are the features that enable you to positively identify a maple tree, in winter.

Why do hardwood trees shed their leaves in the winter?  What advantage is this to the tree?  Think that one over and we’ll have more on this next week.

Ganondagan State Historic Site – Oct 21, 2012 at 2:00PM

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This Sunday, October 21, 2012 2:00 – 4:00 we will hike the trails at the Ganondagan State Historic Site, 1488 Victor-Bloomfield Road (Rt. 444)  just a little south of the Village of Victor. Information regarding the Seneca Site at Ganondagan can be located on their website.   We will meet at the Visitor’s Center at 2:00 sharp.

Fort Hill

The view south from Fort Hill

Elisabeth Judson, our hike planner and  trail guide for Ganondagan, will give a short introduction to the Seneca historical site  at the White Pine.  Hikers will be divided into 3 different skill levels. Climbers, led by Elisabeth and Mark will hike a 6 mile clip  throughout the trails to an encompassing view at Fort Hill and then proceed south on the Victor Hiking Trail to the Judson’s property. Tourists led by Marty and Pam will hike a 4 mile similiar route, noting the history and plant descriptions along the trails and if time permits exploring another connecting Victor park trail.    Self – Guided Naturalists will hike approximately 2 miles on Ganondagan Trails, studying nature and history along the way. A map of  the trails will be provided.

Our Social will be at the white farmhouse at 4:30 just 1/2 mile west on Boughton Hill Road  opposite School Road. Lou Sinesio will be our social host and is preparing a delicious white corn soup using dried corn from their White Corn Project.  Please bring a fall dish to pass.  Dishes can be dropped off at the farmhouse at 1:45 before the hike.  Coffee, apple cider and apples will be provided.  Note  alcoholic beverages are not permitted at the state historical site.   Dried White Corn Products, including cornmeal and dried whole corn grown and processed at Ganondagan will be available for purchase at the farmhouse for interested hikers to help support Ganondagan.

Directions:  Click here for driving directions to Ganondagan.

If you wish to carpool, you are invited to meet at one of two places.  Note that these carpools are “unsupervised”.   In normal conditions, the suggested departure time should get you to the hike on time. Be sure to bring directions in case you are driving.

In Springwater, meet at the Town Hall at 12:50.  Plan to leave the Town Hall at 1:00 sharp.

In Honeoye, meet at Sandy Bottom Park 0.4 miles south of 20A on West Lake Rd.at 1:10.  Plan to leave Sandy Bottom at 1:20 sharp.

Sandy Bottom, Honeoye – Directions

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sandy bottom

Sandy Bottom Park is located at the north end of Honeoye Lake off of County Road 36 on Jack Evans Drive – GPS coordinates 42.783901, -77.514847,

From Springwater: Go North on 15A over Bald Hill.  Turn right on Rt 20A before you reach Hemlock. Turn right on W Lake Rd as you enter the village of Honeoye.  Sandy Bottom Park is on the left at the North end of the lake.

From Naples: Turn west at the Middletown Tavern off of Rt 21 onto Clark St (Co Rd 36). Sandy Bottom Park is on the right at the North end of Honeoye Lake (14.5 miles from Naples).