Rob’s Trail – Directions

Rob’s Trail is located near the top of Bald Hill between Springwater and Hemlock NY.

From Springwater:  Take Rt 15A north.  Bear Right on Old Bald Hill Rd South 2.7 miles north of the Springwater light.  The parking lot is on the right just before Old Bald Hill Rd rejoins 15A.

From Hemlock: Take Rt 15A south.  There is a sign for Rob’s Trail on the left at the top of the Hill.  Just after the sign (4.8 miles south of the rt 20A East intersection), bear left onto Old Bald Hill Rd South.  The parking lot is immediately on the left.

NOTE: For those of you unfamiliar with Old Bald Hill Rd, there are two roads off of Rt 15A called Old Bald Hill Rd.  The northern version starts at the north end of Hemlock lake and rejoins Rt 15A 1.6 miles south.  The southern version starts 2.5 miles south of the exit of Old Bald Hill Rd North, and rejoins Rt 15A another 3.2 miles south just past Johnson Hill Rd and a half mile north of the Hemlock Lake south boat launch.

Calling all hike planners

Melissa is our hike coordinator for the Winter 2013 season.  She has agreed to schedule 10 hikes for the months of January, February and March.  But she needs us all to suggest and plan the hikes.  Do you have a favorite hike we have done in the last two years?  Or maybe you have always wanted to explore a specific area.  Well, now is your opportunity.

Please send your suggestions for hikes to Melissa at [email protected]. Let’s flood her with ideas so she can select a truly outstanding schedule of hikes for us all to enjoy.

The first thing to do is select a location where you would like to hike.  If the hike is on private land, will you be able to get permission?  When you start to plan the hike, will you be able to plan a route for the naturalists and the climbers?  Now, send your idea to Melissa.

You may want to look at our guidelines to the job of the hike planner.  But always remember that other hikers are always available to help with the planning and the leading of the hike on Sunday.

And check back here for more information as the schedule comes together.

Mendon Ponds Hike

I never really explored Mendon Ponds before, however due to the size of the park, studying 3 different maps, driving around the park to scope out the entire park, and walking the trails required over 6 hours of preview to design 4 different skill level hikes.  Not all hikes require this type of planning which includes car pooling locations, after hike social location, road directions, coordination of cars, pick up location for distance walkers, then considering the skill levels of our hikers to ensure a good experience for all.  Regardless of a light rain, many bright yellow rain jackets were visable to find any lost hikers along the path.  Continue reading

Teasels A Plant To Know And Use.

 

Teasel Seed Head

As we hike in the winter months we see the shapes of plant’s seed heads against the snow this is both interesting and beautiful. Common Teasels (Dipsacus) can be spotted through out New York. Many people gather these seed head in the fall to use as decorations. Sometimes they are left in there natural form sometimes they are spray painted various colors.  You can also use them to fashion Teasel animalsContinue reading