Monthly Archives: January 2014

Skiing and shoeing HHS Recreation Area

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Harriet-Hollister-Hike-Jan-5-2014-007wHarriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area was busy this first weekend of 2014.  Activities started with a snowshoe competition Saturday morning and ended with a Springwater Trails hike.   IMG_0461_WebEighteen hikers joined Springwater Trails at the parking lot of HHS Park.  We split into three groups, the skiers, the climbers on snowshoes and the tourists on snowshoes or hiking boots.  We covered most of the well groomed trails in the park and enjoyed the sounds of the winter forest.

Harriet hikeNo one got lost during this hike, thanks in large part to a map the Rick found of the ski trails.  This was originally found in the March newsletter from Rochester Nordic Ski Club and was referenced in a blog from Footprint Press that you may find interesting. I am also copying the mileages from the Nordic Ski Club newsletter.
hh-map-12-2012-rev-1-21[1]

Harriet Hollister Trail Mileage Miles KM
Bear Cub 0.4 0.64
Big Oak 1.0 1.60
Blue Spruce 0.8 1.28
Bypass Trail 0.3 0.48
Cannonball Run + ext. 0.7 1.13
Chalet Loop 0.1 0.16
Chalet Trail 0.5 0.80
Deer Run 0.5 0.80
Fox Run 0.3 0.48
Little Whiteface 0.5 0.80
Lower Sidewinder 1.1 1.77
Meadow 0.3 0.48
Overlook Road 0.9 1.45
Pines 0.2 0.32
Raccoon Run 0.7 1.13
Ruthies Run 0.2 0.32
Stoney Hill 0.05 0.08
Whiteface parallel 0.1 0.16
Upper Sidewinder 0.2 0.32
Whiteface Bypass 0.1 0.16
Total 8.95 miles 14.36 KM

WESLEY HILL NATURE PRESERVE – January 12, 2014, 2:00 PM

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February 2013

February 2013 at Wesley Rd

The hike this week will be at Wesley Hill Preserve. As usual, we will split into as many as three groups to accomodate the spectrum of physical abilities and ambitions. The weather should be rebounding from the Alberta Clipper passing through early in the week, and there is even the possibility of a thaw by hike time.

We’ll mix it up a little by meeting at the Wesley Rd Trail Head.

Wesley Rd Trail HeadAfterward, we can meet at Marty’s for a social. Bring drinks and a dish to pass, or some dough for the kitty (green plastic trash can) on the table to help with the costs. The house will provide a big pot of chili. Directions will be distributed at the hike.

Ski and Snowshoe at Harriet Hollister Spencer Park – Jan 5, 2014 – 2:00PM

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View of Honeoye Lake

May 2012. Think Warm!

This Sunday Jan. 5th, Springwater Hikers will meet at the parking lot at the entrance to Harriet Holister Park at 2 PM. It is still snowing as of Thursday night with predictions of  8 to 12 inches.  Hikers that wish,
should consider bringing their snow shoes or cross country skis.  If you bring an extra pair of snowshoes, you may find a hiker willing to try them out.

New Years 2012

New Years 2012

Hikers on boots or snowshoes should avoid the groomed ski trails (carefully groomed by the Rochester Cross Country Ski Foundation), so we will have one hike for skiers and another for those on snowshoes or boots.  Since the park is a popular winter sport location, some trails may be easy walking even with the snow and we will adjust based on conditions and snow depth.

Based on the amount of snow, we are going inside for the social.  After the hike, hikers will warm up at the Hemlock Grill in Hemlock.

Directions:

FROM HONEOYE: From 20 A turn south onto County Route 37 about 4 miles to the CR 37/ Canadice Hill road split. Continue south on Canadice Hill road about 3 miles. Harriet Holister Spencer Park will be on your left.

FROM SPRINGWATER: From 15A 1 mile north of Springwater , turn right on Wheaton  Hill Road. Drive about 2.5 miles and turn left on Wetmore Road. Drive about 3/4 of a mile to the intersection of Town Line and Canadice Hill Roads. Continue north on Canadice Hill Road 1.5 miles to Harriet Hollister Spencer Park on your right.

Comments to start 2014

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As we begin a new year, ever consider all we can be grateful for?  How about having the good fortune to live in an area that has distinct and diverse seasons.  This gives us the opportunity, on Sunday afternoons, to enjoy the diversity, on the many neat hiking trails, and other resources, in the Western Finger Lakes Region.  It’s also nice to look forward to a good, usually full course, Sunday evening meal, enjoying the great fellowship of our fellow hikers.

On December 22, Don and Marty introduced us to new trails at Tumble Hill Campground.  Most hikers climbed the hill and were rewarded with a close-up view of one of the Cohocton wind turbines.  Our gratitude to Dena and Marty for posting their nice article and pictures.  Isn’t it nice to see us getting our energy from a natural source, rather than desecrating our beautiful landscape by subterranean shale fracturing?  If you want to see what it does, just cross the state line, into Pennsylvania.  Debra, the campground manager, is enthusiastic about our group, and welcomes our participation there.  I talked to her about coming back, maybe in July.  Let’s hope it’s a hot, sunny day, because they have a small lake, where they have built a swimming beach, with tables, where we can have our social, and get pleasant relief from the heat.

Our gratitude also to Tom and Jerri for sharing their fantastic vacation and adventure in New Zealand.  It’s always nice to enjoy other areas in our diverse planet.  For what it’s worth, this can help you enjoy it more.  We are the only country in the world that still uses the antiquated, English origin, measuring system.  Every other country is now using metric, including Canada.  So, if you learn the metric system, which is very easy, and “think metric”, you’ll have a better understanding of what they’re saying.  This way, if they tell you the temperature is 30 degrees, you won’t go for your sweater.  If you must convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, a quick way is to double the Celsius temp, and add 30.  Try it with 30 degrees C.

And, we definitely owe a big debt of gratitude to Rick, for planning 3 months of some pretty terrific hikes.  Looks like he’s leading most of them, himself.  If you haven’t volunteered to lead a hike this period, I’m sure he would appreciate any help you’d care to give him.

See you on the trail, in our winter wonderland.