Thank you all for hiking with us on our adopted trail.  There were a few new faces in the group, which is always nice to see.  We had over twenty  folks in attendance to enjoy the Spring like weather.  Hopefully many of them will be inspired to return when we schedule our trail maintenance.

Gene led the Naturalists  as they departed Seaman Road to ascend the ridge on a reconnaissance mission, to identify maintenance issues.  The trail register was located and  repaired.  The signs of Spring have not yet revealed themselves.  The trail crunched underfoot with frost needles remaining from the previous days of cold temperatures.  These kept the muck to a minimum.

Wendy headed up the Tourist group on a longer journey, over the ridge and through the woods.  They enjoyed the serenity of the late winter woods with a few patches of snow and none of those pesky  insects.

Climbers trudged up that LONG hill from the Naples access, rewarded by that marvelous gorge and waterfalls along the way.  They paused  to take in the view at the overlook of the Naples valley before continuing through the forest and over the ridge on their five mile adventure.  They found the trail to be well-blazed with no major blockages.   Hopefully our photographers will share their interesting images.  As they approached the Seaman Road access, a barred owl made its presence known.  Some of this group found a stream which served handily as a much needed boot washer.

Many hikers gathered at the Middletown Tavern afterward to share the day’s events  and enjoy a much deserved meal.  The folks at Middletown were most accommodating.  Thank you to Pat and Tony for their photos displayed on the Springwater Trails Facebook page.