Back by popular demand, this Sunday we will be hiking the Nature Conservancy lands on the west side of Hemlock Lake around the Eagle Crest Winery, with wine tasting and a potluck social at the winery. Once again, Joan and Bob have stepped up to plan this adventure. These have been popular hikes in the past so you don’t want to miss it.
Three reminders before we start. Eastern Standard Time starts Sunday morning. This means that if you forget to change your clocks, you will have to wait an hour for the hike to start. Of course, only old timers can remember back when we actually had to set our clocks, rather than just looking at our cell phone for the time.
Along with standard time, the days are still getting shorter. In particular, sunset on Sunday is at 5:00 PM. Gene has suggested that hikers ought to put a flashlight in their pockets before the hike.
The predicted high for Sunday is 36 degrees with snow. Please dress in layers, wear something orange so bow hunters can see you, and bring an extra coat for the social when you aren’t working as hard.
Back to our description. We will meet at the Eagle Crest Winery parking lot off of Mission Rd. (42.739874,-77.622831). We will explore the Nature Conservancy land that surrounds the Winery, and some hikers will climb to the lake and explore the narrow strip of land that is part of the Hemlock Canadice State Forest.
Following the hike, we will meet at the tent outside the winery for an optional social. Please bring a dish to pass or make a contribution to the social fund.
Directions:
From Springwater: Take Rt 15N from the intersection with 15A for 8.2 miles. Stay straight when Rt 15 bears to the left onto CR 56 (Federal Rd). Turn right onto Durkee Rd, the left onto Partridge Corners Rd, right on Bishop Rd, left on Mission Rd and right onto Vineyard Rd. The parking lot is 0.2 miles down Vineyard Rd.
From Hemlock: Take Rt 15A south for 0.7 miles past the intersection with 20A from Honeoye. Turn right on Rix Hill Rd at the north end of Hemlock Lake. Go up the hill and turn a sharp left onto Blank Rd. Stay on Blank Rd when it becomes a dirt road and then becomes Mission Rd (which is paved). Vineyard Rd is on the left 1.4 miles from the dirt road, and within sight of the end of Mission Rd. The parking lot is 0.2 miles down Vineyard Rd.