This year is the inaugural Twisted Branch Race, a 100km run following the Bristol Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail.  The race will begin at 5:00am at the Ontario Park on Gannett Hill north of Naples and will end at the main FLT trail in Hammondsport (8521 New York 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840)

Runners are expected to reach Seman Rd at 6:00am and run through the section of trail maintained by Springwater Trails.

A BBQ Competition hosted by the Hammondsport Fire Department will start at noon, providing food vendors for spectators and friends.  Runners will probably start arriving after 2:00pm with an awards ceremony at 7:30.  The course will close at 11:00pm.

Please note:  This race has been organized by the Twisted Branch crew, based out of Victor NY. the Twisted Branch crew has kept The Finger Lakes Trail Conference informed about the race. The FLTC is not a sponsor of this event.

A moon lit kayak with Canadice Outfitters will be held Saturday Night. Bring a flashlight and a snack.  If you would like to rent a kayak or canoe call Canadice Outfitters at 585-669-9512. Rental fee $20.00.  Please arrive at 8:30 for a launch at 9:00.

On Sunday August 30th, Springwater Trails will meet to hike and kayak at the north end of Hemlock Lake.  The after hike (and kayak) social will be at Hemlock Lake Park.  Bring a dish to pass or donate to the social fund.

Kayak or Canoe Paddle 

Boaters will meet at Hemlock Lake North Boat Launch and must arrive early enough to have their boat unloaded and car parked in preparation for a 4PM launch.  They will cross the lake to the western shore, paddle south, cross the lake to the eastern shore and return north to the boat launch.  Paddlers will need to determine how far south they can go and have enough time to get back to the launch by 6PM.

Hikers

All hikers will meet at the large parking area of Hemlock Lake Park off Rix Hill Road at 4PM.  We will divide into two groups.

Naturalists

The Naturalists will car pool to the North Boat Launch Parking area.  From there they will walk past the gate and continue south on the North Hemlock Haul Road to where it becomes impassable; they will then return by the same route (about 3 miles round trip). Paralleling the lake shore, this was formerly a cottage road and has views of the lake through the trees.  This will be a leisurely walk taking time to note and discuss what is found along the trail.  Gene and Georgia have invited Richard Aaron, an Ecologist from Toronto, to join us.

Tourists/Climbers

Tourists and Climbers will leave the parking lot and walk west, cross Rix Hill Road and head north to follow the Bur Oak Trail and then the Bur Oak Loop; they will return the same route (about 3 miles round trip). The trail runs on the west side of Hemlock Outlet and on a portion of an abandoned section of the Hemlock Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad that used to bring visitors from Rochester to Hemlock Lake.  The Bur Oak Loop is a stand of very large oaks and hickories; reportedly it has trees with diameters 3-4 feet, straight trunks and heights of 100 feet.  The trail has not been mowed in some time so long pants are recommended to avoid getting scratched by the prickers.

Directions to Hemlock Lake Park

From Springwater:  Head north on 15A for 10.1 miles.  Turn left on Rix Hill Road.  Take the third left into the parking area.

Open Bicentennial planning meeting. Everyone is welcome.

— Please note that Saturday, September 5th, 2015 is Labor Day holiday weekend. —

Perhaps you have an interest in hiking the Bare Hill State Unique Area (SUA), as Springwater Trails has not yet hiked this area.  And perhaps you have an interest in the annual Bare Hill Ceremonial Fire.  Well, if either be the case, you have an option to hike with Victor Hiking Trails (VHT) at Bare Hill SUA on Saturday, Sept 5th, 2015 in the evening. This evening hike starts during daylight hours, and will finish after dark!

⇒ Hike Meet Time and Locale:  Approximately 6:15-6:30PM at the cul-de-sac (deadend) of Van Epps Rd (which is very near the Bare Hill trailhead).

Arrangements of a VHT arranged carpool, are:   VHT designated Carpool will form behind Victor Town Hall, located at 85 East Main Street in Victor,NY (GPS = 42.9821448,-77.4087837 ), with intended leave time of 5:30PM on Saturday 9/5/2015.  PLEASE NOTE, THE 5:30PM TIME IS FOR THE CARPOOL IN VICTOR!!  THERE IS AN ETA OF 6:15PM-6:30PM AT THE VAN EPPS RD CUL-DE-SAC PARKING AREA. (The cul-de-sac is adjacent the gated haul road and trailhead that lead to the top of Bare Hill).  Please note, further down in this hike event announcement are carpool arrangements for Springwater & Naples environs S/T area hikers.

Part parcel of this hike event is supper, ceremonial festivities including viewing lighting of the annual Bare Hill Ceremonial Fire, and viewing of the annual Canandaigua Lake Ring of Fire.

Lay of the land:  Bare Hill, lands publicly owned and held as a NYSDEC State Unique Area (in the nw quadrant of the Town of Middlesex, Yates County), is situate off the eastern side of Canandaigua Lake (about 2/3rds down the distance of the lake from the northern end), and is situate high atop a hill between the lake and NYS Rt 364. Note – because much of the hills’ elevation is reached when driving uphill on roads to reach the trailhead, the trails themselves do not have any steep ascent/decent but are gradual in elevation change and hold relatively little elevation gain/loss.

⇒ Hike Routing and Groups: More adventurous hikers (suitable for S/T Climbers) on this guided hike will hike to Bare Hill via a herd trail (as some would say “rough it”), while the more tame routing (suitable for S/T Naturalists) will be on the haul road which is essentially an old farm road.  Many years ago Bare Hill was farmed as pasture lands.  Hike distance is suitable for S/T Naturalists.   The return hike off Bare Hill will be after sunset, so BRING A FLASHLIGHT OR HEADLAMP for this part of the hike.

⇒ Supper and other details:  What’s for supper while on Bare Hill? is up to the individuals who show up.  Bring what you like, and if you wish to bring enough for sharing that’s fine too.  Don’t forget a beverage, and bring something to sit on as this is a gathering (not just a hike).  There are no picnic tables or facilities of any type here.  Bare in mind (pun intended) this is a VHT planned hike, not a S/T planned hike, so some facets may be a bit different than S/T hikers are used to.   ΟΟ Roll with it, please. ΟO

Of note, a Labor Day weekend Saturday evening Ring of Fire hike on Bare Hill has been on a “hike to do list” for S/T for well over 1-2 years, and being that one of our sister hiking groups facilitated the planning of a hike much as was envisioned for S/T, “seize the opportunity” to join for this hike seemed to be a logical thing to do.

Please consult the VHT website for further details and updates, and/or check the VHT message line for updates (585)-234-8226.

All are welcome to hike with VHT (with no VHT membership required and with no fee, much the same as S/T hikes are set-up). Should you and any other S/T hikers decide to join VHT for this hike and as result gain some expertise in the area, perhaps in the future you could lead a S/T hike at Bare Hill.  Something to consider for sharing with fellow  hikers.  In fact three S/T hikers already have hiked Bare Hill with an eye toward a future S/T hike here.

What vista views will I see while on Bare Hill, you ask?  Well, from the summit of Bare Hill looking directly across the lake (westward), lakeside for the south to the north will be Hicks Point, Seneca Point, Bristol Harbour Marina and Resort.  And higher up from the shoreline directly across the lake, the ridge you will be looking at is the east side of Stid Hill (approximately the northern area of the southern NYS DEC Stid Hill parcel) .  You will see part of one or more of: Hicks Rd, NYS Rt 21, Bills Rd, Stid Hill Rd.    No, you can not see Bristol Mountain Ski Resort even though it is on a westerly line from Bare Hill, because it is on the next hill to the west of Stid Hill and thus is out of view.  (But, maybe at night in season when Bristol Mtn Ski Resort is ablaze with lights you might see the glow of the lights.)  One other view from a trail on Bare Hill a distance away from the summit affords a view looking to the northwest diagonally across Canandaigua Lake. This one is left totally up to you to identify landmarks, albeit one note – possibility that in the distance you may be able to see Fort Hill in Victor near Ganondagan (distance viewing oculars of some variety will be helpful for this one).

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⇒ Driving Directions:   For those who wish to drive directly to the trailhead of Bare Hill SUA, and not carpool in either the VHT or S/T arranged carpools :  The trailhead is directly adjacent the cul-de-sac of Van Epps Road.  The cul-de-sac is utilized as a parking area.  Given sufficient number of vehicles that may converge on the area for a hike to the “ceremonial fire event” some parking may also be necessitated along the shoulder of Van Epps Rd.

Van Epps Rd runs west off Bare Hill Rd.  Bare Hill Rd can be accessed via Town Line Rd at the northern end, and via Co Rd 10 (aka N Vine Valley Rd) at the southern end.   Both these roads run westerly off NYS Rt 364.   {In reaching Bare Hill expect most roadways to be paved, but expect gravel surface (dirt road) on Van Van Epps Rd.}

For those drivers who do not do well with compass directions for routing and turns:   From the north (Canandaigua & environs) on NYS RT 364 as you are heading southbound, turn R onto Townline Rd, turn L onto Bare Hill Rd, & turn R onto Van Epps Rd.   From Springwater area.  S on 15 to Wayland, N on 21 thru Naples. R on 245 to Middlesex, L on 364.  On NYS RT 364 as you are heading northbound, turn L onto Co Rd 10 (aka N Vine Valley Rd).  Be careful not to make this left on S. Vine Valley Rd., which comes first. Turn R onto Bare Hill Rd, & turn L onto Van Epps Rd.   >>>The trailhead parking area is at the cul-de-sac (deadend) of Van Epps Rd.

{For edifice history appreciators, and as point of reference, the historic red brick one room schoolhouse “Overakers Corners Schoolhouse”, located in the Town of Middlesex, Yates County, is situate on the NW corner of NYS Rt 364 & Co Rd 10 (aka N Vine Valley Rd). The schoolhouse has now been restored for utilization as a heritage museum, albeit admission dates and times are very limited.}

⇒ Carpool arrangements for Springwater & Naples environs, as arranged by S/T hiking folks:  This is a progressive carpool, Wayland carpoolers will stop at Naples carpool locale to coalesce a larger carpool and then ultimately head to Bare Hill.

Wayland – Large parking lot behind fire station.  From Springwater, R at light in Wayland.  Entrance is on right, right after 7-11.  Departure time 5 PM.

Naples – Parking lot behind Bob and Ruth’s, N of town.  Departure time 5:30 PM.  Meet and join hikers from Victor at Bare Hill lot.  We’ll probably arrive there before them because if we arrive after, they won’t wait for us.

(Directional Travel Note: It is not difficult to lose your trail of bread crumbs in this remote hilly & windy road area off NYS Rt 364.  So a suggestion, … pay attention to directions and turns, and keep conversing in the vehicle to a minimum once you have turned off NYS Rt 364 and start the hilly and sometimes winding ascent, and be aware there are “blind areas” that come up quickly as result of hills in the road.  The same advice goes for the return trip out to NYS Rt 364.  Note: There really are not many wrong turns that you can make before eventually getting back to NYS Rt 364, so do not fret too much about losing your way, but paying attention when driving in this area definitely can cut down on uncertainty, as can keeping your speed down to increase time for reaction to road changes.  A detailed map of the area and a good (human) navigator is helpful, as well.

GPS Coords:  Van Epps Rd cul-de-sac parking area: Lat/Long coordinates are: 42.746746, -77.302622  This is in the nw quadrant of the Town of Middlesex, Yates County.  ( It is possible if using a GPS unit for directions, you may not want to blindly follow the GPS unit.  You should have some semblance of where you are going, in case your GPS Unit is “confused” in this area (“confused” is to be read as “possibly unreliable in this area”.  Thus, this GPS directional aid section is placed nearly at the bottom of this hike event announcement.)

√ Hike Checklist:  beverage, supper, something to sit on, flashlight, warmer clothing to don after sunset, perhaps distance viewing oculars, perhaps a map to determine what you are looking at in the vistas, perhaps a backpack to carry the aforementioned items.

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[ Also of note – other upcoming VHT hikes of interest to some area hikers:  Saturday, October 10th, 2015 (Columbus Day holiday weekend) is a VHT hike at Keuka Lake Outlet Trail (Penn Yan to Dresden).  Saturday November 14, 2015 is a VHT hike at Boughton Park (this one is figuratively if not literally in VHT’s “back yard”); and Saturday, December 12, 2015  is a VHT hike at Ontario County Park’s new north trails (this one in S/T home range).  All three of these hikes meet for carpool at 9:00AM Saturday morning at Victor Town Hall (rear) parking lot.    VHT Message Line , phone (585)-234-8226 includes info about the next upcoming VHT hike.  note: 234 phone number exchange is a Rochester area exchange. ]

Welcome to the Fourth Annual Mushroom Foray at the All Western Evergreen Farm.  Three hiking groups are planned, all starting and ending at the farm house.  With thanks to Wendy, Melissa, Rick, Char and Gene, we will explore much of the farm, enjoying views of the valley and close-ups of the floral and mycological specimens.  Jerrianne and Isabel have mowed our paths for easy hiking.

Friendly dogs are welcome on the hike; however, a leash will be needed near the farm house and you can expect a few other dogs will be hiking with you.

Paper bags and paper plates for collecting and displaying mushrooms will be provided.  Those who want to learn how to collect mushrooms will be instructed by Gene and Georgia, and any other Rochester Area Mycological Association members who will be our guests.

The plan is to hike between 2 and 4 p.m., RAMA members to identify the mushrooms collected between 4 and 4:30 p.m., followed by a social (4:30 – 6:30 p.m.) hosted by Katherine at her house (AWEN & CTF Soups are the Specialty).

Bring a dish-to-pass or make a small contribution to support the socials.  Bring your own beverage.  Dogs will want to stay in your car during the social.

We will begin all the hikes at 6840 Liberty Pole Road where there is ample parking at the Christmas tree loading area between the tall Western redcedar and the bee hives (belonging to George Karadimas from Conesus- 585-346-0528).  The mushrooms will be displayed on paper plates on the tables indoors in the basement.

Directions:

If using GPS, please try 6840 Liberty Pole Road, Dansville, NY 14437 (the mailing address) so as to not have a problem.

From Springwater: Go west from the Springwater light on Rt 15 North.  Just past the top of the hill, turn left on Co Rd 38 (Liberty Pole Road).  The farm is on the left 1.1 miles from Rt 15 at 6840 Liberty Pole Road.

From Geneseo: Go south on NY 63.  About 6.4 miles after passing RT 408, turn left on County Road 1 at Groveland Station.  This road becomes CR 1A at Scottsburg (Route 256) and then Liberty Pole Road (Co Rd 38) after you cross Stage Coach Road.  It is 7.1 miles from Groveland Station to All Western Evergreen Farm.

From Honeoye: Take 20A west to Hemlock and 15A south to Springwater.  Then follow the Springwater directions above.

Kristi Krumrine, Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, SUNY Geneseo and St John Fisher College will share the finding of the former home-site excavation on Hemlock Lake this summer.  She is looking forward to meeting with us and to hear what additional information we can provide about the area.

Join the Springwater / Webster Crossing Historical Society on Tuesday, Sept 8th, 2015 at the Springwater American Legion for a dish-to-pass dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7:15 p.m.

The Historical Society programs are free and open to the public.  Donations for the support of the Society are welcome.

The topic for the Adirondack Mountain Club, Genesee Valley Chapter’s program for September is the magnificent Colorado Trail. Bill Cooke will present information about the trail followed by a 25-minute slide show with music showing photos from his 2011 thru-hike, and answer your questions. A sample of the slideshow is available on YouTube.

Bill will also have copies of his book narrating the hike — “Shades of Gray, Splashes of Color: A Thru-Hike of the Colorado Trail” — available for your perusal and purchase.

The 486-mile Colorado Trail wends its way through the Rocky Mountains of the Centennial State, traversing a landscape as changing and diverse as the swirling afternoon clouds presaging the daily summer thunderstorms. In this program, you’ll hear of the challenges such as the struggle of acclimating to high elevations, of hiking long and steep ascents, of coping with a wide range of climatic conditions from freezing cold mornings, to hot baking afternoons, to near daily thunderstorms, to long stretches of limited water.

You’ll see the rewards and triumphs as Bill and his hiking companion Keith “Northern Harrier” Bance savor the alpine meadows whose wildflowers cover every range of the spectrum, bewitching groves of aspen trees resplendent with the morning glow of the sun, the glistening of snowy peaks, stately conifers including the massive Douglas firs, high mountain passes, dry foothills, sparkling mountain streams, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets where both the skies and the rocks shine like beacons from the low sun alpenglow, and much more.

You need not be an experienced hiker to enjoy this program as Bill explains much of the terminology and peculiar habits of long-distance backpackers such that even those whose experience is confined to short strolls in the park will sense the challenges and the rewards of a trek in the Rocky Mountains.

ADK meetings are educational and entertaining. You will hear about future activities and have the opportunity to talk to active members (they are friendly) and ask questions about the club. The meetings are free to all.

Meet at the designated locations by 9:30.

April 25th. Meet at the New Covenant Baptist Church Parking lot on County Road 46.  Hike Main St to CR 46. (3mi)

May 9th.  Meet at the New Covenant Baptist Church Parking lot on County Road 46.  Hike CR 46. to Depot Road (5mi)

June 6th. Meet at Depot Road. Hike Depot Rd to Stanley Junction (3.8mi)

July 11th.  Meet at BOCES parking lot.  Hike Stanley Junction to Boces (3.5mi)

August 15th. Meet at the Orleans water tower. Hike Boces to Orleans (4.5mi)

September 12th. Meet at Rt 96 trail head.  Hike Wheat Rd to Rt 96 (3.8mi)

October 10th. Meet at Gifford Rd.  Hike to Wayne county line and back (3.6mi)

You can download a PDF with more information.

Join us again for some trail maintenance at Punky Hollow in preparation for the Fiddler’s Fair on September 19th.

We will meet at the barn at Punky Hollow.  Our task today will be to blaze the Springwater Trail between the Punky Hollow entrance east of the school house, to Sugarbush Hollow.  We also will tag the trail around Punky Hollow behind the barn, for the fair.  Bring loppers or clippers for final cleanup.  other tools will be available as needed.

We will split into three groups.  The climbers will hike to the entrance to the Springwater Trail and will blaze that trail.  The Naturalists will hike around the trail behind the barn, placing red ribbons to blaze that trail.  The third group will be responsible for placing new signs at the Springwater Trail entrances at Coates Rd, Pardee Hollow below the sugar house, at the entrance across from Coates Rd and at the Punky Hollow entrance.

Finally, we will be preparing for working the Parking Lot at the Fair on Saturday, September 19, 2015.  You don’t have to be at the Sunday trail maintenance to help with parking, but please fill out the form below so we know you will be coming.

Following our work, we will have a social at Punky Hollow.  Please bring a dish to pass or make a small contribution to the social fund. Bring your own beverage.

Directions to Punky Hollow are available here.

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