NOTE CHANGE IN HIKE STARTING TIME

Have you been enjoying the aroma of boiling maple sap in the air, since January?  Today, we’re going to enjoy this year’s Palm Sunday with a lunch of pancakes with this year’s maple syrup, a hike in a new location for our group, and conclude this great day with a social at the home of one of our newest members. 

We will meet today at Wohlschlegel’s Maple Farm, near the east end of Coates Rd., west of Naples.  For $7.00, you can get all the pancakes you can eat, 2 sausages and beverage.  Everyone I’ve ever talked to has given me great reports about the quality of their pancakes and syrup so, I’m looking forward to a treat.  Their pancake kitchen closes at 1 PM so, you will need to get there by 12:30 to enjoy your meal.  If there’s time after your meal, you can enjoy tours of their farm as well as samples of some of their maple products.  If you’re still hungry, or come late, there will be hot dogs and other items available.

Because you have to get there by 12:30 for your pancake lunch, we’re going to start our hike today at 1:30.  We will have our usual 3 hiking groups, starting on the snowmobile trail on their farm.  Mark, assisted by Duffy, will lead the climbers, possibly to the late Chuck Winship’s Sugarbush Hollow.  John Larysz has agreed to lead the tourists I will attempt to lead the naturalists.

After our hiking workout, John has offered to break bread at his home so, bring your broken bread and come on over.  You know the routine, same as last week, dish to pass or feed the kitty.

There will be no hike next week so, enjoy your Easter.  See you in 2 weeks, bright eyed and bushy tailed, or the other way around.

Directions:

Wohlschlegel’s Maple Farm, 8064 Coates Rd. Naples.  From Wayland.  Go east on SR 21.  Left on to CR 38.  At the end, go left at the T.  Left on Coates Rd.  Farm is on the left, about 1/2 mile.  Look for the bright purple roof.  There are also signs on the road to help you.  If your sweet Garmin lady tells you to enter Coates Rd. from Pardee Hollow, she doesn’t know that Coates is a rough seasonal road at that end, so you may want to make her recalculate.  According to Garry W., she’s been known to send people to a potato field.  Their phone number is 775-7770.

John Larysz.  8402 French Hill Rd., Naples.  From Wohlschlegel’s, turn right on Coates.  At the end, right at the T.  Go straight, to French Hill Rd. and turn left on it, till you reach John’s house.  It’s green, has a mailbox with the number on it, and there are not too many houses on that road.  Ms. Garmin should help you with this one but, if not, and you’re lost, call him at 374-8366, and you will be found.

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Choose up to three seminars on topics of interest to landowners in the Genesee Valley region, including Technology for the Landowner, Hardwood Tree Plantations in the Genesee Valley, Solar Power, and Securing Your Legacy. Registration fee includes supper. For complete details and registration information, see the schedule or contact Dave Bojanowski at (585) 243 219 or daveb at geneseeValleyconservancy.org.

Landowners, interested in hosting public hiking trails on their property, will benefit from the Landowner Liability Conscerns workshop being held at 7:00.

As a hobbyist maple syrup producer David Colligan, Colligan Law, LLP, has focused his practice in the areas of Natural Resources Law including Timber and Oil and Gas Law. He will cover a variety of liability legal issues related to land owners such as timberland, property posting and oil and gas law.

You may be interested in additional Genesee Valley Conservancy events.

The Nature Conservancy of Central and Western New York has been planning to extend Rob’s trail down to Hemlock Lake for several years.  Last summer several work days were held, building trail part way down from Rt 15A, and extended the lake side trail south from the north boat launch.  A bridge is planned to cross a gorge and provide a wonderful and safe view of a waterfall on the way down to the lake.  Currently there is a temporary route marked across the creek and the rest of the way to the lake.

On Sunday, join us for a spring hike on this new trail and an optional social following at Peggy’s Rumpus Room in Honeoye.  We will meet at the Rob’s Trail parking lot, and will split into three groups.  The Climbers will hike down to the lake and connect to the new trail north to the North End (about 5 miles).  The Tourists will hike down to the lake, and then will return back up the trail to the cars. This hike is about 3 miles, but makes up for the shorter distance with the steep climb back to the cars. Finally, the Naturalists will hike down the trail about half way to the lake where the bridge is planned.  From there, they will return back to the cars, taking some time to explore a branch trail to the location of the proposed western parking area. This hike will be approximately 2.5 miles.

Following the hike, our optional social will be held at Peggy’s Rumpus Room at the Cornerstone Market.  This is a small dinning area with soup, sandwiches and salads, plus bottled beer, and non-alcoholic beverages from the Cornerstone Market. To streamline the social, please RSVP to info@springwatertrails.org and to  thecornerstonemarket@gmail.com.  Please use the subject line “Springwater Trails Social April 3 at 4:30” with the number of people you are bringing and with your salad or sandwich order.  You can find a menu at on their website. The restaurant is 10 miles from Rob’s Trail – go north on Rt 15A.  Turn right on Rt 20A at Hemlock.  The restaurant is at 8732 Main Street near the light at CR 36.

The Stid Hill Multiple Use Area is a 847 acre tract of land situated in the townships of Bristol and South Bristol in Ontario County. It is bounded by Route 64 on the west and Dugway Road on the north. Ganargua Creek, better known as Mud Creek, flows along Route 64. At one time, Stid Hill was productive sheep and cattle grazing land. Today the grazing has been eliminated. The mixture of steep hills, ravines, gullies, gorges, woods, and open areas create scenic vistas and also provide varied wildlife habitats.

The hike on Sunday 10th April 2016 will begin at the Dugway Road trail head. The initial quarter mile is a good path, but steep and uneven. This ends at a prominent “Stop” sign and a gate. This is a little misleading; a public trail continues past the Stop sign for a hundred yards or so and then swings to the right – follow the yellow Foot Trail buttons nailed to the trees and not the yellow paint dabs; the dabs lead away from public lands and will drop you on Stid Hill Road where it is still a dirt road.

An alternative trail from the Stop sign goes  to the right past a length of crash barrier across the path, and follows a broad trail up the hill (properly marked with paint dabs this time) deeper into the Stid Hill MUA. Both trails come together about a mile from the trail head.

Though the trails were well marked at one time, there hasn’t been much trail maintenance recently. The trail markers are difficult to follow and sometimes deceptive, and they disappear completely over the crown of the hill. The going will be very wet in places over the crown.

Tourists and Naturalists

For the tourists and Naturalists, there are loop trails starting at the Stop sign. The left and the right trails from the Stop sign are joined by linking trails through the woods. The paths are dry and in good shape here and marked with yellow or pink paint dabs.

Climbers

The climbers will hike all the way over Stid Hill and come down the steep escarpment to the more northerly Route 64 Stid Hill parking area. We’ll shuttle back to the Dugway Road trail head to collect the cars. The paint dabs start off yellow, but there a blue trail that parallels the yellow one and is easier to find. Here’s the route:

Once past the initial steep climb the trail is reasonably level until we come over the crown of the hill and start down the escarpment to Route 64. The trail markers run out pretty soon at the beginning of the walk, but the path is well trodden and easy to follow. It is however VERY WET! Wear good boots or get wet feet. It’s also very muddy in places. The section down the escarpment switchbacks a lot; it is steep, dry, and nicely wooded. The trail markers start up again as we start to come downhill again, but they get confusing and it’s easy to miss a sharp right turn to follow the borders of state land.

The Meeting Place

We will meet at the Dugway Road trail head at 1:45pm for a head count, and we’ll arrange to have some cars down at the Route 64 parking area for a ride back up the hill.

Getting There

Route 64 runs north-south, so there are only two direction of approach.

From the north, (Honeoye and Bloomfield) starting at Route 5 & 20 in Bloomfield, come down Route 64. 3.0 miles south of Rt 20A and 1.4 miles past Bristol Center (and CR 32), turn left on Dugway Road. If you come to a Stid Hill MUA parking area, you’ve come too far south – turn around and try again.

From the south, starting at Bristol Springs for 6.4 miles, come up Route 64 past both Stid Hill parking areas, then turn right on Dugway Road. If you come to Bristol Center you’ve come too far north.

From Springwater, Google Maps recommends heading north to 20A through Honeoye, then south on 64.

From Wayland, the recommendation is to take Rt 21 through Naples to the east end of Dugway Rd (4.5 miles north of the intersection with NY 64). The trail head is 1.2 miles west on Dugway, (Dugway is paved to the Bristol/Canandaigua town line).

Dugway Road is a good dirt road. The trail head is exactly 2.0 miles from the Route 64 junction. It’s easy to miss – it’s just a widening of the road after a sharp left turn. The trail head is on the right of the road and marked with a discreet sign a little too far from the road. Please park carefully. There isn’t much parking space to be had.

The Social

We’ll go to Lock Stock and Barrel on Route 64 just north of Bristol Mountain for the social after the hike. The climbers are likely to be about half an hour late so earlier arrivals should feel free to set up beers for them for when they finally get there.

Agenda

  Approve minutes – Katherine
    Please review the minutes prior to the meeting. Please look in the dropbox

  Treasurer’s report – Melissa

  Committee Reports
    Advertizing – Katherine
    Trail Maintenance – Gene
    Trail Building – Rick
    Bicentenial Committee – Wendy, Mark
    Hiking Group – Wendy
      Winter Hikes

  New Business

  Next Meeting