Dates: March 21, 22 and March 28, 29
Time: 10:00AM to 4:00PM

Open House:

Tour the Maple Shed
Taste testing
Maple Syrup demonstrations
Children’s maple activities

Our Store:

Maple Syrup
Molded candy
Maple cream
BBQ sauce

Pancake Breakfast – 10:00 – 3:00

Pancakes, Sausage, Coffee, Juice
Suggested donation: $7, children under 12: $5.

We would love to have you and your family come tour our maple shed. Come meet us and see how we make Maple Syrup.  We will have tastings and demonstrations and lots of conversation.

Visit our Maple Store while you are here.

Between 10:00 and 2:00 we will be serving a pancake breakfast for you and your family.  All you can eat pancakes, with sausage, coffee, tea and orange juice, are available for a contribution of $7.  Vegetarian: $6, Children under 12: $5.

We welcome you to stop by and tour the shed!

Dates: March 21, 22 and March 28, 29
Time: 10:00AM to 4:00PM

Open House:

Tour the Maple Shed
Taste testing
Maple Syrup demonstrations
Children’s maple activities

Our Store:

Maple Syrup
Molded candy
Maple cream
BBQ sauce

Pancake Breakfast – 10:00 – 3:00

Pancakes, Sausage, Coffee, Juice
Suggested donation: $7, children under 12: $5.

We would love to have you and your family come tour our maple shed. Come meet us and see how we make Maple Syrup.  We will have tastings and demonstrations and lots of conversation.

Visit our Maple Store while you are here.

Between 10:00 and 2:00 we will be serving a pancake breakfast for you and your family.  All you can eat pancakes, with sausage, coffee, tea and orange juice, are available for a contribution of $7.  Vegetarian: $6, Children under 12: $5.

We welcome you to stop by and tour the shed!

In the early 19th century, New York governor DeWitt Clinton comissioned the building of a barge canal, in the Mohawk River valley, between Albany and Buffalo.  This canal was very instrumental in the development of the new country’s interior, by facilitating the transportation of interior merchandise to the coastal ports, and supplying products from Europe, to the interior.  A path was constructed alongside the canal for mules to tow the barges.  Although long since replaced by the more efficient transportation of trains, planes and trucks, “Clinton’s Ditch” remains a great recreational rescource for boating and hiking.

On this first Sunday of Spring, after enjoying a great lunch of pancakes and fresh maple syrup, at Stoney Ridge Farm, made by your fellow hikers, and helping our hiking club treasury by doing so, come to our starting point by the Erie Canal, at the east end of Macedon.  Follow the directions to Stoney Ridge, on CR 28.  After your lunch, turn right on 28 and, where it ends on SR 31, turn left, till you come to a small plaza (which has a Chase Bank), about 1/2 mile on your left, and meet us in the parking lot.

We will carefully cross 31 and hike east on the towpath, about 2 miles, till you come to a canal lock and park in Palmyra.  Here, you can see how the canal locks helped the barges (and now, kayaks) negotiate the elevation changes encountered.  Here, all hikers will have a choice.  For those of you that feel that 2 miles is enough fun for you, we will spot cars at this point, to take you back to the start.  If you prefer a 4 mile hike, simply turn around and walk back to the starting point.

Because weather, at the end of March, can be anything, we planned 2 choices for the after hike social.  If the day was going to be nice and warm (at least 50), and the snow had melted to open up the parking lot, we would have taken advantage of the nice restrooms and picnic tables to have our first picnic of the year, where you bring a dish to pass.

Although the park in Palmyra is very nice, I somehow don’t think you would enjoy an outside picnic in 20 degree weather. A bowl of steaming chili in a heated setting sounds much better (and should keep the bedroom warm that night too).  Therefore, using (or abusing) the authority you so kindly vested in me last Sunday, I advised Macedon Hills of our invasion after the hike and their hospitality will be extended to us. You can select your dinner from their extensive menu, along with your favorite beer or wine.   From our staging area, turn left on 31, and the place will be about a mile down, on your left side.

There may still be snow on the towpath, in case you’d like one more try in your skis or snowshoes.

Low bridge, everybody down

Low bridge, we’re coming to a town

Where you gotta know your neighbor, and you gotta know your pal

Doing 15 miles on the Erie Canal

Dates: March 21, 22 and March 28, 29
Time: 10:00AM to 4:00PM

Open House:

Tour the Maple Shed
Taste testing
Maple Syrup demonstrations
Children’s maple activities

Our Store:

Maple Syrup
Molded candy
Maple cream
BBQ sauce

Pancake Breakfast – 10:00 – 3:00

Pancakes, Sausage, Coffee, Juice
Suggested donation: $7, children under 12: $5.

We would love to have you and your family come tour our maple shed. Come meet us and see how we make Maple Syrup.  We will have tastings and demonstrations and lots of conversation.

Visit our Maple Store while you are here.

Between 10:00 and 2:00 we will be serving a pancake breakfast for you and your family.  All you can eat pancakes, with sausage, coffee, tea and orange juice, are available for a contribution of $7.  Vegetarian: $6, Children under 12: $5.

We welcome you to stop by and tour the shed!

Dates: March 21, 22 and March 28, 29
Time: 10:00AM to 4:00PM

Open House:

Tour the Maple Shed
Taste testing
Maple Syrup demonstrations
Children’s maple activities

Our Store:

Maple Syrup
Molded candy
Maple cream
BBQ sauce

Pancake Breakfast – 10:00 – 3:00

Pancakes, Sausage, Coffee, Juice
Suggested donation: $7, children under 12: $5.

We would love to have you and your family come tour our maple shed. Come meet us and see how we make Maple Syrup.  We will have tastings and demonstrations and lots of conversation.

Visit our Maple Store while you are here.

Between 10:00 and 2:00 we will be serving a pancake breakfast for you and your family.  All you can eat pancakes, with sausage, coffee, tea and orange juice, are available for a contribution of $7.  Vegetarian: $6, Children under 12: $5.

We welcome you to stop by and tour the shed!

This is definitely a challenging hike description to write.  Looking outside on March 9, I can definitely believe that we will be snowshoeing and skiing in twenty days.  But remembering how the snow disappeared before Christmas, it really is hard to say.

With this hike, we are experimenting with recycling a previous hike, even though we do not have a hike planner scheduled.  Please email the winter hike coordinator if you are willing to complete the planning of this hike.  You will want to do a brief pre-hike the week before the hike, checking for current trail conditions and then update this hike description as needed.

We have been working to keep the Wheaton Hill trails open.  Mostly this means cutting out Multiflora rose while avoiding the Poison Ivy.  This hike will give us a first view of these trails to help planning our trail maintenance for 2015.  If you can’t walk past a Multiflora rose without clipping it back, bring heavy cloves and a pair of clippers.  But we will be hiking the entire system of trails.

Please dress according to the weather, and expect wet ground if it is above freezing.  You may find a change of pants and shoes make the social afterward more enjoyable.

Climbers will head up the Pine Trail, staying to the right to the edge of the gully.  Being careful to stay out of the gully, this group will follow the gully downhill to the return trail   Hardy souls may want to continue following the orange line on the map until they can see 15A and across to the Roots View Trail that heads out to the Hemlock inlet.  After climbing back up the Pine Trail, this group will stay to the right and follow the Skid trail around and back to the cars.  Again, at the half way point, an off trail hike along the middle orange trail will look for the route to 15A and the Green Ash Loop.  Please skip the orange side routes if you think the steep climbs back to the main trail will be more than you are willing to do. This will depend on how much snow is still on the ground.

Tourists will follow the climbers up the Pine Trail to the gully and the waterfall.  Pam reports that the waterfall is SPECTACULAR, with water running through the ice. Saftety is critical with ice and snow at the top of the gully. Tourists will turn around at the gully, returning on the high branch of the Pine trail to the start point.  After crossing the road, they will turn right on the Spruce trail following it around, through the spruces and back to the start. Based on time, the tourists can then follow the Skid Trail, turning left out of the parking area and following the Skid Trail clockwise around.

Please park on Wheaton Hill facing down the hill – avoid parking on both sides of the road and be alert for cars while waiting for the start of the hike.  Directions are available to the Wheaton Hill trailhead. 

After hike social will be at Pam’s house, about 10 minutes north of Wheaton Hill, just off RT 15A. (Details at the hike)  Bring a dish to pass and your drink of preference.   A “special maple glazed” meat will be provided as the main meal.  We encourage our Sunday Maple Weekend pancake workers that are unable to attend the hike, to stop in for the social on their way home. Parking available on road or in driveway at this point, unless weather conditions change.

As most of you know, Springwater Trails does not usually schedule a hike for Easter. You are all invited to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family this Sunday.

The picture above is from Sunday’s hike at Wheaton Hill. The others are from Saturday, March 28 at Stoney Ridge Farms. This was the coldest day of Maple Weekend pancake breakfast this year.

Here is a Spring (multiple entendre intended) opportunity to join Victor Hiking Trails (VHT) for a hike in Fishers Park.  Many S/T hikers may recall an Autumn Springwater Trails hike at Fishers Park planned and led for S/T by Douglas.  The date was November 16th, 2014 and S/T hikers were greeted at the start of the hike by Dave Wright, Chairman of VHT.

Well, about five months later, on Saturday April 11th, 2015, Dave Wright will again be greeting a group of hikers at the start of a hike in Fishers Park, albeit this time he will be leading the group of hikers on a VHT guided hike.  All hikers are free to join in this hike, no membership or fees are required.

Perhaps you will find a different world in the trails of Spring vs Autumn.  Traction Devices (TDs) are recommended for this hike and other hikes at this time of year.   A possible alternative to TDs may be deep tread sole footwear.  Since it may be muddy this early in Spring Season, consider waterproof footwear, and perhaps gaiters.

For more details on the hike you can check the VHT website , or telephone (585)-234-8226 (234 is a Rochester telephone exchange) for details.

For all those interested in trails advancement in our region- the next round of public input and meetings for the Genesee-Finger Lakes Regional Trails Initiative is here!

Since the fall of last year, folks have been working hard on the Regional Trails Initiative Plan Update, and Livingston County has participated actively with input coming from municipalities, trail groups or organizations, and trail users.  The next opportunity for public input is this weekend and early next week.  See the attached flyer for details.  The main goals at this time are to obtain public comments, determine how to refine the recommended network, and set priorities for implementation.   I anticipate being in attendance at the Public Open House in Batavia.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Pubic Open Houses:
Saturday, April 11, 2015, 9 am- 1 pm.  Rochester- City of Rochester Public Market.
Monday, April 13, 2015.  6 pm – 8 pm.   Batavia – Genesee County Building No. 2
Tuesday, April 14, 2015.  5 pm – 7 pm.  Geneva – The Ramada.

If you would like to review and comment on the network now – please do!  Check the website and wiki map – and please pass the links along to your fellow citizens.  I have also included a copy of the RTI map, in pdf format, zoomed into Livingston County.  The full Region map can be viewed at the website link.

The Livingston County Planning Department is also participating on the Regional Trails Initiative Steering Committee.  The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, 2015.  If you have any questions or have input that you would like to provide, please feel free to contact me before this meeting so I can share your input.   Please feel free to distribute this email and attached resources.  We would like to hear from all who are interested.

This week’s hike will be on the East Ridge in Dansville and will include a hike through Whiteman Gully on Little Mill Creek.  The highlight will be a beautiful waterfall on Little Mill Creek, which is quite spectacular with all the snow melt.  Ann and Jerri did a hike preview on Thursday April 2^nd and the current conditions are wet with some snow and ice patches. It is expected that more of the snow and icy patches will be gone by our hike but you may wish to bring some trackers for those areas just in case.  Please plan to be there at 1:45pm so cars can be relocated for the Naturalists.  More details below.

There will be a social event after the hike at the Jerri and Tom’s. Either bring a dish to pass or make a donation (suggested $5) to the social fund to help defray expenses, and bring a beverage of your choice.

Climbers/Tourists: The climbers and tourists will begin the hike at Jerri and Tom’s house.  This hike will pass through Alexander’s tree farm and forest terrain with some of it following logging trails. The hike involves about a 300’- 400’ descent to reach Whiteman Gully.  After viewing the waterfall the hike will continue on to the old Dansville railroad bed for a flat walk, finishing with a medium, but long climb back up to Ann’s house and finishing at the Jerri’s.  Total elevation climb from the gully back to the top of the ridge is around 900’. Overall hike is 5.4 miles.  If some do not wish to make the final climb there will be transportation back to the social.

Naturists: This hike will begin at Whiteman Gully.  After viewing the waterfall and the seasonal wild life plants the hike will continue on to the old Dansville railroad bed for a flat walk, finishing at the north end of the trail. There will transportation to bring the Naturists back up the hill to the social.  Overall hike is around 3 miles.

Directions: From Main St. in Dansville, heading south on 63 leaving town, take Sahrle Hill Road, bare left until on top of the hill, then left on Sterner Road until it turns into McNeil Hill Rd. Follow McNeil Hill Rd until you reach a fenced in pasture on your left. Turn in the first driveway at Maple Lane Farm. Follow the long driveway to Tom and Jerri’s home (6286 McNeil Hill Rd).