Every fall, Trail Maintenance and Trail Quality hold two meetings for trail maintainers and any other interested parties.  One of the meetings, intended for hikers or workers on the  main trail between Portageville (M 7) through Watkins Glen (M 14), the Letchowrth, Bristol Hills, or Crystal Hills Branches and the Queen Catharine
Marsh and and Montour Falls Historic Loops, will be held at the Bath Fire Hall.

Each meeting will be informed by your specific questions and the problems you have encountered, but both will include about any trail management policies which you need to be familiar with.  This years meeting will feature Marty Howden, Western Regional Coordinator for the FLTC and Coordinator of the Chainsaw Training.  Marty and Lynda Rummel, FLTC VP for Trail Quality, will talk about the status of the NPS & USFS chainsaw and cross-cut saw certifications and the increased emphasis on working safely in the field.

Who should attend? All hikers who enjoy the Finger Lakes Trail system including Springwater Trails members who wish to help maintain the Bristol Hills Branch.

For more information, please see the full meeting announcement.

10 AM sharp.  Bring your lunch, your questions, and your ideas.  Coffee, apple juice and some breakfast goodies provided.

Directions:

From Springwater: Take Rt 15 South for 6.9 miles. Turn left to merge onto I-390 South for 20.2 miles. Take exit 38 from I-86 (Rt 17) for Bath.  Turn left onto W Washington St.  Turn right at the 2nd cross street on W Morris St.  The firehouse is on the left about a half mile down Morris St (past Pulteney Park). Parking is available behind the fire house.

Hike Leader – Cate Concannon, catrina616@gmail.com

Hike Description – Map B3, Access 18 to Map 12, Access 2.

This hike will start with a steep uphill at Access 18 off Mitchellsville Road on the Bristol Hills Trail. We will follow the BHT through the forest, past Lake David and through gullies for a total of 3.6 miles, then cross over to the mail FLT with a short road walk on Harrisburg Hollow Road. We should have some nice views of the area and finish the hike on 2.1 miles of the main FLT trail. A hike encompassing two maps and two different trails – how fun! Perhaps someone will know if this is the first time this has been done on the Named Hike series.

Car Pooling: Springwater Trails will organize a car pool from the parking area behind the Wayland Fire House.  Be at the parking are at 9:15 – we will leave promptly at 9:25!

Meeting time – 10 am, with a departure time of 10:10. We’ll need to place cars for the car shuttle.

Meeting place – We will meet at the Hickory Hill Campground (click for map and directions) . From there we will drop cars at our end point and proceed to our starting point, Access 18 on Route 13. From exit 38 off I-86 (Route 17), follow signs to Route 54. After following Rt 54 through town including a 90 degree left turn, Route 13/Mitchellsville Road will branch off to the left. Prominent signs for the campground, which will be on your left off Rt 13 just north of Bath.

Notes – Please dress for the weather, but as a general rule of thumb, dress in layers and bring extra clothes. Waterproof jacket & pants will most likely come in handy, plus hat and gloves. Pack a lunch that can be eaten quickly on the trail, plus lots of water.Be prepared for steep ascents and descents! E-mail hike leader with your interest in joining the hike – carpooling is encouraged and she will help to organize.

Updates:  Check for updates at the FLT website.

Volunteers are needed to assist in picking up roadside litter along a stretch of highway in the Town of Springwater that Springwater Trails is in the process of adopting.  We will meet at the Fire Hall parking lot at 9AM for a mandatory safety briefing presented by NYS DOT.  They will provide the required hard hats and safety vests. You will want to bring gloves.  NYS DOT will also provide the collection bags and pick up.  The plan is to work from 9AM-12PM, lunch at Sammy’s, and (if needed) work from 1PM-4PM.   Ask your friends to join us.  So NYS DOT can be given an approximate number of participants, please let Wendy know if you plan on helping out – wsteven@frontiernet.net .

A Through-Hike of the Colorado Trail

The Little Lakes Sustainability Network and Springwater Trails are pleased to co-host a program on the magnificent Colorado Trail on Thursday, October 27, 7:00 PM at the Jack Evans Community Center (old Hemlock school) on Main Street in Hemlock. Light refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome, free of charge. Donations to defray costs are encouraged.

Hemlock resident Bill Cooke will present information about the trail followed by a 25 minute slide show with music showing photos from his 2011 “through-hike.” He will share his deep appreciation of the natural environment fostered from many years of experience in long-distance hiking.  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.  A common expression among long distance backpackers is “no pain equals no gain.”  In this program, you’ll hear of the “pain” manifested in 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 and to long stretches of limited water.  And you’ll see the “gains,” the triumphs as Bill and his hiking companion Keith “Northern Harrier” Bance savor the many rewards of this enchanting trail:  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.

Along the way, you’ll hear of the delight bestowed by such simple pleasures as a refreshing swig of Rocky Mountain water or a wildlife spotting.  You’ll hear of fascinating near-daily cloud formations with their myriad shades of gray and ever-changing patterns.  You’ll meet “Trail Angels” who emerge at the right place and time, unplanned and unexpected, to assist hikers with their basic needs, such as rides into towns for re-supplying or offers of water and snacks.  And you’ll visit communities along the trail corridor, meeting the people in them, and enjoying the amenities that we all take for granted, such a hot shower, bed with linens, and meals of “real” food, all of which are especially appreciated by hot, dusty hikers.

Bill Cooke recently moved to Hemlock after living for seven years in Lexington, KY.  He has backpacked for nearly 40 years.  In addition to the Colorado Trail, he has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, Vermont’s Long Trail, the Black Forest and Susquehannock Trails of nearby Northern Pennsylvania, and other trails around the country.

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.  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.  Come and take a trip to the summertime Rockies!

The event is co-sponsored by the Little Lakes Sustainability Network and the Springwater Hiking Group, and is free and open to the public.

Volunteers from Springwater Trails are needed to pick up roadside litter along NY Rtes 15 and 15A in the Town of Springwater.   There will be a short information meeting at the Springwater Fire Hall parking lot at 9AM on Tuesday November 1, 2016 prior to getting started.   Bags, safety vests and hard hats will be provided.

Springwater Trails is relaxing after a busy 2016.

Please join the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park on New Years Day for a hike on the Greenway.  Or, check the rest of the calendar for organized hikes near Springwater.

The Finger Lakes Trail across upstate NY was started in 1962, and for nearly 25 of those years, Howard Beye was THE major volunteer for the organization that tends it. He was a deeply involved trail chair, keeping track of map updates, organizing and training those who adopt portions of our over 900-mile trail system, tracking volunteer hours for every one of them during an annual “census,” arranging Challenge Cost Share projects, and organizing every one of our three to four special work-week projects, the annual “Alley Cats,” and handling the majority of correspondence with the state agencies who host many miles of our trail.

The NCS Honor Society has offered to do some maintenance and construction work on the BHB in Naples as part of their community service commitment. They will be working on the landscaping around the new bridge on Gideon Hanggi’s land. If you can spare a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon in October to help Donna, our FLT volunteer coordinator, to support these teenagers, please meet at Bob and Ruth’s parking lot on Rt 21 in Naples at 12:30. We will work from 1 to 3.  Please RSVP if you plan to come.

Springwater Trails has agreed to maintain the Bristol Hills Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail between Clement Rd and NY 245 in Naples. The FLT is sponsoring a workshop on trail mainentance on Oct 14th in Bath.

This is an opportunity for all hikers interested in helping to maintain hiking trail with Springwater Trails to learn more about the tasks required to maintain a great trail and to get to know other people who are also working on the trail.

Please look at this season’s Trail Tenders News for more details and RSVP if you are interested in attending.  We can arrange a car pool if we know you want to come.

Directions from Springwater: Take NY 15 south through Wayland. Turn left onto I390 S, which joins I86 E in 16 miles.  Take Exit 38 and turn left onto NY 54 N. Go under the expressway and turn right at the first intersection E. Morris St.  The Fire Hall is on the right in 1.1 miles.

The fourth hike in our Bristol Hills Branch series will be called the up and down hike.The longest climb on this section will be 300 feet in elevation over half a mile, but there are two of those plus a third climb of about 150 feet. So this hike is a challenge to select a sections that are less steep, so you will find that the hikes are a little shorter than usual, allowing some time for catching our breath.

All hikers will meet at Access Pt 15 on CR 77.  This is the same spot that we meet last month. 

The Naturalists and Tourists will carpool to Williams Rd to the north. This hike starts with a short step descent from the road, followed by a half mile of uphill. A downhill section through woods and down shared driveway will cross CR 74 and follow Presler Rd into the Bud Valley Campground. This is the targeted end of the Naturalist hike and cars will be pre-staged here.  Based on the interest of the hikers, and the time, the Naturalists can explore the campground or continue on with the trail as it climbs to an abandoned road and another high point. The Tourists should check their watches at this high point and turn around to return to the campground.

Meanwhile, the Climbers will leave CR 77 and head north on the BHB. The trail immediately starts a climb to about 1600′ and to open views to the north. After crossing a creek, the trail turns west to follow an abandoned road between fields and descends to the campground.  Continue to follow the campground driveway north to CR 74. After crossing the road, we continue north along an old shared road. Follow the blazes and don’t miss the sharp left off the road. This hike ends at Williams Rd at the Naturalists cars.  Hikers intent on completing all of the BHB trail should turn right and follow the road to the next driveway where the trail enters the woods to the left.  We will continue the trail at this point after hunting season.

Following the hikes we will need to find all of the cars and then return to Naples for a social. 

Directions:

From Springwater (and Wayland, N Cohocton and Naples): Take Rt 15 South to Wayland.  At the stop light, turn left and follow Rt 21 through North Cohocton (take a left at the stop sign) to the south end of Naples.  At the stop sign, turn right onto NY 53S for 12.1 miles.  Turn left onto Waldo Rd. Continue straight onto CR 77 (Shuart Rd).  In 2.3 miles, parking is on the right hand shoulder just past the “Pulteney” sign.  

From Bath: Take Exit 37 from I86 (NY 17) for NY 53. Head north on NY 53 for 8.8 miles.  Turn right onto Bean Station Rd and take the first left (in 0.4 miles) on Muck Rd. At the end of Muck Rd, turn right on Shuart Rd.  Parking is on the right in 1.6 miles.

Directions to Williams Rd: Head west on CR 77. Stay on Cr 77 (turns to right) at Waldo Rd, and continue past Flynn Rd. The next right is Trant Rd which continues straight onto Williams Rd. The trail head is 0.3 miles up on Williams Rd.