We so appreciated Katherine’s careful planning of last Sunday’s hike.  First of all, she generously shared her lovely property with us once again.  She selected routes suitable for the various levels of hikers.  With help, she previewed the routes to determine conditions.    To prepare the trails, she called on local snowmobilers to pack down the deep snow, although none responded.  Maps were supplied for each group of hikers.  She even shuttled people to and from their cars.  To cap off a perfect day, we feasted on some of Katherine’s famous soups.

Thank you, Katherine for being a model of excellence in hike planning.  Our organization is fortunate to have you on our team.

Melissa

For those of you who missed the big event at Mendon Ponds Park, here is a quick accounting of the day’s event. Around the park there were numerous “winter” activities to enjoy. There was a good turnout. Springwater Trails had a presence at the winter Hiking Gear Display. Huge thanks to Don who organized the array of traction devices for winter hikers. He did a fine job of representing the gamut of gear for trekkers of all terrains. Don also did a fine job of promoting our own Springwater Trails activities to all who stopped by. Our nine hikers set off from Hopkins Point at 3:15, just as the rain subsided. We welcomed two new folks, Charlie and Sara, on their first hike with us. We headed up the West Esker following the Orange Loop for its entirety. Mendon Ponds Park is noted in the National Registry of Natural Landmarks for its glacial formations, the eskers and kettle ponds being two of them. It was a fairly easy walk with a few moderate hills. At the end of the loop, Mark and Georgia set off to explore the lower regions of the area by the pond, while the rest of us descended to the Devil’s Bathtub, a kettle hole. No one was inclined to test out the ice. After a steep climb out of the Bathtub, the group set out for a stroll on the Grasslands Trail. We encountered numerous deer browsing in the twilight. Our tour concluded with a nice meander along the ridge between Devil’s Bathtub and Deep Pond, a lovely vantage point as the sun set. Arrival back at Hopkins Point Lodge was timed perfectly. We had the place to ourselves, as the ROC group had already departed. The Crock Pots were steaming and sending off enticing aromas for the hungry horde of 9. Again kudos to Don for arranging for us to have the lodge for our social, free of charge. Supper was nothing less than superb, with amazing soup, stew, chili and chicken. Char’s cake was an outstanding conclusion to a perfect evening.

While the ice fishermen are now out on the northern sections of Honeoye and Conesus Lakes,   hikers continue to explore the trails around the partially frozen deeper waters of Canadice and Hemlock Lake.  The Canadice Outlet creek is low, snow covered,  and the ice can be thin due to the almost invisible flowing waters beneath. In addition the steep gullies can also be slippery with 2 inches of light fluffy snow covering leaves. Although the scene is a winter wonderland, hikers should exercise caution when traveling in this area this time of year.

With 5 degree weather, 16 hikers were prepared with warm clothing, poles, and ice clamps to drop into the snow covered gully and explore the state forest and creek.   The Hemlock trees were outstanding and many animal tracks were identified, including fox and coyote. We first visited the remains of the old Adam mill and pondered upon the natural oxbow, once upon log dam, and hand built raceway that powered the sawmill in the 1800’s.  Proceeding north along the ridge of the creek, some hikers stopped a few times to drop down (or slide down) into the creek bed area, being careful to watch their footing as the up and down climbs were somewhat slippery.

At one point 4 brave soles attempted to cross the creek in a somewhat shallow area with thin ice. Using their poles to tap the ice, as well as dog scouts, all but one hiker managed to cross the creek without going through the ice. Luckily the “hole” was only a few inches deep and no one had to be rescued, just one wet  boot.  During the rest of the year, there are known locations on the creek that can be as much as 5 ft deep. The creek can also be difficult to identify as it is snow covered. 

Everyone warmed themselves by the wood stove with the cute little kittens for the after hike social. Bean soup, homemade applesauce, vegetable casserole, and a winter vegetable/sausage penne, as well as desserts were enjoyed by all. Thanks to Tadd for helping to prepare the delicious meal and joining us with his girlfriend Jenn, and a warm welcome to our new hikers from Bristol. Farewell to Marty as he leaves for  Mexico, Pati to Arizona,  and other hikers that just can’t take our cold climate anymore!  For those that stay in this single digit frigid weather, keep the fires burning, make new soups, cuddle up, or go skiing.   One has to wonder if New Yorkers are beginning to live like those in Alaska?

On Sunday, January 4, we returned to Boughton Park in East Bloomfield to take advantage of a pleasantly warm day to start our winter season of hikes.

This hike had two groups, with one group staying to the more level trails including some views of the ponds. The other group hiked out of the park on the Seneca trail, as far as Cherry street. Due to the warm weather, we had no snow on the trails, and lots of mud. There were some large puddles to cross, and some slippery slopes. We had at least one hiker slip and fall in the mud, but no injuries.

As we returned to the park, we met John who had arrived late and followed a different route to get ahead of us. We continued around the east pond, and this trail had several long muddy sections, so this portion took a little longer than expected, but the boardwalk across the wetlands was nice, and my dog Newton went for a swim in the creek after we crossed the bridge.

Due to the slow progress, our group returned to the parking area by way of the gravel road between the ponds. We arrived back at the parking area a little late, but everyone was there.

I am a member of the Rochester Academy of Science, so we went to our observatory in Ionia for our social, with a large classroom, and lots of tables and chairs. I explained a little history of the site, and the group, and after eating, some of us went out to one of the roll-of buildings to see the 16-inch Newtonian reflecting telescope. Due to the wind, we could not open the building to do any observing, I just showed how we can roll the roof back to expose the telescope. Hopefully we can plan a visit in better weather, to include some observing through a telescope, and meet some of the other RAS members.