As the COVID-10 pandemic recedes and New York opens up Springwater Trails will resume hiking on May 24th – Memorial Day. We want to encourage prudent social separation until the governor recommends otherwise so we’ll be planning on plenty of boating and bicycling over the next few months as a natural way of operating as a group and keeping well separated. We would like our hikers to carry masks for the times when we do gather to talk as a group, but doing anything strenuous while wearing a mask isn’t going to work. Our hikes during the pandemic will be “in-and-out” hikes, and we will avoid car sharing and the shuttling of cars to pick up at the far end of a one way hike.

Kayaking on Hemlock Lake

The Memorial Day hike will be at Hemlock Lake. We will meet at the parking area near the north boat launch at 4:00. For those who choose to walk there’s Rob’s Trail running south along the shore of the lake; paddlers are asked to arrive about 20 minutes early to have time to ready their boats for a 4:00 launch.Rob’s Trail isn’t suitable for normal bicycling, though dedicated mountain bikers are welcome to try it.

Boaters will head south along the eastern shore from the launch for 2-3 miles, depending on the conditions and the speed of the paddlers. After 1 hour they will turn back to the launch along the western or eastern shore.

Hikers will all walk south on Rob’s Trail as far as they as comfortable with, and then turn back.

The Social

We will have a social at the end of the hike. We won’t share food as we usually do, but we can gather at the picnic tables at the north end of the lake and each hiker can deal with his or her own lunch box.

Directions

From NY15A south of Hemlock, NY turn  west onto Rix Hill Rd. then immediately left onto Boat Launch Rd.  The launch and parking area are 1.1 miles south.