This Sunday, we will hike a 4 mile section of the Bristol Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail.  On the FLT map of this section, it is from Access 4, on Seman Rd., into the West Hill Nature Preserve,  to Access 5, DEC garage on SR 245.  FLT maps are available, at reasonable cost, from the FLT web site, www.fltconference.org. The trail is well marked with orange blazes.  The Springwater Trails officers have decided to have our group maintain this section so, this will give you a chance to see what needs to be done and if you would like to join us on a maintenance day, sometime next month.

We will meet in the large parking lot, in the back of the Naples Community Park on Route 245.  From here, we will carpool to the starting spots.  Climbers will go to the parking lot in back of Bob and Ruth’s. and walk down Fried Hill Rd. to the trailhead.  There is a steep uphill climb right at the start.

Tourists will go to Seman Rd. where there is a small parking area at the trailhead.  They will enter the trail at the West Hill Preserve, a fairly flat area, marked with orange discs, instead of painted blazes.  The 2 groups will meet each other around the middle of the trail, at which point, after a car key exchange, each group will continue to their respective finishes.  In case you’ve forgotten from last time, avoid going near the electric fence.

The trail is about 4 miles and has some steep hills so, the naturalists, who want to avoid them, can remain in Naples Park.  There are some fairly level trails there with lots of raspberry bushes, with the berries being at the peak of ripeness.  If you’d like, I can show you where there is a patch so large, I picked 4 quarts of berries there in one day.

After the hike, we will all convene at the Naples Community Park for our picnic social.  There are 2 pavilions and 1 of them should be available.  In case they’re not, you may be advised to pack some lawn chairs and I’ll have a folding table, if needed.  The park has portapotties for your relief convenience, or you might prefer to use the bathrooms at the side entrance of Bob and Ruth’s.  Otherwise, you know the routine.  Bring a dish to pass or make a donation.

To get to Naples Community Park, from the village, proceed north on Route 21 and turn right on 245.  The park is about half a mile on the right.