Note: We will meet at the large parking lot at the entrance to the South Boat Launch, Hemlock Lake off Rt. 15A at 1:45 and carpool to the top of Reynolds Gull Road.  Social will be a tailgate at the DEC Reynolds Gull Parking lot on Rt. 15A (across from the entrance to the South Boat Launch, Hemlock Lake).  BYOB and a dish to pass.  Climbers, Tourists and Naturalists details will be organized on site.  

It’s a little difficult to plan a Spring hike since I’ve been traveling in the Southwest for 6 weeks and coming back home to our special little slice of pie in the “Little Finger Lakes” of Western New York tomorrow.   I was freezing last night at 28 degrees in a tent at Cumberland State Park, Tennessee, and had a thought of what I could organize for our hike this coming Sunday, April 9th.  I sent out a message to my friends asking them what the conditions were in our area. They said it had rained for 3 days, the ground was saturated, creeks were running, walleyes and northern pike were spawning, and there was very little sighting of my favorite early spring wildflowers that I  recently saw in Kentucky.

I thought about how Springwater Trails has been trying (going on 5 years now) to build a 32-mile trail throughout Springwater.  To some, this trail project is considered an ambitious plan, and in the past has been considered or held back by local reluctant landowners or by lack of support from local, county, and state officials.   Let me add that Springwater is an incredibly beautiful area with its hills (which I call the mountains of Livingston County) that affect 5 different watershed areas, lush valleys, many creeks, abandoned dirt roads, prime farmland, all of which touch upon the “Little Finger Lakes” of Hemlock, Canadice, Conesus and Honeoye Lakes.

This past year I have hiked portions of the Appalachian Trail (AT),  Florida Trail, Arizona Trail, Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in New Mexico, National Scenic and National Recreation trails such as the Sheltowee in Kentucky.  These and many other trails have been built across the United States of America for us hikers who appreciate and savor what nature has to offer.  I came to the conclusion that not all trails have to be in the woods, fields, deserts or mountains.  Sometimes, for short distances, a portion of a trail can be on a country road or a rural, lightly-used paved road, and can be a pleasurable hiking experience to reach our destination.  In other words, we don’t have to be purists to reach our goal of building a 32-mile trail throughout Springwater.

The northeast portion of Springwater includes a winding dirt road along the Nature Conservancy area of Reynolds Gull, views down the paved road of Johnson Hill,  the DEC Johnson Hill forest trail, with connecting creeks and cascading waterfalls which reach their climax at our beautiful pristine, undeveloped Hemlock Lake.  What a treasure! This section of the overall 32 mile continuous trail is within our grasps.

Perhaps in the future, there will be landowners, businesses, or organizations that  – assuming resolution of liability issues – will grant land access enabling the Springwater Trail to be sited entirely off-road.  But in the meantime, let’s enjoy what we have: a recreational resource largely in a natural setting – something the majority of Americans don’t have at their doorsteps.

Come hike with us Sunday! Get directions here.