Sunday October 13 we will visit East Hill Farm, home of the Rochester Folk Art Guild, for a hike across a 350-acre hilltop farm and woodlot and a tour of the craft workshops. The Guild is a community of craftspeople, some resident and some visiting, and the weekend of October 12-13 is their annual fall Apple Festival and Open House, a celebration of the season with a home-cooked Farm lunch, local food vendors, fresh pressed cider, and tours/demonstrations at the pottery, wood, weaving and graphic arts studios. The Gallery/gift shop is also open for business. Admission is free, and the event runs until 5 PM.  For event details see:  Link here

To make sure you won’t miss out on the Guild’s acclaimed spread, please come by 1 PM for lunch before the hike. Others, please arrive by 1:45 to prepare for hiking at 2 PM. Hikes of 1.5 and 3.5 miles will allow for time to tour the  workshops and Gallery afterwards. The Guild lunch menu includes homemade soups and salads, homemade bread and desserts, cider and coffee, for $12 total, or a-la-carte.

Please park on the road shoulder at 1445 Upper Hill Road, Middlesex (directions below). We will convene at the side of the East Hill Gallery, the first building on the left as you come in the driveway. Trails are gently sloped and well cleared, but may be muddy, and grass is ankle-deep in many areas, so wear good hiking shoes or rubber boots.

Climbers will head south through the Guild’s farm and neighboring properties, past a pond and sauna, through a spruce grove, and loop through woods and mowed fields to the “Golden Valley”, named for its spectacular fall color and views to the east. We will return through the woods and pass an eclectic array of residential buildings, workplaces and gathering places, designed and built by community members over their 50 years of occupancy at the East Hill Farm. Workshops will be open for Climbers to tour after the hike if they wish.  Naturalists will make a shorter loop of about 1.5 miles, ending with a tour of the Guild buildings and the workshops.

Social:  We will reconvene after 4 PM in the Dining Hall for a dessert-to-pass post-hike social. Some Guild food and desserts may still be available for purchase. Cider and coffee will be plentiful, or bring your own beverage.

Directions: from Springwater/Naples: Take Route 15 south to Wayland and Route 21 east/north to Naples. Turn right on Route 245 opposite Bob’s and Ruth’s Restaurant, at the north end of the village. Follow Route 245 north to Middlesex, about 8.75 miles.  Turn right on Route 364 and go up the hill, one mile. Turn right on Upper Hill Road and go 1.5 miles.  East Hill Farm will be on your left, at #1445.  Park on the road shoulder and walk in the driveway to the Gallery/Dining Hall building, the white house on your left.

From Rochester and points north: Head to Routes 5 and 20 via Bloomfield or Canandaigua. At the east edge of the City of Canandaigua (first light after Wegmans/Post Office), turn south on Route NYS Route 364 (a.k.a. East Lake Road).  Follow Route 364 south 12.5 miles to Middlesex, where 364 turns to the east and you will make a left onto Route 245 and then an immediate right to continue on 364.  Go up the hill, one mile. Turn right on Upper Hill Road and go 1.5 miles.  East Hill Farm will be on your left, at #1445.  Park on the road shoulder and walk in the driveway to the Gallery/Dining Hall building, the white house on your left.