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Month: April 2016

#6508 – Sargent Pond – April 30, 2016

#6508 – Sargent Pond – April 30, 2016

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Leader: Meg Higgerson
Co-Leader: Grace McNasser
Write-up: Meg Higgerson

Whatever possessed them? Was it the moderate spring temperatures? The blue bird sky? Or the delicious odor of Grace’s biscotti and cookies that wafted over the Mohawk Valley the day before? Why did thirty-seven  Tramps come out for a hike that was 2 hours away and rated as “Difficult”?
TnT Sargent Pond 4/30/16

After the surprise at the size of the group that met in Mapledale at 9:00, we regrouped at “Bills Bathroom” in Eagle Bay. We continued to the road for the Minnowbrook Conference Center. Fortunately, there were few other parties taking in Castle Rock this day so we had adequate parking for our 12 car caravan.

“Carry your own cookies” and we were off by 11 AM. The trail of over 4.5 miles to Sargent Pond was often hard to spot and all hikers were warned not to stray far from the trail. Up and down over rolling hills (some more rolling than others) and through some Adirondack mud, we kept a good pace in spite of the huge group.

What we soon learned was that if we stopped for any length of time, the black flies were horrendous! The goal was to reach the pond for lunch which we did after 2.5 hours.
TnT Sargent Pond 4/30/16
TnT Sargent Pond Nancy C.
Lunch was leisurely and enjoyable on the rocks by the shore or in the pond though we all had the thought of the return trek on our minds. We were all delighted to reach the parking area around 4:30 with 9.5 miles under our boots, tired but glad to have enjoyed the marvels of Mother Nature and the beautiful day with friends.

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#6507 – Isaak Walton Pitch Pine Bog – April 24, 2016

#6507 – Isaak Walton Pitch Pine Bog – April 24, 2016

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Leader: Sue Williams
Co-Leader: Eric Vander Bogart
Write-up: Sue Williams

We hiked the Isaac Walton League Pitch Pine Bog trail in Rome, NY.
This is urban hiking at its best. Walmart is probably 1-2 miles away!

The weather was balmy until we got into the woods, where we found the air comfortable. It had not rained for sometime and we found the trail very dry with only an occasional presence of mud. Mosquitoes started to come out toward the end of the hike when we stopped for someone to catch up.

Of the 21 people that hiked, 3 were new to the group. One of the three hobbled out with sore ankles.. It was a bit more then she anticipated.

Snakes, cherry blossoms, pitch pine, white pine, tamarack, and a cousin to skunk cabbage were spotted. The cranberry bog and the thought of finding cranberries next fall intrigued the group.

Cindy McCormack, our newest member, as this was her fifth hike, wants to return  to look for cranberries and the white puffy flowers that seem to float just above the bogs’ surface in the fall.

It was a good…low stress hike.

#6505 – Deerfield Town Park – April 17, 2016

#6505 – Deerfield Town Park – April 17, 2016

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Leader: Amanda Zdanowicz
Co Leader: Gail Hannahs
Written by: Amanda Zdanowicz

On an unseasonably hot, 75-degree April day, twenty Tramps made their way to the Deerfield Wilderness Park.
TnT Deerfield Town Pk 4/17/16

The trails were mostly dry with only a couple of squishy, muddy sections. Even though we weren’t going to “Grandma’s House,” we zigzagged over the rivers and through the ups and downs of the hills in the woods. We walked for a little over an hour and went a total of 1.84 miles.

TnT Deerfield Town Pk 4/17/16

Once we made it back to the cars, Gail Hannahs had ice cold peppermint patties for everyone. Eric V., Darlene W., Bill Warren (we have to make sure it was the “right” Bill; we had FOUR come out to hike) and Amanda Z. decided to enjoy the sunshine, put off doing yard work and hike a little longer for a total of 3.28 miles. Overall, it was a gorgeous day adored by all.

#6504 – Chittenango Falls State Park – April 16, 2016

#6504 – Chittenango Falls State Park – April 16, 2016

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Leader: Sue Manier
Co-Leader: Rick Manier
Write-Up: Sue Manier

A scenic 167 foot waterfall is the main attraction of Chittenango Falls State Park. Glacial sculpting over the 40 million year-old bedrock is responsible for this scenic feature. An interesting variety of both plants and wildlife may be found along the trails.

ChittenangoFalls

Eighteen Tramp and Trail members viewed the falls from the top, walked the winding Gorge Trail to view the falls from the footbridge and returned to the top along the small trail on the opposite side of the gorge.

Chittenango Falls SueM
We continued onto the Chips Trail and looped around into the Meadows trail. We had a relaxing lunch in the park and gave our farewell wishes to Nancy Weed who will be moving to Reno. We will miss you!