Hiking

A (Long) Weekend of Adventure

~ randyaa ~ Leave a comment

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailJust got done with an awesome 4 day weekend.  All the best parts included our daughter Delilah, with the exception of the ball.

  • Delilah discovered her feet
  • Play date with Landon
  • RIT Alumni President’s Ball with Matt and Calin
  • Drunken Pumpkin
  • Some Hiking
  • A few family Geocaches
  • Letchworth State Park
  • Lots of play time with the little one

Love being able to relax and just spend some quality time with the family for once.  Had a blast all weekend long and even spent a night out with just Rachel, which is I think is important for us to do now and then.

White Brook Nature Area

~ randyaa ~ 4 Comments

Ohhhh man have I found a place for you.

I’ll admit it, I haven’t paid the White Brook Nature Area much attention before. Every time I’ve driven by there has always been a picnic/BBQ going on at the pavilion and I always assumed that’s all it really was. I stopped there for the first time today and whoa was I surprised to find a 2+ mile trail off through the woods.

It’s a great in and out trail (no loop available) too, well maintained and pretty scenic for such a suburban landscape. There’s a few bits of the trail that need some work however; A few planks on the boardwalk that are starting to pull up and a few places they could use some gravel fill. That said it’s mostly in good shape. The trail winds it’s way through cattails and groves of flowering bushes until you happen upon what the map calls a ‘large meadow’. They aren’t kidding. It took me close to 45 minutes and almost 40% of my (iPhone) GPS battery life to do the loop around it. From the entrance to the field I couldn’t even take a picture of it without stitching a few together.

The only place there’s a map on the property is on a small post once you get to the entrance to the meadow. I took a photo of the map so you could reprint it or distribute it however you want. I doubt the crescent trail association would have a problem with it.  Funny thing is I had no clue the White Brook Nature Area was part of the Crescent Trail.  So now I’ve come very close to hiking the whole thing, only a few miles left.

Or you can make use of my GPS map:
GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

http://www.instamapper.com/trk?key=14633227609411538872&width=400&height=350&type=roadmap
I’m also trying something new so the GPS map of the White Brook Nature Area is also available as a Google Map.

This Week in Links

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

Genesee Valley Hiking Group (GVHG)
Meetup group for the Genesee Valley Hiking Group.
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Robert Thurman: Hiking In The Catskills
Weekend Hiking Retreat in the Catskills this summer
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FLT/NCT – Mount Washington
A section of the Finger Lakes trail including a different sort of Mount Washington
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Area blessed with plentiful places for boating
Great article by the D&C talking about all the great places the Rochester area has to offer when it comes to boating, paddling or otherwise.
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Kayaking on Lake George
Information for kayaking on Lake George NY
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New York Camping Guide 2010
A guide on camping in New York with lots of information on the State Campgrounds.
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Hiking Little Rock City
Some details about Hiking in the Little Rock City NY area.
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Local Guided Tours Available this Summer

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

Some scheduled guided tours this summer that are open to the public:

  • Mt Hope Cemetary (Free general tours start at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.  The group also offers special tours that cost $4)
    • June 12th 10am : Famous Artists.
    • June 18th 7pm : Mischief, Murder & Mayhem
    • June 18th 11am : Horticulture & Landscape
    • July 17th 10am : Stories of the Famous & Forgotten
    • July 31st 12:30pm : The Civil War Tour
    • August 7th 12pm : The Revolutionary War Tour
    • August 13 6:30pm : Mischief Murder & Mayhem
  • Ganondagan (cost for most programs is $5, $15 for families)
    • May 8th 9:30am : Water Critters. Includes collection and identification of aquatic insects to determine how clean the Victor site’s Great Brook is.
    • May 8th 1pm :  The True Tale of the Beavers. Learn about the fur trade and the important role of the beaver during the walk to Beaver Dam.
    • June 6 9:30am : Medicine Plant Hike. Walk on the Earth is Our Mother Trail to discover herbs and plants.
    • June 13 2pm : Traditional Game Day. Features traditional sports and games played by the Haudenosaunee people.
    • July 10 1:30pm : Tales & Trails. Hike will include traditional tales about the animals.
    • Aug. 21 6:30pm : Longball and Storytelling. Fun, games and storytelling start with a picnic and chicken barbecue. A campfire will be lit and legends told.
  • Cumming Nature Center (The Rochester Museum & Science Center’s nature center in Naples has programs throughout the year. Admission is $3, $10 per family).
    • May 9 1pm : Aliens in the Backyard. This tour will feature non-native plants and insects found in New York state.
    • May 22 11am : Serendipity Walk. This will be a tour to areas of the property not usually accessible to the public in a three-hour hike. Bring a lunch.
    • May 12 11am : Senior Sojourn. Informative and easy hour-long walk to see the signs of spring. Bring a lunch, and stay for a nature film.
  • Genesee Valley Hiking Club
    • May 8 1pm : Spring Flowers. Easy and slow five-mile hike. Meet at first large parking lot on Zoo Road in Durand-Eastman Park.
    • May 9 10am : Lilacs and more. Easy/moderate five miles. Meet on Robinson Drive near South Avenue in Highland Park.
    • May 30 7am : Strenuous 14-mile Hike. Meet at the Park & Ride Lot off I-390 Exit 11 in Rush to travel to Letchworth State Park’s Westside Trail.
  • Letchworth State Park
    • May 5 10am : Brooks and Brambles. Meet at the Parade Grounds entrance. Bring a lunch.
    • May 6 1pm : Wildflower Walk. Meet at the museum.
    • May 8 1pm : Springtime Walk. Meet at the Trout Pond.

Crescent Trail Through Hike

~ randyaa ~ 3 Comments

I found a few other maps of the Crescent trail the other day.

It got me thinking…

My current Saturday in the Park project has an end date. I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s there… looming. There are only so many parks despite my desire for them to be endless.

My next big project might be to coordinate a through hike of the Crescent Trail. It’s not that long, only 35 miles but I’ve never managed to complete a through hike/paddle yet. This might be a good starter!  It’s not going to be an easy one though.  There’s no camping available along the trail that I’m aware of just yet.  My first challenge: finding camping sites.

Who knows, maybe this year: The Crescent Trail, next year: The Appalachian trail!

Beechwoods Park

~ randyaa ~ 2 Comments

First, a confession:  Unlike the others, this is not being written on location at all, I’m writing it at home after going earlier today which is why it’s getting posted so late.

Beechwoods park is a neat little park.  I only recently discovered it while we were house shopping.  Haven’t had the chance to stop by until today.  The park provides some hiking trails along a pretty little brook and winds itself  between a few nice neighborhoods. There are a few bridges over the brook which take you to big open green sections that are maintained by the town.

There are 2 main entrances to the park, and a little over a mile in trails that loop between them.  The North entrance to the park is on High Street Extension and the South entrance to the park is off of Squirrels Heath Rd.  However; one of the really neat things about the park is there are TONS of entrances all over.  Not just hidden trails either, full on signed entrances, just without parking lots.  It seems like they were put in to give access to the park from the neighborhoods it goes through which is really nice.

Although I started my little walk at the north entrance I would suggest you start at the south parking lot and do the loop.  The reason is the north end seems to be a bit wet and a bit swampy.  The trail is in good shape and a little raised, but I have a feeling that come fly season it might be a bit overrun.

Beechwoods park is not a great hiking destination, it’s a bit small, only about a mile of trails, and if you’re not moving fast during fly season it might be a bit uncomfortable.

Beechwoods is a fantastic trail running or mountain biking location (I’m not sure if the town allows bikers or not but I saw tracks so at least some people use it that way).  it’s not overly long but if you’re looking for a quick workout or a place you can do some laps in the great outdoors it’s fantastic!

It’s also a great place to see some flora or fauna.  While I was there today I saw:

It’s a nice little break from the monotony of urban sprawl.

And as always, I’ve created a map of my little hike through Beechwoods park and you can see the path I took (with relatively decent accuracy, I’ll work on that) below.

GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

http://www.instamapper.com/trk?key=15070518653028619441&width=500&height=350&type=roadmap

This Week in Links

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

Allegheny 100 Challenge
100 mile hiking challenge on June 18th
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Turkey Run-in on Finger Lakes Trail
Hiker tells of his run-in with a turkey on Finger Lakes Trail last weekend
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Hiker Alert
Advice to help you not get your vehicle towed or ticketed!
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Hiking Trails in Niagara Falls
List of some trails available in the Niagara Falls, NY area
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6th Great Adirondack Trail Run
The 11.5 & 3.5 mile charity runs will take place June 19th in the Adirondack High Peak area
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Cornwall Bridge to US Rte 7
Appalachian Trail Section Hike description by the Section Hiker
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Northern Forest Canoe Trail by Jeffrey Liebel
Overview of a talk given by Jeffrey Liebel about the Northern Forest Canoe Trail
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This Week in Links

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

Victor Hiking Trails
Local Victor Hiking Organization
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NY-NJ Trail Conference Catskill Trails map
2010 Catskill maps now available!
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Great Eastern Trail
Great little writeup of someones hike along the Great Eastern Trail (11.4 miles starting near South Bradford NY)
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Bears are out in the Finger Lakes region
Tips from the Finger Lakes DEC on how to minimize problems with Bears as they leave their dens this time of year.
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The Top 10 Hiking Trails Around the World
List of the top 10 hiking trails to shoot for in your training
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Suggested Hikes For Mud Season
Great hikes in the Adirondack region for the spring muddy season.
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The Crescent Trail

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

The Crescent Trail is the longest trail in Perinton (with maybe an exception for the canal trail). It stretches for approximately 35 miles from one end of Perinton to the other. Chances are if you’re hiking in the Fairport / Perinton area you’re on a section of the Crescent trail or one of the connected loops.

You should never head out on the trail without a map. Perinton provides a great trailmap for the Crescent Trail which you can print yourself or just carry on your digital device. Here are the two sections available:

http://www.perinton.org/Departments/RandP/hikingctha/

Goose Ponds (High Acres Trail Area)

~ randyaa ~ 2 Comments

I bet you thought I forgot didn’t you?

This weeks post comes to you from Goose Ponds.  At least, that’s what I’m calling it.  Technically the property isn’t even publicly owned.  However; It’s part of the Waste Management High Acres Landfill area.  They list it as a ‘nature trails/wildlife habitat refuge.’  They allow access to the property by the public 365 days a year and even encourage the following activities:

  • Hiking
  • Nature walks
  • Jogging
  • School field trips
  • Fishing
  • Bird watching
  • Cross country skiing
  • Picnicking

Tonight is only the second time I’ve been here and it’s gone through a lot of changes since the last time.  There’s a new pond, nice new green areas and a new 100′ hill which creates a barrier between the road and the property.  The last time I was here it was sunrise (picture: left) and it was extremely quiet and peaceful.

This time around, just before dusk, the silence seems to be coming to a close.   All I can hear is frogs croaking, geese honking, ducks flapping, crickets chirping, birds swooping low over the water and the occasional howling of the wind.  It’s peaceful, and intense, all at the same time.  Like a tiny bit of wilderness right in the middle of Perinton (well, really on the side of Perinton).

Unfortunately it’s getting dark so I don’t have a lot of time to explore, but Waste Management claims there’s over 4 miles of trails to explore, and there’s certainly a lot of natural wildlife to observe.  As with any wildlife/nature area, Dusk & Dawn are the best times to be around.

The parking lot is on 31f just outside of the village heading east.  Or, you can find it by using my Instamapper track below:

GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

http://www.instamapper.com/trk?key=5482863491259441793&width=500&height=350&type=roadmap