Year: 2015

Reading Time: 8 minutes FLT Map: Steam Mill Rd (M15) east to Todd Rd (M16)

First hike of the season on Sunday. Weather was gorgeous. Got started on the trail at 9:43 am and it was already warming up nicely. Blue skies, bright sun, and not a single cloud. Temps started out in the low-mid 40s, but were into the mid 60s by the end of the day. I had originally planned only around 15 miles, but ended up doing a bit more. This hike I headed east from Steam Mill Rd (M15) to Todd Rd (M16) and back.

Reading Time: 6 minutes FLT Map: Steam Mill Rd (M15) west to Logan Rd (M15)

My second FLT hike of the season I hiked from Steam Mill Rd (M15) west to Logan Rd (M15) and back. I decided to take a day off of work and go hiking; the weekend weather and schedule didn’t work out. The day was very much a changeable day, when I woke up it was bright and sunny, while I was driving to the trailhead it clouded over only to clear up again once I got to there and parked. The rest of the day was the same, sunny and blue sky one minute and then cloudy the next. The temperature was nice, started out in the low 60s and rose into the mid 70s by the end of the day, although it did get a little humid as the day wore on.

Reading Time: 8 minutes FLT Map: Logan Rd (M15) west to Watkins Glen State Park (M15)

Third hike of the season, Logan Rd (CR 4) to Watkins Glen State Park and back. The day started off sunny and bright with temps in the mid 60s (mile 0.0 – 8:15 am). The trail started off leaving Logan Rd and heading down around a small field before turning into the woods. Shortly after leaving the field I met an Alley Cat crew getting ready to repair a bridge over a stream. I stopped to talk and thank them for the great work they do on the FLT. The bridge definitely needed some TLC, parts of the railing were broken and missing and the far side was a bit wobbly, which they warned me about.

Reading Time: 6 minutes FLT Map Day 1: Templar Rd (M14) east to Watkins Glen State Park (M14) back to Buck Settlement Lean-to

The first day of my overnight hike started out a little foggy on the drive to the trailhead, but by the time I reached the parking area the fog had lifted (9:15 am), although it was still overcast as the fog had not yet burned off. I parked just off Vanzandt Hollow Rd, at the intersection of Templar Rd. I planned to hike east to Watkins Glen State Park and then back and camp at the Buck Settlement Lean-to, which was about one mile up the trail from the Templar Rd access point.

Reading Time: 5 minutes FLT Map Day 2: Buck Settlement Lean-to (M14) to Sugar Hill Fire Tower

I woke in the semi-darkness of pre-dawn feeling cold, I wrapped the blanket that I had been using as a pillow around me inside of my sleeping bag and felt warmer (5:00 am). Unfortunately nature called and I had to leave my new-found warmth. I hurried back to my hammock and I drifted off to a partial sleep for about an hour before finally deciding to get up. Although the sun was not quite up yet, the sky had lightened. I checked my phone and found that the battery had drained more than I expected overnight, I was down to 30%.

Reading Time: 7 minutes FLT Map: NY 268 (M28) east to Old O&W RR Bed (M28) and west to Finch Hollow Rd (M28)

I decided to go back and do a re-route of the main FLT trail on M28 that had been constructed after I had hiked that section. I had already done part of the re-route last August and this would complete the entire new section. Last August I had hiked from NY 268 to Beers Brook Rd and back heading east from NY 268. This time I again started at NY 268 and planned to hike west to Finch Hollow Rd. I had also just gotten a new camera, so I wanted to hike back up to the old O&W railroad bed rock-cut and take some pictures. It added an extra two miles round-trip to re-hike that part of the trail.

Reading Time: 9 minutes I had originally planned to hike the weekend of October 17, but on Sunday, October 11 I looked at the long-range forecast and decided to change my plans. Monday, October 12 (Columbus Day) was going to be an absolutely gorgeous day, sunny and highs in the low 70’s. The weekend did not look nearly so nice with the possibility of rain and highs only in the mid-to-upper 40’s. Although I know weather forecasts several days out can, and often do, change, I thought that it was unlikely the weather would even be close to as nice as Monday. So I decided to take the day off and take what might be the last hike of the season.