0418 FLT

Good Friday

April 18 I parked at the Town of Cuyler highway department and town court barn (about mile 15.5 on the map) on Tripoli Road, on the Onondaga Trail spur of the FLT and hiked north to the Hemlock Glen lean-to, where I left off last weekend. I cooked dinner when I got there, and hung my clothes up to dry. As I was sitting there on the deacon's bench, a guy hiked by, and never said a word. I watched him go by and down through the crossing and up the other side.

After dinner I packed stuff back up and decided to head back, planning to stop at one of three spots I noted on the way in. I noticed a small sign on a tree before crossing "Chickadee Road" that I didn't see on the way in. I got to the last spot about 7, and since there was no water nearby and I was only a mile from my car, I decided to head home for the night and return in the morning. 16 miles Friday.

Friday maps:

Spicer Falls:

Saturday

Saturday I got up early and ate and was at the same trailhead by 8. Just before I got there I saw three flocks of wild turkeys walking in the corn fields.

I hiked the other direction (south) through the village that time forgot, called Cuyler on maps. The building I was parked at had a sign "Town of Cuyler Highway Department and Town Court." Most of the houses there are pretty run down, the fire hall (if still operational) looks like it was last painted before WWII and I'm pretty sure the flags I saw had 48 stars. Anyway, up through town and around the cemetery and into the woods. And up, up, up. After dropping down through a glen with a marked trailhead for the Irish Hollow loop, back up the other side. This kept going up to 1975', having started at 1200', and took me to the end of Midlum Spur Road, where the view is nearly 360º. I took a couple of photos, and headed on, coming out on Midlum road, then onto Cuyler Hill Road. An old man named Frank was out in front nailing something together, and when I waved, he wanted to talk. He wanted to argue also, but I moved on. He had way too much junk around to get real friendly with. Anyway, up Cuyler Hill road, left on Stoney Brook Road, and the end of the Onondaga section where it joins the main FLT. 6 miles to this point.

For some reason, GPS and all, I had it in my mind that to hook up with the section I snowshoed, and spend the night at the Paradise Glen lean-to, I should turn right, towards the west, and the Allegheny Mountains. So that's what I did. After an hour or two, I decided I should be getting close, so I asked the GPS to navigate me to the lean-to, a waypoint recorded during the previous visit. It said 4.97 miles, and I thought it should be a lot closer. So as I walked, I watched and to my horror and embarrassment I was getting farther from it. Another wrong turn? GPS and all? Impossible? No.

So I consulted the maps, and found a bivouac area nearby. I continued West to Randall Hill Road, (3.2 miles form junction) and hiked back looking for the blue markers on the left for the bivy area. But I never saw them. So I kept going, looking for water. I was getting thirsty and hungry and figured I could spend the night anywhere if I could get water.

Getting tired, hungry and grouchy, I came to a resting bench within a half mile of the junction, and there was a nice little brook there. So I spread my stuff out to dry, set up a table on some flat stones near the brook, and proceed to cook dinner. Sitting on the bench eating, and a guy with two dogs came down the trail. We talked for 15-20 minutes. He was out on a loop, and was asking about the Onondaga Trail. Being a professionally licensed NYS Outdoor Guide, I don't give out details for free, but to him I did. Anyway, he eventually went on, and I finished eating and packed up and headed back up the trail. Passing the junction, now 12.4 miles for the day, I noted the time, and figured that if I moved right along, I could be at the lean-to, about 4.7 miles, by 8, or dark o'clock.

Of course I didn't know I had a mountain to climb over. Or two. Up it went, and in a mile and a half I came to Chippewa Falls. You cross the brook above the falls about 3 feet from the precipice. The falls isn't as impressive as Tinkers, but its still quite a drop. Across that, the trail descends rapidly, and comes to the top of an open field, which is about 400' above the county road. I descended that, climbed over the ladders over the farmer's fences, scared some of his heifers, and crossed the road to Fenby Glen where the is a picnic table. Then you go steeply back up the other side of the glen. Trying to hike fast, at least as fast as it is approaching sundown, I crossed the private land that is posted, but hikers are allowed, then back into state forest.

Hiking along at about 2000' feet, I decided that since I didn't know if the lean-to would be full, and that I wanted to try my new tent, and that it would be warmer above the glen than in it, and that since I was pretty tired and had really sore feet, exacerbated by hiking down steep slopes, I would spend the night above the glen in the woods. As soon as the trail started to drop, I turned into the woods, found a soft spot, and put up my tent and bear bag. Now nearly full dark, and moon rise not until after 11, I climbed in. I took a long dear tree and braced it against a standing tree to create a fence rail of sorts, and hung my wet clothes on it to dry.

It was a beautiful night. the stars were visible, the moon came out, and it was quiet. I zipped the vestibule shut about 1:00. The moon was up. It got to about 48 inside the tent. In the morning I could hear turkeys not far away, and a loud woodpecker. I packed up most of my stuff before getting out of the tent, then packed up the rest and started on down the trail, again to the East, to hike to where I left off 5 weeks ago.

Saturday maps:

The last segment of the Onondaga Trail, north to south, from the town barn to the junction with the main FLT:

"West" from the junction to Randall Hill Road:

And East from there back to near Paradise Glen:

From the end of Midlum Spur road, where the view is nearly 360º:

At the junction of the Onondaga and main FL Trails:

Sunday

I was thinking of hiking the trail East to where I came up out of the glen, at the western loop junction, then down through the glen and past the lean-to, and then up the western end of the loop. My feet were sore. I got to the east junction, and decided that I didn't feel like extending things, so I just turned around and headed back without going down into the glen and then having to climb back out.

I hiked along and got to Fenby Glen, thinking as I went about whether I should just keep going, or be more patient and stop to cook breakfast. I decided it would be wiser to stop, rest and eat, so I did. It was very windy, so I set up my stove on the picnic table and sheltered it with my backpack, boiled two pots of water and made coffee and oatmeal. Then I removed boots and socks and sat on the table and ate. That's when I noticed the rather large blisters on several toes and the bottoms of my feet. I popped the ones I could, and then packed up. I realized I didn't need to carry my pack any farther, so I stashed it beneath some discarded boards and covered it with some dead branches. Of I went with my waist pack and GPS.

Up the other side of the valley it was tough climbing. Then through the woods to climb past Chippewa Falls again, and up and back to the trail junction. Down Stoney Brook Road, down Cuyler Hill Road, and up Midlum Road. Then around the old cemetery and back into the woods. I crossed the gas pipeline and looked down the hill and thought it would be a great ride on a toboggan. I kept going, and looked at my GPS, which told me the road at the bottom of that hill was route 152A. And I realized that is the road my car was parked on. A little checking indicated that if I hiked down the pipeline and took the road back to the car, it would cut a couple of very hilly, wet and slippery miles of the journey. So I turned around, went back to the pipeline and down the hill. Expecting the sheriff to arrest me at the bottom for trespassing. But that didn't happen, and I hiked up the road to my car. Then I changed and drove back to pick up my pack, which was where I left it, unmolested.

I learned that hiking a few miles before breakfast and then stopping to cook is good for me. Also, cooking "dinner" in the middle of the afternoon, and then continuing to hike to a spot for tenting is also pretty good. That way you aren't cooking near where you sleep, attracting unwanted scavengers to your sleep location, etc. Of course you waste some daylight cooking, which could be done after dark, but I like hiking a little or a lot of dinner off before laying down for the night.

Sunday maps:

Chippewa Falls: