The Hills of the FLT

Mike from Zimbabwe hiking the FLT over the holiday weekend, and Star Left and Shepherd at the beginning of the Great Eastern Trail at the Moss Hill Lean-to

I am thrilled to announce that I am officially halfway through my trail, having hiked over 450 miles of the Finger Lakes Trail and its branches. Since I left Hornell, I have hiked both the Bristol Hills Branch Trail (54 miles) and the Crystal Hills Branch Trail (47 miles). I have also been graced with the company and help of numerous people along the way.

Kim and Terry Meacham

Just before I left Hornell two Saturdays ago on a cold and rainy day I had the pleasure of joining Terry and Kim Meacham for lunch. Terry is on the board for the FLT and maintains an 8 mile stretch of trail as well as the Burt Hill Lean-to. Both he and his wife take groups of hikers out on the trail for both Hikers 101 which acquaints beginner hikers with the trail and the Cross County Series in Steuben County which is basically an on-going hiker fest in which busloads (literally) of hikers are dropped at one point on the trail to cross the county in sections, one county a year, helping hikers to become official End-to-Enders. If you're interested in this last one - worry not, hikers are split into several groups according to what you wish to get from the experience such as a speed hike versus appreciating nature and dropped along different portions of the trail at different times to stagger the group. Both Kim and Terry are also End-to-Enders themselves, having chipped away at the trail for some years with Kim's father who first fell in love with the trail.

On this especially rainy day, the Meachams tried to persuade me to take a zero at the Burt Hill Lean-to and enticed me with a slackpack the following day. However, I had already taken a short day into town the day before and was well rested from my night at the motel. Seemed unnecessary. They drove me about and helped me with some resupply after lunch and by the time I had exited the Wal-Mart they had devised a plan. They would take my pack for the day and drop it at the lean-to which was close to the road for me at the end of the day. At least this way I could hike quickly. That sounded like a splendid plan to me.

The day only grew colder and windier as it progressed and with all my gear at the Meachams, I certainly hiked faster, not only because I was lighter but as I hiked against the pelting rain on the exposed dirt farm roads, to keep warm. I arrived at the lean-to, 11 miles and a few hours later and gave the Meachams a call, only to hear that they had devised yet another plan....Terry said he would not bring my pack to me but rather, pick me up at the road crossing, take me home, his wife would make me dinner, I could do laundry, have a hot shower, sleep in a bed, and then they would slack pack me the following day to Hickory Hill Lean-to another 17 miles down the trail. I thought that was a brilliant idea! Oh, and turned out Kim is vegetarian - what a meal, best on the trail. I not only had an amazing dinner of tempeh marinara at their house but two homemade grilled portabella sandwiches for the lean-to that next night.

The old shoes - I have never gone through trail runners so fast - FLT you're brutal on the sneaks!

This was just the beginning really.  Terry ended up shuttling me the following day to the northern end of the Bristol Hills Trail and the following day delivering to me my new pair of shoes that his wife had suggested she pick up for me at the local running store in Rochester. Of course when he brought the shoes, he not only arrived with shoes, but a 12 inch veggie sub, a breakfast sandwich and a ziplock full of cookies. It felt odd to not make plans with Terry for the next day - I told him if he wanted to, I'd be happy to have him the entire length of the trail, but he didn't bite at that one.

Thank you, Terry and Kim Meacham, you made those days of rain and hard miles acutally pleasant and now I don't have to hike with my feet falling out of my shoes!

View along Bristol Hills Trail approaching Evangeline Shelter

Beginning my trek on the Bristol Hills trek I had the company of FLT member, Anita Friday Swett Edgemon, who is not only in the process of completing all of the branch trails of the FLT but also regularly hikes with a group of fellow FLT members once a month and works to maintain the trail upon which she treads.

Anita Friday Swett Edgemon

What a treat it was to have a hiking partner for the day! We talked and taste-tested plants, and shared tales from not only the trail but from life off the trail as well. It was a long mileage day for both of us starting at noon. I had 16 miles to complete going up and down many a Bristol Hill and Anita totalled just as many as she hiked two sections with me, but then had to turn around and hoof it back to her car to catch me at the next. I, too, was nervous with a mighty 1000 foot ascent up the mountain into Hi Tor at the end of the day to my lean-to for the night....but in the end we both made it! Thank you Anita for your company!

Sunset view from atop Hi Tor at the DEC lean-to

While hiking along the Bristol Hills Trail, I also had the good fortune of getting lost. There I was happily following the orange blazes, so in my groove that I had not a thought in mind and at some point stopped looking for the blazes and just followed the trail. I continued to see orange ribbons which soon turned to pink, and I thought that was strange but perhaps this was a lil reroute and the maintainers had run out of orange tape. I also saw spray-painted arrows along the grass and thought to myself that this was a rather impermanent way to mark trail, but alas I supposed it worked....that was until I came to pond that was not on my map....and then climbed an embankment into this man's backyard.

Bob Kahabka outside of his cabin, the "Top 40" 

Bob Kahabka's wife Carol happened to be gardening when I meekly announced myself and stated, "I think I've lost my trail." Carol gave a yelp and then quickly rose to her feet and said, "Why yes you did! Come, come! I have a map inside and you can get some fresh water too!"

Well, ok!

Bob and Carol happened to be up visiting this lovely handcrafted cabin, built by Bob and his father John "Jack" Kahabka, who was a well-known Steuben County conservationist and earth sculpter, laying the design for all of the man-made ponds in the county. I was pleased to hear from Bob and Carol that there was a tractor path that would easily take me back to my trail. Turns out they had hung the ribbon and laid the orange arrows I had been following for a 5K that had happened just days previous to my passing through. "Oh, we need to take those down!" Carol exclaimed upon realizing what had happened. I thanked them and was just about to leave when Carol took a look at my legs and gasped, "Look at your legs!" I looked down at my freshly sliced up legs, still bleeding from the blackberry brambles, caked in mud and speckled with grass seed, and answered, "Well...it's been a little while since I showered."

Next thing I knew I was in the Kahabkas' shower washing off my 5 days worth of trail grime. To follow, was a cup of coffee overlooking the pond that I had walked by down below and the mountains in the distance. Now that's hospitality! Best day I ever had getting lost. Bob even escorted me back to the trail to be sure I didn't get myself turned around again. Thank you Bob and Carol Kahabka!

Hand-painted map inside the trail register box at the entrance to the Huckleberry Bog Loop Trail

Inside the Urbana State Forest along the Bristol Hills Trail lays the Huckleberry Bog Loop Trail. This 2.9 mile trail is the creation of Irene Szabo along with the hard work of a crew of trail builders. It is an ecologically unique area considering the bog is, to quote Irene, the result of "a leftover blob of glacial ice" and drains both north and south. Irene explains in an article on the FLT website that the north drainage heads to the Cohocton River then heads south to the Chesapeake Bay, while the south drainage goes to Hammondsport to Keuka Lake and then heads north going to Lake Ontario and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. All of this incredible glacial history makes for an unusal dynamic in the plant life found here, with Black Spruces which are typically found in northern climes such as Canada practically alongside Tupelo trees which are a common tree dotting the trails I've hiked down in North Carolina. 

Black Spruce (Picea mariana)

Inspired by this diverse plant life, Irene and fellow trail crafters, Steph Spittal and Bob Mueller, decided to further research and document the flora, and along with the expertise of Letchworth State Park's naturalist and the imagination of Wayland-Cohocton Highschool teacher, Tom Hughes and his class, created a means for the hiker to enjoy a self-guided tour of this loop.  There are 46 numbered points along the trail identifying mostly plants along the way, as well as unique glacial formations and sites of historical significance as this area at one time provided land for homes and farms, and was quite the place to go pick huckleberries into the 1950's. To accompany you through these points is a laminated booklet that can be found at either end of the loop, complete with botanical descriptions and sketches. 

I had so much fun here and so enjoyed learning about the ferns and lycopodium I've been passing and questioning along my trek thus far. Also the stout and healthy Eastern Hemlock Trees found along this route made my heart smile as so often I find this tree losing limbs and scraggley from damage done by the wooly adelgid. 

To read more about this special place and download a copy of the booklet, you can visit: http://www.fltconference.org/trail/go-hiking/special-places/huckleberry-bog/

Thank you Irene for suggesting that I take this loop trail and for all your work in creating this special experience to be had along the trail!

View from along the Crystal Hills Trail

From the junction with the Bristol Hills it was but a short jog to the intersection with the Crystal Hills Trail at the Moss Hill Lean-to (featured in the photo at the top of this blog). This trail is not only a branch of the FLT but the beginning of the Great Eastern Trail which travels from its northern terminus here on the FLT all the way down to Alabama. Both of these trails are youngin's in the trail world, being just about 8-9 years old, but you would never know it hiking along the route as it is already well established.

Great Eastern Trail marker at the junction of main FLT and Crystal Hills Trail 

This is a trail of the most lovely grade imaginable. The new standard amongst state park trail is no more than a 10% grade. For those of you who don't know how to conceptualize this, as I didn't either until I hiked it, it is the most comfortably uphill climb  you can't imagine. There is still a challenging incline but without any of the huff and puff. The roadwalks connecting the segments of trail are still a doozy but luckily these are becoming lesser.

Me and FLT President, Pat Monahan

Along this trail I had the assistance of Pat Monahan. Pat is not only President of the Finger Lakes Trail, but Project Coordinator for the Crystal Hills Trail and head of the New York Chapter for the Great Eastern Trail. Pat was able to lead Shepherd, Star Left, and myself along the new reroute-to-be on the Crystal Hills Trail eliminating 8 miles of roadwalk. This new trail cuts through the Erwin Hills Wildlife Management Area and although it shares trail with mountain bikers, all those that I encountered were pleasant as could be. So.....I may have gotten a lil turned around and off trail once Pat left my side and I got ahead of Star Left and Shephard, but I got to see a good chunk of it nonetheless and it was pleasant rolling trail through mixed woods for miles. Much better than the hot road I unfortunately had to resort to when I lost my way, that went up....up....up! Pat assured me that my mistakes would pave the way for improvements along this route so that future hikers will have an easier time of it!

Creek along a short reroute along the Crystal Hills Trail

Pat then took his assistance a step further. He picked me up at the southern terminus at the junction with the Mid-State Trail on the PA border, and then he and his wife, Mary-Ellen and son, Issac, invited me into their home for the night. I received a tour of the Heritage Village of the Southern Finger Lakes by Pat himself who is a guide there and then enjoyed dinner in downtown Corning. Plus a bed and a shower and all that good, good stuff.

Thank you, Pat for giving me the full tour of the Crystal Hills Trail and to you and your family for your graciousness!

Me, Shepherd, and Star Left along the Crystal Hills Trail

Lastly, on the Crystal Hills Trail I was saddened to say goodbye to Shepherd and Star Left but also incredibly excited for them as they are now embarking upon the next and longest leg of their journey along the Great Eastern Trail. To continue following their journey from Falls to the Sea, visit: trailjournals.com/greateasterntrail2015 and facebook.com/shephardadventures . Best of luck you two! Make it your journey and have a helluva awesome time!

Thank you to Steve and Vicky Rossetti, whom I was introduced to thanks to Shepherd and Star Left, for taking in a third stinky hiker for the night with your already full house on the 4th of July. You made me feel right at home in no time at all and you have a lovely family!

Along the main trail I have also had the pleasure of crossing paths with several day and section hikers, interestingly enough - all women. Among them, April and Val who are working on their End-to-End completion and offered some nice insight into what I would see up ahead on the trail and Kristin who was out for her very first solo trek along the trail. Keep on hikin' ladies! Who says this is a male dominated recreation? Uhh-uh.

I am presently in Watkins Glen and have had a full day of not only touring the gorge but visiting with the local media here thanks to the efforts of Dave DeGolyer and Peggy Coleman at the Steuben Visitor's Bureau. Be sure to check out the next post as it will be full of photos from this incredible gorge and complete with links to the television clips filmed on trail and in the park. Interloken Trail and Ithaca...here I come!

Grapes, Daylilies, and Mallows A-Plenty

I am brimming over with stories to share with y'all since I have left Hornell, hiked the Bristol Hills Trail and am now presently 18 miles into the Crystal Hills Trail...I am however, delivering this blog to you from the seat of a Burger King booth off of Victory Highway NY 415. It has been days since I have had a decent internet signal and I've been making the miles.

I wrote this post up about 4 days ago while taking a half-day at the Outback Shelter. I felt like a kid on Christmas with a new pair of shoes, a giant sub in my hand, and a pile of cookies for later all courtesy of  two incredible trail angels that sadly you will have to wait to hear all about.  I want to get a post to you while I can! A post that will give you some idea of just what plants have been showing their faces along the trail and what I've been filling my hiker belly with besides sub sandwiches and Nutter Butters.

Bagel with a thick spread of cream cheese, sundried tomatoes, and River Grape (Vitis riparia) young leaves and tendrils

This has been a first for me along this trail. It dawned on me one day as I sat eating a dolmas, which is a steamed grape leaf soaked in olive oil wrapped around a spoonful of bulgar and raisins, and is a typical find on a Greek menu, if I could use wild grape leaves the same way. I did a little bit of research and sure enough…Wild Grape (Vitis) may be used interchangeably!

A young River Grape (Vitis riparia) leaf

It also turns out that I happened to start this trail right about the same time the young leaves were beginning to unfurl on the woody vines that string themselves from tree limb to Honeysuckle bush to fencepost. However as you can see out here, when preparing on the fly, I have to get a lil untraditional with how I use my wild edibles. I have found that the tendrils are sour like Catbrier (Smilax spp.) whereas the leaves range from equally sour to no sour at all, but all are tannin rich and so leave your tongue with that fuzzy feeling. The young leaves are best because I have found these to most often still have a sour flavor and they also have a pleasant texture and crunch, whereas the older leaves are papery.

Mature River Grape leaf (Vitis riparia)

All species of Grape leaf may be used this way, however I have been experimenting with Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia) as this is the only I’ve stumbled across thus far. Grape leaves will be heart-shaped at base with toothed margins and can range from just an inch across to the size of your hand depending upon age. Riverbank Grape has just a few small hairs along the midrib to none at all, although some species may be wooly or white beneath. Vines are without thorns and may be green to greenish-red and supple when young to thick and woody with shredding bark with age. Tendrils are forked.

Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) leaf - NOT EDIBLE 

Do not confuse with Moonseed (Menisperum canadense) which does not have toothed margins (outer leaf edge) and whose berries will have just one flattened crescent seed unlike the typical 1-4 tiny seeds of a Grape. Also do not confuse with Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum duclamara), whose leaves are dramatically different being arrowhead shaped with two ear-like lobes at the base; flowers are also very different being purple with backward-bending petals exposing long yellow anthers. Both of these possess poisonous berries and so I am assuming the greens would not be so smart to consume either. There are many other vines in these woods that I could speak on such as garden escapee Ground Ivy to Poison Ivy, so be certain your leaf possesses all the appropriate characteristics before plucking!

Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) in full bloom

These beauties have just begun to bloom and have seemingly overnight arrived to line the roadsides and meadows. Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) is an ornamental flower gone wild. There is no disputing it’s beauty but it’s also not going anywhere having made a home for itself from grassy open woods to the side of the highway. That means…eat up. Also, each flower only blossoms for one day and then closes again, so if you pick a closed flowerpod its possible that it has already had its day in the sun.

Alfredo pasta with Daylily unopened flowers topped with black pepper and parmesan cheese

Pretty much all parts of this flower are edible. However for several reasons, I have only sampled the flowers thus far. Being a common roadside plant, this is not a good place to harvest underground parts, such as its crisp white tubers that may be eaten raw when young or boiled like tiny potatoes when older. If you happen to have these in your garden or yard and know the soil they have been growing in, then by all means have at it. The leaves may even be and shoots may even be steamed when young and eaten like a green vegetable. However, again I advise you to only consume these parts from plants that you have come to know on your own property. Daylily shoots could too easily be confused with other Lily shoots which are very poisonous. But the flowers….oh the flowers….these may be easily identified and then plucked and eaten raw or cooked. Eat the open flowers petal by petal or if you are home with a full kitchen, stuff them full of whatever you like and bake them till warm. The unopened flower pods are crisp and hearty and fun to eat with all their flowerparts and may be added raw to rice, pasta, or salads, or they will even hold up to cooking if you’d prefer them softer. There crunch and fresh flavor reminded me of green beans.

Again, be careful not to confuse with other Lilies that have similar leaves. Also, there are over 60,000 different cultivars of Daylily and many of these may indeed be edible however nowhere have I found that lays out an study of which are and which are not. Therefore, stick to this one species (H. fulva), when nibbling. Flowers are funnel shaped, 3-4” wide, with 6 petals, orange with a darker center, with 6 conspicuous brown-tipped stamens and one even longer-stalked pistil. Leaves are basal only, long and lance-shaped with an obvious midrib. Entire plant can reach 5 feet tall, although I most often find them somewhere just over a yard tall.

Musk Mallow (Malva moschata) flower - these can range from bright pink to white or somewhere in between as you see here

Here is another newbie for me along this trail. Musk Mallow (Malva moschata). This plant eluded me for sometime as I knew it to be a mallow but not a species I had ever before encountered or at least noticed. After consulting a guide specifically about New York flowers, I finally identified it, although I have since found it in other guides as a common waste place plant throughout the northeast. I was even more pleased when I learned it was edible!

Musk Mallow (Malva moschata) leaf

The leaves may be eaten raw and honestly have just a bland green crunchy flavor about them, perfect for getting in your greens dose but without being offensive in any way. This is how I have been eating them however they may also be added to soups and stews and are said to be a good thickener (perhaps like Sassafras leaf). Flowers are also edible and with these being so delicate I believe they would never hold up to cooking. They are simple and sweet and would make a nice adornment to any dish. Me, I just pluck ‘em and pop ‘em in my mouth.

Ramp, as or as the Northerners call them, Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum) beginning to flower

Oh my….there’s also been virtual fields of Broad-Leaf Water Leaf which I have never seen in such abundance before, as well as thigh-high forests of Wood Nettle and just below their canopy, stalks of just flowering ramps that go on for miles. The Wild Strawberries are in fruit hanging hidden beneath their 3-leaf foliage, and the Blackberries are just beginning to ripen. As for herbs, Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris), Wild Basil (Satureja vulgaris) and Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) are on the scene, lining the trail nearly everywhere I go.

From the Falls to the Gorge

Niagara Falls 

After 3 long days of slackpacking....oh did I mention my father came to join me at the falls to help me with one of the Conservation Trail's most challenging aspects - finding someplace to sleep during the long road walks...I reached Niagara Falls. It was just as majestic as I had envisioned it to be even with the plethora of people running around snapping selfies. No. I mean it really was grand. Can we really grumble that 1000's of people, from all nations and walks of life, want to come marvel at this natural wonder? I'm just glad this many people still care to see such a spectacle of nature.

However, it was bit like the Niagara Amusement Park with all the attractions that one could participate in or attend. We did almost all of them...and in one marathon afternoon.

We were sure to take a ride upon the Maid of the Mist which literally takes you down to the base of the Falls in all the Niagara River spray, hence the complimentary blue ponchos

My father at Cave of the Winds - I thought this was by far the best of all the attractions. This boardwalk you see is rebuilt every single year and winds around the base of the Falls far more than this photo can show. On this "ride" you not only get a poncho but a pair of sandals as you literally stand in the falls. It felt epic to have those falls splashing down my face.

A view from the base of the Falls - all the little white specks you see are the 20,000 birds that visit the rocky shores of Niagara daily, to the right is a view of the Canadian border 

Another high point of my visit to Niagara was completing the 180 mile Conservation Trail (60 miles of which run along with the main FLT). We were a lil nervous we were going to cross over into Canada on accident and not be able to get back over as there is nothing more than an open gate for a visitor to pass through however, to get back into the States is a whole other story, especially with my not having a passport!

Me at the Canadian border - northern terminus for the Conservation Trail

I like to say a big thank you to my father, trail name House the Cat, for his help in making these last miles on the Conservation Trail fun instead of logistically stressful. Thank you!

I would also like to say thank you to Dick's Bicycle Shop, the Grandfather of Bicycles himself had a new water bladder overnighted to me when my other one got snagged on a blackberry bramble some miles back. And I had just happened to pass by his shop in Tonawanda while on trail one morning.

The Boyce Hill Lean-to - complete with handmade bench and stout fire pit. This is the first fire I have lit on the trail as I am normally too tired at the end of the day. However at this shelter I found a stack of dry kindling and logs piled inside as well as a firestarter, not to mention a can of heavy-duty bug spray and a candle to read by.  A nice return indeed.

After this side-trip adventure, I headed back to the main FLT. Oh sweet main trail. It felt so good to return to my eastwardly direction and the well-maintained, easy to follow trail. I have had the pleasure of staying in a number of lovely lean-to's along my route since such as the one you see above. I've also had the pleasure of staying with and meeting some new awesome and integral figures to the Finger Lakes Trail...

Dick Hubbard and I at the Camp Rd access point on the FLT

Dick Hubbard, executive director of the Finger Lakes Trail, and his wife Mary-Jo were kind enough to invite me into their home for the evening...and during a Father's Day dinner party to boot! The whole fam was incredibly fun and I had the opportunity to talk trail with the man who orchestrates for, strategizes about, and gets his hands dirty maintaining the trail. Dick and I will be setting up some good outlets to spread the word about the trail as well as my upcoming book over the course of the hike. Thank you Dick and family for your hospitality and support!

The day after my stay with Dick I began my journey on my second branch trail of the FLT, the Letchworth Trail. This trail travels 26 miles through Letchworth State Park, coined the Grand Canyon of the East. Irene Szabo, an FLT and North Country Trail volunteer and editor for both newsletters that these conferences issue to members, picked me up at the trail junction and drove me to the northern terminus where I would hike south back to the main trail. Besides shuttling me, Irene and her 15 1/2 year old dog, Sandy, were excellent company and I enjoyed not only trail talk with Irene who has also completed the trail but a walk at the county park with Sandy. Irene has also been helpful via email in answering a good number of my questions regarding the trail. Thank you, Irene!

A view from just one of the many lookouts along the northern portion of the Letchworth Trail

Mount Morris Dam at the Genesee River in Letchworth State Park

The Letchworth Trail follows along the rim of the gorge that is the pathway for the Genesee River, so powerful and wide that for many years, along with heavy rains, caused major flooding downstream. The Mount Morris Dam, built in 1954, now regulates how much water is allowed through at once. The FLT headquarters is located just across the parking lot from the dam as well, so if you come out to Letchworth, be sure to stop in and say hi to Dick and crew. The Letchworth Trail has thus far, been one of my most favorite portions of the trail - to walk alongside this gorge for miles is incredible, and then to duck into the woods for many miles more on pristine trail with more creeks tumbling over flat shale rock than roads to cross, a treat in and of itself.

A view from the front door of Bossard's Cabin - a privately owned hunting cabin (with four walls!) along the trail which the landowner opens up to thru-hikers. It literally abutts a cow pasture, one of which named Dylan, was particularly friendly, reaching over the fence for a lick whenever he had the chance. Thank you for Bossard's Cabin - without the tree canopy, this was first place I was able to see the moon and stars while on this trail!

Now with the Letchworth Trail complete, I am now back on the main FLT at least for a few more days, after which I'll be embarking upon the 54 Bristol Hills Trail. I have been enjoying sunny, yet cool, weather, and gorgeous trail. The mountains and climbs seem to be getting steeper, the terrain rockier bringing with it the piling of rock walls, and the streams clearing rather than running brown, rich with tannins and silt...it seems I'm getting closer to the Catskills.

Before I go... I have a few more to which I'd like to express my gratitude...thank you to Greg and Karen Lovejoy who graciously offered me the use of their power outlets at their house up the road when I was denied (for the first time ever) by the owner of convenience store to charge my phone. Thank you also to Gary, a driver for Maplevale Farms, whom I met at the Sierra Inn in Swain, for the friendly conservation, helping me fill my water bottles, and handing off a slice of pizza to me at the end of my long day. And thank you to my fellow thru-hikers, Shepherd and Star Left who have been a true delight to cross paths with every day and who were so incredibly generous as to offer their vehicle this morning for town resupply while they finished their miles. They too are keeping a trail journal of their adventure from Niagara to the Gulf which can be found here: trailjournals.com/greateasterntrail2015 or at facebook.com/shepherdadventures. Lastly thank you to Wally Wood, first president of the board for the Finger Lakes Trail, for dreaming up this skin-shredding, muscle-building, heart-lifting beautiful trail!

Monument to Wally Wood, first president of the board for the Finger Lakes Trail and to have the idea to build a trail across New York State - this can be found near the Hesse Lean-to. 

With a full hiker belly, I am also happy to share that I have been eating well out here. The wild edibles have been plentiful and I am enjoying not only some of my faves from the Mountains to Sea Trail, but a host of newbies as well. Stay tuned for a post, filled with lots of pics, about wild edible backpacking treats!

Trail Angels and...Hikers of the FLT!

Joe Daley of Ithaca, New York

Over the last week and a half, I have crossed paths with only a handful of folks, but each and every one has been quality - among them trail runners, long-distance hikers, landowners, and even trail angels.

Joe Daley was the first other trail user I met. I had hiked just 5 miles outside of Ellicottville and was camped at a designated site that looked like it hadn't been used in a loooonnng time...so  you can imagine my surprise when Joe came running full speed through the trees as I sat at the grown-over fire ring cooking my dinner on my lil alcohol stove. I just about leaped out of my skin! Turns out Joe has been running the Finger Lakes Trail for 10 years and after realizing just how much he had done, decided he may as well make a point to complete it! Over the last month he has been running 2-3 days a week, about 10 miles each day....and I was the first person he had seen as well. It was so nice to meet you, Joe. I'll be sure to connect with you in Ithaca!

Laura's Ellicottville Country Store and Diner at the intersection of Route 240 and 242

When I found myself suddenly walking miles of road due to a reroute on the trail I had the pleasure of walking right by this country store located at the intersection of 240 and 242 just outside of Ellicottville. Laura, owner of the Ellicottville Country Store and Diner offered me water and place to sit while I'll took a short break. Her store is a collection of handmade crafts, antiques, and delicious treats. Attached to the store is a diner, open Thursday through Sunday for breakfast and lunch that regularly receives a full house. Thank you Laura! And when my next book comes out you can expect to find it here!

I experienced good fortune again when losing track of the trail off of Warner Gulf Road, and after walking several miles up a trail that proved not to be the Conservation Trail, I walked for another mile and half by road to arrive in the center of the town of Holland. It was pouring rain and I dashed into the local pharmacy for assistance with my directions and again, some water. I never got the name of the nice girl who worked behind the counter there but she never batted an eye at my bedraggled self and was helpful as could be...thank you awesome pharmacy person!

In this same town, a nice man named Chad who worked for the town pulled over and offered me a ride one mile up the hill to the next access point on Vermont Road. It was still raining and I was exhausted. Thank you, Chad!

Just some days ago, I ended up going longer mileage than expected due to poor water along the roads that I had thought I would depend upon for hauling to camp. At 7:00pm and 17 miles for the day, when faced with going another 2 miles to a possible water source, Tim on Bear Road came through with filling up my water bottles and friendly conversation. Thank you, Tim!

Shepherd, Star Left, and Mike

And....on this same day that Tim graciously assisted me with fresh water, I met Sheperd near dusk hiking the opposite direction along the Conservation Trail. I was hiking quickly to beat the setting sun, thinking only of where to get my next H20 and lay my tent for the night when Shepherd emerged from the brush and declared, "So there is someone else hiking this trail," in quiet awe. "Well, my God, there is." I answered. We spoke only briefly as the mosquitoes had found us and we both had miles to do but in that short time he told me of he and his partner's, Star Left, mission and of a man named Mike who lived on Bailey Road who, by random meeting, was hosting them for the night. He said that he was sure Mike would be happy to have me too and they were as eager to talk to another hiker as I was.

Shepherd and Star Left are hiking, in one continuous trek, from Niagara Falls to the Gulf of Mexico by linking the Conservation Trail to the Finger Lakes Trail to the Crystal Hills Branch to the Great Eastern Trail, and then by Shepherd's path that he has traced himself by smaller trails and connecting roads. They expect to be to their destination by November.

Unfortunately, I did not make it to Bailey Road that night and thought perhaps I had missed my one and only chance to chat with my fellow thru-hiker peeps. But the next morning as I was just a few steps into my hike for the day I met Star Left who was out doing her miles for the day. We talked excitedly and she decided she'd turn around and walk back to Mike's on Bailey Road with me so that we could all compare notes.

The gourmet meal cooked up by Mike - pancakes with fresh bananas, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, cheese, and Field Garlic (Allium vineale), and grapefruit.

Compare notes we did, but that was not all that went down. Mike was incredibly gracious and cooked up this incredible meal you see above on just one burner in a small trailer that he's calling home while he renovates his childhood home on the same land. We shared the space with chickens and kittens and a goat and dined outside at a makeshift table using what we could find about the property. We ate and chatted and laughed and swapped stories and honestly the whole experience was timeless. I could have been anywhere at all and it mattered not. Thank you Mike for sharing your space and your food and your company. Thank you Shepherd and Star Left for your company and pointers and for bringing me to Mike's and hopefully I will see you further down the Finger Lakes Trail!

The Conservation Trail

Grinnin' at the start of the Conservation Trail just outside of Ellicottville

Last week when I set off from my hotel in Ellicottville, within just 12.5 miles I was marched onto my first branch trail of the Finger Lakes Trail. If you recall from my other posts, the Finger Lakes Trail is approximately 560 miles long, however also possesses six side trails which comprise about another 300 miles for a total of 860 miles. The Conservation Trail (CT) is by far the longest of all these branch trails, stretching out for 119 miles to Niagara Falls and the Canadian border.

Now I must be honest...I was damn happy to see this branch trail as the main Finger Lakes Trail had put me through the wringer, giving me a taste of all the challenging aspects of this trail (all that I know of at this point at least). I had lost track of the trail for a short period of time and had to double back, I had dodged some loggers when I realized I was on closed trail and then had to reroute myself down miles of country road to get to the next access point to the trail, I had clawed through waist high weeds in lumpy rolling farm hills, and above all I had slogged, sloshed, and slid my way through mud, mud, and more mud.

However....what I didn't realize upon boarding the ride that the Conservation Trail has proven to be was that I was leaving the round-top mountainous region of the western New York and entering the northwestern lowland....where the mud only got deeper...especially when it rained.

The last round-top mountains I saw on the main FLT

 

A typical sight while walking along the tractor trails through farm land
 

A particularly wet part of the trail walking below the powerlines

 

As a result, the Conservation Trail has not had the steep up and downs with which the main FLT was regularly putting along my path, but it has had all of the other challenges, only greater. The CT travels through a great deal of private property and so is regularly being rerouted as landowners dictate - they may need the land for logging, hunting, or simply wish to not have hikers going through their backyard. As a result, the trail winds and squiggles through the woods and with many of these properties being closed from October through May for hunting season as well as the small foot traffic this trail seems to see, these woods paths have grown up. The blazing is excellent thanks to the diligent work of volunteers like the Foothills Trail Club and FLTC trail crews in the area, but one cannot help the vegetation that naturally takes over. In many places there is essentially no footpath and so one must tromp on keeping a close lookout for trees bearing orange paint. Much of the land is evergreen and mixed hardwood forest, marshy grassy swaths and freshly tilled or fallow farmland.

 

But then there are considerable stretches of pristine trail that makes one realize how much work it takes to actually make a trail and what an incredible pleasurable experience it is to set your body to cruise control and just take in the sights.

 

 

Hunter's Creek Park - boardwalk completed by the FLTC Alley Cat Crew 2011



 

Trail just outside of the tiny town of Holland - notice the orange blaze on tree and stairs to right placed by FLTC Alley Cat Crew 2008-2010

Now all of this technically difficult and messy hiking may not sound all that appealing but there are perks, believe me. Such as the sound of rain falling on the tin roof of a shelter in Darien Lakes State Park while lightening bugs flicker around your head and the woods suddenly brighten and go black as lightening flashes...or the whirring of nighttime insects and croaking of toads in the marshy streams that flow slowly past nearly every place you sleep and the raindrops that seem to cling to each white petal of a blackberry flower whose brambles you had cursed moments before and sit carefully poised atop each leaf of a Jewelweed plant, and you are reminded of just how it got its name. Oh and the wild flower snacks of the common waste place weeds like Dame's Rocket and Yellow Wood Sorrel and Field Garlic bulblets....and let's not forget the wildlife and farm animals and fun signs too...

 

Jewelweed (Impatiens spp.) - This plant when young can be eaten as a potherb after boiled in several changes of water. Also, when crushed, the fresh juice from this plant may be applied topically to any place one may have come in contact with poison ivy. I  don't normally suffer from this allergy but just in case, I did just this after walking through an abundance of it the other day - no bumps to date! 

  

Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) - a member of the Mustard family (Brassicaeae) - it's leaves may be eaten raw or cooked and taste just a cultivated mustard green would taste but more bitter; it's flowers may also be plucked and eaten raw for a wild invasive trailside treat. Be sure to not confuse Dame's Rocket with Phlox (Phlox spp.) which has opposite leaves and flowers with five petals.

What hike through the countryside is complete without a herd of cows clumsily galloping over the hills to follow you on your way - luckily this eager crew were behind a fence unlike some other encounters I can recall along the MST.

Apparently in Erie County you should be on your awares for cowgirls riding tractors

Last but not least, I have  also had the help  and company of some incredible folks...this trail may be one of solitude but the few I have encountered have been quality. I want to showcase these folks in their own post to follow this one, so please do check that one out as well!

 

Also, I'll be posting more pics regularly to my facebook page: The Botanical Hiker, so if you want some more insight to what plant life is out here as well as what's it's like to be out here on this trek, be sure to click on the link to the left of this page or click on this link to follow me: https://www.facebook.com/thebotanicalhiker

 



Little Rock City

Trail  through the rock maze Little Rock City State Forest

The past 3 days have been a mix of every kind of terrain imaginable. I've walked easy goin' country roads passing front-yard farms and horse pastures, huffed and puffed up steep seemingly endless forest roads, and slogged through muddy trail and 12 inch deep muddy logging paths.

Trail along an active logging road

And these are just the roads! About which I'd like to make a quick note - I was curious if the northerners living around the FLT would be as willing and open towards a stranger as the southerners were along the MST - this is no knock against the northerners, I express this concern from my own personal experience and northern perspective, we do tend to be a little more leery. Well...in the first five miles of my roadwalk 2 days ago, I had 2 cars pull over and offer me help, food, water, and even a cold beer, not to mention a lady holler from her front porch to me, "Have a good day!" If these folks are any indication, I'd say I should be well received in these lil New York towns...ya know...maybe we aren't all that different after all. Well, except for maybe our dogs - they all seemed to be leashed.

Trail through a tornado devastated area-this area was thick with trees except for a wide grassy corridor in this saddle

I've climbed steep leafy trails, and descended through thick woods with barely a path beneath me and only blazes marking the way, strolled through open fields and forests of tall Hemlock and Spruce over soft beds of needles.

Oh and over gas pipelines, and ski slopes, across railroad tracks and past cell towers.

Railroad through the tiny town of Salamanca

But Little Rock City was by far the highlight. I hiked for a long ways along dirt forest road through the park, catching glimpses of what was to come by the seemingly random giant boulders that sat shrouded in the woods by tall trees, ferns, and blackberry brambles. But after a long uphill climb I reached this enchanted place.

Entrance to the rock maze of Little Rock City State Forest

Here the trail wound me through a literal maze of boulders the size of two-story houses. The corridors therein trapped cool moist air and smelled of moss and dirt and stone. At my feet were bright green mosses, large Trillium (Trillium) leaves (the flowers already past), Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), Common Wood Sorrel (Oxalis montana), Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens), and Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium americanum).

Golden Saxifrage (Chrysosplenium americanum)

 Atop these giant rocks were forests as well, where these same mosses and wildflowers had made their home as well as Yellow Birch Trees (Betula alleghaniensis) that had found just enough soil to survive as saplings and then when they needed more nutrients inched their roots down the rock faces to the earth below.

Roots of Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)

And Ferns. All around me, above, below, beside me - Christmas Fern (Polystitcum arostichoides), Common Polypody (Polypodium virginianum), Sensitive Fern(Onoclea sensibis), New York Fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis), and perhaps more.

Reproductive spores on a Common Polypody (Polypodium virginianum)

I awoke to heavy rain this morning where I was camped at an old Civil Conservation Corps campsite in the state forest...lucky for me it was a town day. Even better...a town with a hotel. It is predicted to rain throughout the night and tomorrow morning, so I am happily staying the night in Ellicotville. I also have a whole lot of prep to do as I am branching off and following the Conservation Trail tomorrow or the next day (haven't decided on mileage yet). This trail has less resupply and trickier camping....but I say it's worth it to see Niagara Falls!