Tom Rankin
Well-known member
... No, not firetowers this time! 
Laurie and I travelled to Western NY this weekend to do some hiking and check out some breweries.
We hit Watkins Glen first. You can't actually hike down into the Glen because it's too dangerous! Yeah! Like hiking up Haystack or Algonquin in the winter isn't dangerous! Anyway, we obeyed the rules and stayed along the Rim Trail. There are still some good views to be had, from the bridge, and along the cliff sides.
Next, we drove over to the Sugar Hill fire tower. This was a very short walk to a fire tower that sits atop a mostly cleared hill a few miles west of Watkins Glen. The views were so-so. It is a very nice, tall firetower, and the whole place is now a state park, seemingly devoted to equestrian pursuits in the warmer months.
After that was Ganondagan State Park, near Rochester. The park has several nature trails, with signs pointing out various flora, and how the Seneca people used them. There is also an authentic long house and hunting lodge along the trails. We managed to see a few deer and turkey as we hiked. The trails wander around the grounds, and was the reverse from what we usually do, first going down and then coming back up to the visitor's center.
The next place on our tour was a rail trail hike in the Victor area. It was a very well maintained trail, on the outskirts of the town. There is still quite a bit of wildfile along the trail.
Finally, we visited my son in Syracuse, and he showed us around the campuses of Syracuse University and SUNY ESF. Not exactly a VNB hike, but certainly some elevation gain walking around SU and ESF, and back to his apartment.
And oh yeah! We visted, Roosterfish, Market St., Rohrbachs, The Distillery, and the Syrcause Suds Factory. All had at least 1 good brew. But this is a hiking site!
The whole weekend probably included about 12 miles of walking and maybe 1,000' of elevation gain. It was nice to spread it out over 2 days.
Mavs! Sorry we missed you! I still have to get out to Buffalo, and the far western end of NY some time....
Laurie and I travelled to Western NY this weekend to do some hiking and check out some breweries.
We hit Watkins Glen first. You can't actually hike down into the Glen because it's too dangerous!
Yeah! Like hiking up Haystack or Algonquin in the winter isn't dangerous! Anyway, we obeyed the rules and stayed along the Rim Trail. There are still some good views to be had, from the bridge, and along the cliff sides. Next, we drove over to the Sugar Hill fire tower. This was a very short walk to a fire tower that sits atop a mostly cleared hill a few miles west of Watkins Glen. The views were so-so. It is a very nice, tall firetower, and the whole place is now a state park, seemingly devoted to equestrian pursuits in the warmer months.
After that was Ganondagan State Park, near Rochester. The park has several nature trails, with signs pointing out various flora, and how the Seneca people used them. There is also an authentic long house and hunting lodge along the trails. We managed to see a few deer and turkey as we hiked. The trails wander around the grounds, and was the reverse from what we usually do, first going down and then coming back up to the visitor's center.
The next place on our tour was a rail trail hike in the Victor area. It was a very well maintained trail, on the outskirts of the town. There is still quite a bit of wildfile along the trail.
Finally, we visited my son in Syracuse, and he showed us around the campuses of Syracuse University and SUNY ESF. Not exactly a VNB hike, but certainly some elevation gain walking around SU and ESF, and back to his apartment.
And oh yeah! We visted, Roosterfish, Market St., Rohrbachs, The Distillery, and the Syrcause Suds Factory. All had at least 1 good brew. But this is a hiking site!
The whole weekend probably included about 12 miles of walking and maybe 1,000' of elevation gain. It was nice to spread it out over 2 days.
Mavs! Sorry we missed you! I still have to get out to Buffalo, and the far western end of NY some time....
