Greenway Farms 4.30.13

Greenway Farms  What a turnout.  This was the largest group we have had I think.  There were 21 hikers all told.  The weather was perfect and Boodie did a great job of leading this hike.  He kept everyone together.  Greenway Farms is always a great place to go and the back trails are relatively little used.  There was one up hill climb on the first trail, but once that was completed the trails were all easy from there on.  The Boy Scout Trail is really nice.  Of course there were wildflowers along the trail with ample May Apples.  And guess what, I didn't get a single tick.  We saw a beautiful Gray Rat Snake on a tree branch (see pictures) that politely posed for pictures without getting upset.  After the hike a group of us went to BiBa's Restaurant for lunch and good conversation.  I would rate this hike as easy and and the distance was 4 miles.  If you would like to see a few pictures, click on the Greenway Farms tab above.

Audubon Mountain

Today we had 15 hikers.  It was a near perfect day for hiking.  The temperature was warm and the sun was shining brightly.  After this hike, I have only found three ticks and one tiny seed tick that was probably left over from the Tick Fest at Pot Point.  This hike is two miles downhill and then two miles back up.  Audubon really needs to maintain this trail better.  With all the leaf litter, it was very difficult to follow the trail and even though we had hiked this trail in the past we got off trail several times on the way down. Even with all the leaves and steepness nobody fell on the way down.  There were numerous trees down and we either had to hike around them or saw our way through.  Along the way were many beautiful flowers.  Once we got down to the bottom at the cabin it all went wrong.  Some of the group immediately started back, some went on to a gate about 1.5 miles further and some delayed their return.  This meant that multiple groups were trying to find their way back up a poorly marked trail.  Turns were missed and some of the group ending up hiking seven or more miles!  Some members had chosen to not bring water.  This was a big mistake.  The poor hike leader must have hiked 10 miles up and down the trail trying to find everybody.  Luckily I had recorded the track on my GPS and the two people with me made the return trip fairly easily, only getting off trail a couple of times.  This four mile trail is moderate in difficulty.  If you would like to see some pictures click on the Audubon Mountain tab above.

Heiss Mountain 3.20.13

3.20.13   On this long hike there were 10 hikers.  All along the way there were wild flowers in bloom which made this hike that much more enjoyable.  This along with the large amount of water flowing in the creeks made this long and strenuous hike one of the best.  I would rate this hike as strenuous.  If you would like to see a few pictures taken along the way click on the Heiss Mountain tab at the top.

Pot Point

4.16.13   Today we had 13 hikers.  The day was overcast but the temperature was just about perfect.  It was in the mid 70's.  We brought a along some trash bags to pick up any trash.  As we walked along the river the bags quickly became full as you can see in the group picture.  Along the way we spotted many wild flowers.  Trillium and May Apple were everywhere, but we failed to find any Little Brown Jug.  Parts of the trail were very muddy, but we slogged through.  My GPS quit gpsing at about 1.5 miles so I didn't get a good distance reading, but I estimate, from past hikes, that the trail was about 3.5 miles long.  Lets mention our favorite little friends, TICS.  I was covered in tics.  Big tics and those little seed tics.  They were everywhere, even where I had sprayed.  I guess the mild winter has left them in abundance.   I would rate the trail as easy except for the initial climb which was a little tiring for those of us not in shape.  If you would like to see a few pictures, click on the Pot Point tab above.

Piney River 4.13.13

Piney River   Today there were 9 hikers on the trail.  It was a beautiful day and the river was full making for an also beautiful hike.  Since this was a strenuous hike the hike was not completed until 2:00 PM.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the hike.  The distance was eight miles.  If you would like to see a few pictures from the hike, click on the Piney River tab above.