EXPLORING CHENANGO
COUNTY BY HIKING – JUNE 2016
Donald A. Windsor
The best way to
explore Chenango County is to walk it. I lead hikes every Sunday
morning, year around, for the Bullthistle Hiking Club and report them
on our Yahoo group site. Here are my reports for June 2016.
5 June 2016
– Whaupaunaucau State Forest, North Norwich
Outnumbered by snappers! First
time ever. We had 3 hikers and encountered 4 snapping turtles. On
Sunday 5 June 2016 we ventured into the Whaupaunaucau State Forest in
North Norwich. We were scheduled to go to Pitcher, but figured why
drive all the way there to hike in the gloomy rain when we could do
that right here in the good old Whaupaunaucau. Attending were Joyce
Post, Maryann Weiss, and Don Windsor. We hiked 4.9 miles in 2.8 hours
for a speed of 1.8 miles per hour.
We parked at the lower gate
and hiked up the Truck Trail to where the upper gate used to be. We
then turned around and took our well-deserved break at the entrance
to Trail 6. Refreshed, we backtracked to our cars.
In addition to the 4 snappers
we also had a painted turtle. All were females out to lay their eggs.
We saw 2 of them digging nests. We also saw a dead ring-necked snake
and two cases of slugs feeding on flattened road-killed toads. Red
efts of all sizes were on the roads.
12 June 2016 – Pitcher
Springs loop
Sunshine, clouds, and wind on
Sunday morning 12 June 2016 when 8 hikers trudged along the steep
hills of the Pitcher Springs loop: John Carhart, Joyce Mosher, John
Nesbitt, Joyce Post, Art Sandberg, Sharron Sandberg, Maryann Weiss,
and Don Windsor. We covered 4.7 miles in 2.6 hours for a speed of 1.8
miles per hour.
We parked at the fishing
access lot on Mill Street in North Pitcher and hiked up Grewe Road
and down to the Springs, where we took our well-deserved break in the
pavilion. Refreshed, we ambled down to the spring itself and sniffed
the odoriferous waters. Exhilarated by their putative benefits, we
trundled up Graham Road and down to our cars.
The extensive, unmowed
grasslands did have a few Bobolinks, males flying slowly over the
fields singing their “tink, tink, tink” calls. On Graham, one of
our hikers paused to scratch his, … ah …, donkey. The rest of us
stood in amazement up to our collective keesters in a vast field of
white daisies. All through the hike the Black Locusts were fragrantly
blooming, a sure sign that spring has concluded.
19
June 2016 – Grouse Gorge, Pharsalia Windlife Management Area
Grouse Gorge is one of the
best gorges in Chenango County, so on a warm Sunday morning, 19 June
2016, we 10 hikers ambled along its eastern edge: John Carhart, Peg
Fuller, Joyce Mosher, John Nesbitt, Joyce Post, Art Sandberg, Sharron
Sandberg, Robin Van Wagner, Maryann Weiss, and Don Windsor. We
covered 3.1 miles in 2.9 hours for a speed of 1.1 miles per hour.
We parked at the old Y-Camp on
Elmer Jackson Road and hiked the Blue FLT southeasterly until the end
of state land. We then bushwhacked along the gorge to its spectacular
terminus. Whereupon we took our well-deserved break amongst the shady
hemlocks. This was on private land but Peg had obtained permission.
We then backtracked to our cars.
The route we took was once the
main FLT. When the property was bought by a new owner, we were
evicted. White blazes still remain attached at the terminus. The Blue
Trail has a dead end spur which is quite confusing. It needs a
clarifying sign.
Chenango County has more
gorges than most of its residents realize. This has been a dry year
so we will try to go along a few more.
An ideal sunny Sunday morning
for hiking had 7 hikers in the 5-Streams State Forest in German on 26
June 2016: John Carhart, John Nesbitt, Joyce Post, Art Sandberg,
Sharron Sandberg, Maryann Weiss, and Don Windsor. We covered 6.6
miles in 3.1 hours for a speed of 2.1 miles per hour.
We parked in the DEC lot on
Gremch Road and hiked south to Shingle Street. We went southeasterly
on Shingle to Pheasant Farm Road. Near the intersection we took our
well-deserved break. We then hiked north on Pheasant Farm to
Birdlebough Road and took that west to Gremch and then north to our
cars.
Our break spot was a large
stone foundation with a circular iron rod used for ringing a silo.
The photos show our hikers examining it. Although the roads we hiked
had no vehicular traffic during our hike, two dead snakes were found,
a red-bellied and a freshly killed garter. Wildflowers were
plentiful.
