Three Rivers Outdoor Club

Saturday, May 14 Spanish Loop Trail Hike. This is a 6 mile hike on the Finger Lakes Trail in Kennedy State Forest in Cortland County. We will be hiking along a beautiful stream and through scenic woods. This hike is of easy to moderate difficulty with some uphill climbs. Bring waterproof boots, water, and a snack (or lunch). Contact Ken Osika at [email protected] for meeting place and time.

Had a great walk about at the Cornell Botanic Garden, wildflower garden and arboretum. Beautiful sunny 60 degree day. Thanks everyone!! Great to see old friends and meet some new people too!

This upcoming Saturday, April 30th, we will be doing a hike/wander at the Cornell Botanic Gardens and Mundy Wildflower Garden in Ithaca. The early spring wildflowers should be in full bloom. We might be a little late for bloodroot and hepatica but there will be other flowers such as trillium and marsh marigold to enjoy. This is a very easy hike and we will take our time to explore the Botanic Gardens, Wildflower Garden and even the Arboretum. Please do not attend unless you are vaccinated. This is not a wet trail so you will not need waterproof boots. Bring your lunch or a snack and we will eat on the trail. Send an email to [email protected] if you are interested and I will give you the meeting time and place. Enjoy the rest of your week. Ken Osika

I am happy to announce that we will be resuming our outing schedule this spring. We will be sending out a description of each outing the weekend before. I know this is not ideal but it gives us flexibility to cancel outings in case of a COVID outbreak. We ask that you attend only if you are fully vaccinated. This is for the safety of the other participants as well as for yourself. Our hikes will be either loop hikes or in/out hikes. There will be no carpooling. The meeting p...lace will be at a central location or at the hike start. There also may be bike trips and kayak outings. If you are receiving this email and no longer wish to be notified, please let me know and I will remove you from the email list. I hope to see some new faces and old friends this year. Have a great weekend!

Earlier this summer it looked promising that we would resume our normal outing schedule this fall. The recent surge in COVID cases in our area has made me change my mind. I don’t think it would be wise to have large gatherings at this time. I hope that everyone stays healthy and I hope to see new faces and old friends during our outings next spring (fingers crossed). Have a nice autumn and winter! Ken Osika

Had a nice 6 mile hike on the Finger Lakes Trail, Spanish Loop. It's located east of Ithaca. Lots of trillium and other wild flowers. Beautiful trail that follows numerous streams. Don't forget your waterproof boots though!

New Hike Ideas It's been about 2-1/2 weeks since I sent out some hike ideas to the group. I hope that everyone has had a chance to get out and hike. We have had at least one good day each weekend to stretch our legs. My wife and I have been out quite a bit and have never seen so many hikers out and about. Lots of families and young people. Great to see! This week I want to give you two choices. One which is more difficult but worthwhile and the other is an area which I ...have never hiked but one of our hike leaders, Jeff Ahrens, recommends. Both might be wet and muddy, so don't forget your waterproof boots. Abbott Loop This is a moderately challenging 8 mile loop hike in Danby State Forest south of Ithaca. You will climb to Thatcher's Pinnacle which has breathtaking views of the Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve on Cayuga Inlet. This is part of the Finger Lakes Trail and can be found on map M18. Well worth the hike. Two Rivers State Park Recreation Area This park is just west of Waverly, New York and has numerous trails. Here is the link on Google Maps - https://www.google.com//data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x89d00b8721e2a1cd have also attached a hiking map. Also check out the Ithaca Trails website for great hike ideas - https://ithacatrails.org Hope everyone stays safe. Enjoy the hikes. Ken Osika

Please feel free to make your own posts of ideas for outdoor activities that can be done while social distancing! Thanks! This pic was from Ken and my hike last weekend at Huckleberry Bog. Great hike! Huckleberry Bog hike north of Hammondsport ,NY... This is one of my all time favorite hikes. It is scenic and very educational. Here is an excerpt from the write-up on the FLTC website: The Huckleberry Bog Nature Trail is on the Bristol Hills Branch of the FLT and may be found on map B3. Not only is this a special place, but Irene Szabo has written a special Nature Trail Guide book including a field guide to plants and trees. You can download a copy and take it along on your hike. This is a terrific family hike. Here is the link - https://fingerlakestrail.org//special-pla/huckleberry-bog/ I would recommend purchasing the map for this hike. Here is the link https://fingerlakestrail.org//ma/purchase-individual-maps/ First find Map B3 and then locate the HBL pointing to that map. Click on this and it will put the Huckleberry Bog Loop in your cart. I would also recommend buying the entire Bristol Branch map series since there are many great hikes on this Finger Lakes Trail branch.

Please make posts to our page with pics of your outdoor adventures!! Thanks We can't get together for hikes right now but we urge you to get outside as much as possible. This is a pic of the first Hepatica we've seen this year. So delicate. Love these flowers.

2 More Hikes! The two hikes for this week are quite different. They are both on the Finger Lakes Trail. One is very easy. The other is of moderate difficulty. One is a one-way hike and the other is a loop hike. 1. Mitchellsville Glen Hike. This hike is a very special hike and is highlighted on the FLTC website (https://fingerlakestrail.org//specia/mitchellsville-gorge/). You can do this hike from the top to the bottom and make it a one-way hike or start at the botto...m and hike upstream and then back if you have only one car. It normally takes around 1 hour to hike from the top to the bottom. It might not be for small children since you will be hiking along a beautiful gorge with steep dropoffs. 2. Van Lone Hill Loop Hike at Connecticut Hill. This is a moderate difficulty loop hike which follow the headwaters of Cayuta Creek for a stretch. It is one of the more popular hikes in the area and is well worth the drive. it is on Map M16 (https://fingerlakestrail.org//ma/purchase-individual-maps/) Enjoy! Ken Osika