This past winter a friend and I decided to go on a hike. Our winter season had been punctuated by periods of unseasonable warmth. It was supposed to be nice so we planed to go on an adventure.

And what an adventure it was.

We wanted to hike some new sections of trails in a state forest we like to visit. We have been there multiple times but usually stick to the same trails. On this adventure we wanted to try something different.

And different is what we got.

We looked at the maps and tried to figure out what “roads” we needed to take to get to the trailhead we wanted to start at. It looked like most if not all the options required traversing some dirt roads. We didn’t think too much about it. We had both driven in state forests before. Turns out we should have thought about it more.

With the rapidly warming and freezing temperatures we had experienced throughout winter the roads were in unusual conditions. We were just expecting muddy roads. What I got was a road that started out as a road then I encountered a sign that said the road was maintained as snowmobile trail and would not be suitable for standard vehicles and advised not to proceed. I had to turn around.

We also did not realize we would not have good cell service. So we couldn’t connect to update each other on our progress or where we were to meat up.

I tried a different nearby road. This one seemed more promising. Until I arrived at a giant tree that had fallen completely across the road. I had to turn around again.

I continued to send messages to my friend hoping they would go through. Letting her know what my status was and asking if she was having better luck.

I had just barely enough service to look at my maps and find another road to try. As I was heading down that road and into the forest I saw a car approaching me from the opposite direction. This gave me hope. Someone else was out here. The road must be passable.

Nope, wrong answer. The car approaching me was my friend. She turned around and headed back out of the forest. When she tried to park she ended up on a large patch of ice and her car nearly slid off the road and into a ravine.

So, our adventure was becoming much more of an adventure and we hadn’t even left our cars yet. We decided to regroup at the trail head where we normally start from. But we would try to explore one of the other trails more too rather than doing the normal loop we do.

We were in Connecticut Hill State Forest. The standard loop we often hike here is called the VanLone Loop. This loop includes a section of the Finger Lakes Trail. To make a little something different we decided that at the far end of the loop where we connect to the FLT we would turn the opposite way we could go to complete the loop and hike as far out in that direction as we wanted before retracing our steps to complete the loop or return the way we had come.

I haven’t hike the loop in a while, but I knew that if we went one direction we would definitely have to cross to streams in quick succession after a mile or two. I was prettier sure that if we went the other way we may be able to avoid any stream crossings at all if we just did an out and back.

My friend was pretty sure that there was a stream crossing if we went the other way as well. I insisted that I didn’t think there was. I was wrong. She was right. There was a stream crossing. And with all the melting snow the stream was rather high. And there was no obvious place to cross.

The only option was to turn back and abandon the hike. After all the work we did to finally get here, that wasn’t really an option. Or we could plunge into the literally freezing cold water. In we plunged. It is always the initial shock of cold that gets you. But other than that it wasn’t the works possible stream crossing.

The scenery on the hike was outstanding. Even for a route I had been on multiple times in the past. Hiking in different conditions really changes a place.

The melting snow created new textures and interesting contrast in the woods. We hiked on. Enjoying the scenery and the unique challenges of this hiking experience. Talking about our terrible driving decisions to just get here and what we should have done and what we would do next time.

The different landscape and the melting snow created some interesting sights. As we moved up and down valleys with different densities of trees the mix of cold air from the melting snow and the warm air from the heat that was causing the snow to melt in the first place was creating these interesting layers of fog. And the fog just clung in space low along the tree trunks. It really gave the forest a spooky and mystical feel.

After the foggy phase of the hike we entered the perpetually wet phase of the hike. Once our feet were a little bit dry from our stream crossing we reached the section of the trails where the terrain leveled out a little bit. Level terrain is nice most times after a bit of climbing. However, the snow was melting. The ground was flat, so the meltwater wasn’t running off anywhere. And since it was winter and still mostly cold out, the ground was frozen. The frozen ground was not letting the water permeate and absorb into the earth.

This meant that the water stayed on the surface of the ground. So, we had a lot of wet slick mud to traverse. And when there wasn’t mud it was simply standing water. Step after step after step into the water. We gave up on trying to keep our feet dry.

Eventually, after exploring more of the FLT that we don’t often see we returned to the junction of the original trail where we could either return to the cars the way we came or complete the loop. We decided we might as well complete the loop to keep providing variety to our experience.

Taking that route brought us to one of my favorite parts of the trail and one of the big reasons I like hiking this trail. There is a stream that traverses the hillside. And in places it cuts a rather deep gorge into the hill. As one would expect with all the meltwater the stream was running with more water than I normally see it with.

The water scours the hillside clearing the dirt and leaving only exposed rock. Rocky outcroppings and cliffs. But that combination makes for some beautiful little waterfalls flowing across the landscape. These already beautiful waterfalls were enhanced by the extra volume of water and the ice along the edges. I got to see these falls in a way that I never had before.

Eventually we arrived at the location I had been trying to avoid at the very beginning. But our feet were already soaked so it made less of a difference. Still we knew the water would be cold.

And the water here was higher than I had ever seen it. Still crossable but at a height where you were sure to get your whole foot at least wet. As I plunged in and started to forge my way across the stream the water rippled around my feet and legs. Eventually the water got high enough it was at least mid way yo my calf.

And after we crossed that stream. We had a brief reprieve. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery where the water emerges from the hillside into this flat section. But, then we had to emerge our feet in the cold, cold water yet again. We crossed.

The final few miles are some of the most enjoyable and scenic. The trail meanders along a stream bed. The trails itself is relatively flat compared to the rest of the trail we had already hiked. Our feet dried a little. We talked and we walked. Eventually arriving back at our cars. Vowing never to do something as stupid as driving into the forest in the winter again.

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