Excellent coffee and baked goods for breakfast at the Vinehurst. We meet the owner, who kindly allows me a short bit of blogging at the computer behind the desk. (I was behind then, and I'm still behind now...) We pocket a couple of croissants to befriend our leftover steak. (Thanks Vinehurst!)
On the trail, it's cold! We've filled the water bottles with ice, as we instinctively do when leaving a hotel, but it barely melts. Definitely a hint that summer's on the wane.
So, what trail do we hike today? Why, the "trail dejour!"
Just kidding. That's what we thought the sign said from a few paces, but it's actually "TRAIL DETOUR". Of course. This detour, though unfortunate, is not unexpected... the trail runs over a lot of private land around here and so is subject to the fickle priorities of the landowners. This particular portion has been "temporarily" closed for years now; no clear reason as to why. There are some lovely views from the poetically named Winding Stair Road, but sadly not of Keuka Lake.
Just before heading back into the woods, we fill up with water at a pumped well generously shared by the Jacquier family. Thanks, Jacquiers!
Back in state land, we're treated to an excellent bench next to a big old maple tree and the ruins of farmhouse. It's in memory of a hiker of note:
"Hiker," says Deb, "maybe that's what I am..." We won't rate as End-to-End hikers on this trip, though. Even if we do make it to the end and connect with the Long Path (which seems increasingly iffy), we'll be about 63 miles shy since we picked up the FLT at the intersection with the Conservation Trail, not the western terminus. Hopefully we can revisit that portion some year soon.
Since we're back in the state forest now, we can camp with relative impunity. Nonetheless we feel a little pressure to make some distance this evening because of rain predicted for tomorrow morning, which always slows us down. We pitch near dusk on a tree-covered hill, perfect for lashing up the rain tarp, and dig into our miraculous steak, croissant, and wine dinner, with pleasant memories of Pleasant Valley.
...Oh, and with an amazing 215-point hand, Deb wins our long-delayed card game:
D -45 5 60 115 160 125 185 340 400 615
J 80 110 120 85 100 185 210 295 470 570
this all sounds pretty amazing. come to LA and tell us about your adventures in person!
ReplyDeleteGood idea! We can turn around and take the FLT back to its western terminus, pick up the North Country Trail in Pennsylvania and follow it all the way to North Dakota, jog over to Montana on the Lewis and Clark Trail, zip down the Continental Divide Trail to Wyoming... then west on the Mormon Pioneer Trail to Salt Lake City, where we pick up the Pony Express Trail to San Fran, and finally the Juan Bautista De Anza Trail down the coast to LA! Expect the surviving members of our party around June or July of 2023.
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