Day 45 (September 18, 2017)

All night, the soothing symphony of crickets and jake brakes from I-81. Late start - not yet adjusted to trail time. Steeply up to the Hoxie Gorge Lean-to for lunch, nice spot if a little trashy. Good flowing stream.

New York State is dotted with various state forests and wilderness areas, such as the Hoxie Gorge State Forest. Many were abandoned farm homesteads that were reclaimed by the state and are mainly used for recreation, and occasionally for logging. But most land is privately held, and a lot of it's still farmed. The Finger Lakes Trail Conference negotiates easements with these landowners to give the trail a route between the bits of wilderness. So a typical day on the FLT has a little mountain, a little forest, a little farmland, and a little road.

Today's that sort of typical day, and we're quickly back in the FLT groove, hiking in the open on a beautiful day between fields. One farm has a hilltop picnic table with a view, where we pause and study maps. 

Other fields are fallow, full of asters and goldenrod.

Back in the forest, we find wild parsnip and apples, maybe the remains of a century-old garden and orchard. This land has been through a lot over the years.

The afternoon is hot and we're eager to make camp and cool off. We find a pleasant bluff above a little stream and dine on the heaviest meal in the inventory, cous-cous and tuna, very fine!