Hike + History = Mt Hope Cemetery

Rolling hills make for dramatic views

One sunny, warm Sunday afternoon, we took a long walk through Mt Hope Cemetary. This cemetery is famous for the grave sites of Stephen Douglas, Henry Lomb, Hiram Sibley, Nathaniel Rochester, Margaret Woodbury Strong, and Susan B Anthony.

Bronze Mausoleum Doors

Mount Hope Cemetery is one of the most remarkable Victorian cemeteries in America. Its 196 acres of lofty hills and picturesque valleys created by glaciers were transformed into a beautiful historic cemetery. A mature, diversified forest  forms an arboretum shading thousands of marble, bronze, and granite monuments. The cemetery is a verdant museum of funerary sculpture and mausoleums spanning more than a century and a half.

Monument to the soldiers of the Civil War

The Friends of Mount Hope offer guided walking tours each weekend, May through October.

Close-up view of the Civil War Monument reveals beautiful patina

Dedicated in 1838 in Rochester NY, Mount Hope is America’s first municipal Victorian cemetery.

The cemetery features 82 mausoleums, soaring Egyptian obelisks, winged angels of mercy, a Florentine cast-iron fountain, two stone chapels in Gothic Revival style, a Moorish gazebo, and infinitely varied tombstones marking 350,000 graves.

Great names. And he had 2 wives

Get lost in the sea of green

You can hike over many well trod roads as well as less travelled pathways as you view 2 centuries of memorials in every form and fashion. The winding hills and variety of trees make this a top pick when visiting Rochester.

A Seneca Falls: His Story

View of downtown Senca Falls from the Sculpture Trail

A fabulous post from Not That Geneva:

Seneca Falls Still Matters

Posted on January 27, 2013

I’ve been living in Geneva for a year and a half and I keep meaning to write a post about Seneca Falls, NY.  I was reminded of this intention when Obama referenced it in hisInauguration Address this past week.  Here’s what President Obama had to say:

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth …..

Take the time to visit Seneca Falls.

Seneca Falls Sculpture Trail

Lucien Morin Park — Guided Hikes Unlock the Secrets of the Trail

It’s nice to take a hike, even nicer when you have an experienced guide to share everything you would ever want to know about the plants and the history of the area.

I took a hike with the Penfield Trails Committee to learn more about Lucien Morin Park, aka the Ellison Park Wetland aka The Rifle Range Trail. The Rifle Range Trail is so named because it passes what remains of a rifle range and pistol range formerly used by the National Guard and State Police, during WWII.

View from Hemlock Lake

At normal water levels both Hemlock and Canadice have limited shoreline. Left alone, the forest grows right to the water’s edge. However, after a long dry summer, the lake level drops, creating a generous shore with some startling views.

Buttermilk Falls — See Why Ithaca is Gorges

When tourists come to upstate New York and want to see the unique geological wonders carved out by the glaciers, they usually head to well-known Watkins Glen. However, there are several other gorgeous gorges — one of them right outside of Ithaca, known as Buttermilk Falls State Park.

Bergen Swamp — Finger Lakes Time Travel

Aliens pop up their heads to view the wooded trail

A hike in Bergen Swamp is like taking a trip back 400 million years! This delicate environment of alkaline and acid soils, favors a diversity of plants uncommon in the area.

Bergen Swamp contains 2,000 acres of primeval marshland located in the town of Bergen New York, and was the first site to be designated a Natural National Landmark, but has been protected by the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society since 1935.

May Apples

Orchard at the trail head

It's not easy being green in the middle of an acid bog.

There is a huge variety of species that call the swamp home. On my hike I saw, Dog Tooth Violets, May Apples, Trillium, Marsh Marigold, Cinnamon Ferns, Swamp Cabbage, Beech Trees, and other friendly forest dwellers

I was happy to miss the Rattlesnakes, Queen Snakes, Black Rat Snakes, Ribbon Snakes, and Green Snakes … do you see a theme here?

It is important to remember that it is always wet here, so wear boots. I was in Wellingtons and I still went over the tops in a couple of sink holes right on the path.

See the red flags? Those are your trail markers

Stay on trails. This is a dense forest and it is easy to get lost. Remember that list of snakes I mentioned above. Plus there is the danger of sinking into the bog, as the swampy soil reminded me of the stuff that swallows up bad guys in the movies.

This is where you do not want to hike — sink holes

BergenMap

Waterfalls of Hemlock-Canadice State Forest

Its easier to hike up from the creek at roadside to find these falls

Looking straight down 50+ feet at the top of the lower falls

Hemlock-Canadice State Forest — 6,684 acres, many of them covered with creeks flowing down into our water supply.

The 15A access to Reynolds Gully has smaller falls the trail is short and easy.

Hiking creek beds to get the best possible view of several nice waterfalls off the beaten path.

Careful: the trip from the top of the falls to the bottom can be steep and slippery

Johnson HIll Trail is easy to follow, carpeted in moss early spring.

I hiked the Johnson Hill Trail, accessed via Johnson Hill Rd, off Bald hill Rd, just off Rt 15A, at the southern end of Hemlock Lake.

This one is off state land, but I used a special lens to get close.

County Line Falls is the first waterfalls you see from the Johnson Hill Trail

There are parking lots on 15A, which lead into Reynolds Gully and another one on Johnson Hill Road with a nice 1.5m trail.

Access to trails and falls

South end of Hemlock Lake from Old Bald Hill Rd

Filmore Glen with Finger Lakes Summer

The Finger Lakes region has several awesome parks with waterfalls. Little-known Filmore Glen is another example of the beautiful work of the glaciers that passed through 10,000 years ago and left us the “gorgology” the makes the Finger Lakes region so special. The park has five waterfalls, several miles of great trails and 60 campsites plus a natural stream-fed swimming hole.

Abraham Lincoln Park — Hidden Gem on Irondequoit Bay

A “diamond in the rough” might be used to describe our 16th president, as well as this lovely gem of a park along the bay. Not only are the trails fun to hike, the views they provide are wonderful and the stream bed I explored was full of colorful gems.

Webster: Trail all over town

My idea of a GREAT day is to be able to run two hours of solid trail. That’s not always so easy to find in the suburbs, but Webster New York, is definitely Trail Town. A joint effort between Friends of Webster Trails, The Town of Webster, The Genesee Land Trust, and the Monroe County Parks has created a huge network of connected trails and my perfect run