Erv Markert was chairman of the Trails Committee for almost twenty years. He served on numerous state and national organizations developing useful working relationships with public employees promoting hiking and trails. Read more here.

2014 Erv Markert Hike – Saturday, Oct 11

Onondaga / Skyline / Fellows Hill Trails
FLT Map O1 in Cortland and Onondaga Counties

Hike Leaders

Sigi and Horst Schwinge, [email protected], 315-437-6906.

Hike Description

Short Hike, 6 miles – ​ Take in the sights found on this stretch of the Skyline Trail from Heiberg Memorial Forest to Labrador Pond (​with ​boardwalk over the pond’s wetlands) and on to the lower end of Tinker Falls.

L​ong Hike, 10 miles – Continuing beyond the point where the short hike ends, we go steeply uphill to the top of the falls and take the blue-blazed Onondaga Trail over Jones Hill with breathtaking views over Labrador Pond and the valley below. Dropping down to the serene Spruce Pond we take the new 1.3 mile section of the orange blazed Fellows Hill Trail through some beautiful glens and along creeks with little waterfalls, to our endpoint on Herlihy Rd.

Meeting Location

Meet at 9:00 AM Herlihy Rd. to coordinate car shuttles for the short and long hikes. Meet at the parking area on the right side of the road at the first trail crossing of the Fellows Hill Loop Trail, this is after the pavement ends.

Directions

Take I-81 to the Tully exit #14, go east on NY Rt. 80 for about 5 miles, then turn right on Herlihy Rd for a little over 1 mile. ​

Hike Report

This past Saturday, October 11, 2014, twenty five hikers joined up from across central NY for the annual Fall “Erv Markert” hike sponsored by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference.  Many of the participants were members of the Finger Lakes Trail Conference and/or the Triple Cities Hiking Club, the Cayuga Trails Club, or the ADK-Onondaga chapter.

Sigi Schwinge, a member of the FLTC Board of Managers as well as the ADK-Onondaga chapter, led the 10 mile long hike while her husband Horst led a shorter 6 mile version.  Our thanks to Sigi and Horst for a job very well done !

This hike was along the Onondaga Trail system in Cortland County.  We started at the Heiberg Memorial Forest and hiked through Kettlebail State Forest, Labrador Hollow Unique Area, and Tinkers Falls where the short hike ended.

The longer hike then continued up to Jones Hill and its stunning view over Labrador Pond, and then down to Spruce Pond to pick up the Fellows Loop Trail to the endpoint on Herlihy Rd.

It was a near perfect fall day, with colors near their peak and a mix of sun (in the morning) and clouds (in the afternoon).

The Onondaga Trail is a branch of the Finger Lakes Trail, the North Country National Scenic Trail follows the FLT from Allegany State Park to central NY and then picks up the Onondaga Trail on its way through the southern Adirondacks.

One of the highlights on the Onondaga Trail is Tinker Falls, you’ll see pictures of it in the photo album, just a “tinkle” of water this time of year.  But almost as nice as the falls is the new set of rock steps recently built through a joint venture of the NY DEC and the ADK (Adirondack Mtn Club).  The steps take you up the side of the falls and behind them before then taking you the rest of the way to the top of the falls.

The hike was named for Erv Markert, an early member of the now 52 year old FLTC organization.  This is one of four annual “named hikes” sponsored by the FLTC, the next one (Howard Beye hike) will be January 10, 2015 on the Letchworth Branch Trail, it will be led by Cathy Concannon.

Pictures have been posted to the TCHC’s picasa album, here’s the direct link.

(Alternatively, go to triplecitieshikingclub.org, click on ‘photo albums’, and look for the Erv Markert album.)

Thanks,
Larry Blumberg

​(coordinator for the FLT’s “named hike” series​
[email protected]