Location: Mendon, NY
Length: 2.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 233 feet – some steps, some slopes
Pros: Pretty views, wildlife, picnic tables and outhouses at the trailhead, boardwalks built alongside some of the muddy areas
Cons: several trails connecting and overlapping – a bit confusing, also the bugs were fairly aggressive.
Our time in New York is coming to an unexpected end (more on that in a few days) and I wanted to fit in one last hike here. Barry was busy today, so once again I ventured out solo. I’m not sure why I picked this one, except it fit my length and elevation parameters, and the name intrigued me!
The trail is in Mendon Ponds Park, a 2500-acre county park about 30 minutes from where we live. The “bathtub” is a kettle hole, a depression left by a melting glacier of ages past. Now filled with water, it is surprisingly deep and cold, and home to a variety of wildlife. My trail took me past two larger ponds as well, one named “Deep Pond” (so creative! 😂) and the other the “Hundred Acre Pond”. I journeyed through some woods and marshlands, and up (and down) steep ridges. Several paths crisscross the park, and I thought I started with the pink trail markers, but then there was a purple one, then they switched to orange. If I didn’t have a trail app on my phone I might still be out there! As the summer goes on, and I complete more hikes, hopefully I will become a more confident navigator.
There were half a dozen cars parked at the trailhead, but my only companions for this hike were some playful chipmunks, glittering dragonflies, splashing frogs, a chorus of birds, and this beautiful deer. She was just off the side of the trail foraging for her mid-afternoon snack. She looked at me several times while she was munching. We chatted and she let me take her picture. 😉 Then she ambled on down the path. She was an unexpected little sunbeam of joy.
Fellow Gen X-ers: Is THIS the quicksand people on TV were always falling into when we were kids?? 😂 IYKYK
Yes, it was hot today (summer has finally arrived in NY), and the insects were… buggy, but this hike was gratifying on so many levels. It provided some healthy physical activity and chipped away at my 20-mile goal. Walking through the beautiful forest and under the green canopy refreshed my emotional and spiritual health in yet another season of plot twists. Scenes of serene waters, the breeze rustling through the reeds, all of nature, whispering of the glory of God. A tranquil afternoon with no pressure, no agenda. A chance to just be.
I want to encourage you all to get outside. Find your joy, your peace.
Til next time, shine bright friends!
~Dawn 🌻
YES Love this!!!! Nature has become a beautiful sanctuary for me, even if some days it’s just sitting on my back porch watching the squirrels and birds do their thing!
And Todd, your new little fox friend!
YES Love this!!!! Nature has become a beautiful sanctuary for me, even if some days it’s just sitting on my back porch watching the squirrels and birds do their thing!