My Quality Day: 1.4 Miles, Two Counties

Thursday, February 26, 2026

1.4 Miles, Two Counties

I was determined to at least put a foot on the Finger Lakes/ North Country Trail on this trip. It will be the first year in a long time that I won't get my 50-mile FLT patch, but I don't want it to be ZERO miles.

I had hoped to get on the trail between Irene and Elaine. No time. I marginally thought I might do so between Elaine and Diane. No time. Today, I made it happen. It wasn't much of a hike, but it counts.

On the way to Marie's, I crossed the trail on NY 79. Neither FLT parking was open. The snow was pretty deep on the trail. I put the car on the edge of a trailer park with a note on it because no one seemed to be home that I could ask for permission.

Then I basically hiked the road piece in both directions. I did post-hole in to the kiosk at the west end.

This pretty swale is called Mallow Marsh and it's part of the Cornell University natural area. However, you may be able to tell that the snow is deep, it's not clear that there's not standing water underneath, there is about a six-foot dropoff that may have steps under the snow, but who can tell?

So I walked back on the road.

This is West Owego Creek, the boundary between Tioga and Tompkins Counties. So I hiked in two counties.

I won't even bother showing the other end where the trail goes back into the woods. It was straight up a hill in unbroken snow. But, hey, I was on the trail. And, hey, no one towed my car away.

Just after leaving Interlaken this morning, I passed the house where I grew up that my grandfather built. It's being taken care of nicely, which makes me happy.