The Road Less Travelled-A Late Fall Hike at Bowman Lake State Park
Volume 18-Taking Advantage of Some Mild December Weather
Welcome back to my series on outdoor adventure. Here we are, only about two weeks until Christmas, and this week the temperatures are running way above normal. Has there been cold weather in November and early December? Yes. Even an inch or so of snow several times. But it hasn’t stayed long. However, Winter isn’t officially here yet, so there's plenty of time for cold and snow.
For those of you who follow my stories, you know that I love to mountain bike and cross-country ski. The season for biking is pretty much over, as the temperatures are mild for December, but still cold for biking. So while I wait for snow cover, I will go on a few hikes. It’s a great time of the year to get outside and walk or hike here in Central New York State. No bugs, no heat and no humidity.
I have skied at Bowman Lake for years, enjoying the park roads and trails. The peace and quiet are wonderful. And the beauty. I biked here this summer also, an equally enjoyable but different experience.
December 12th was a nice day at Bowman Lake State Park. A nice Sunday. As I wrote about previously, there’s nothing like a Sunday. Temperatures were in the 40s, however, there were still remnants of a strong wind that howled the night before with wind gusts in the area around 50 miles per hour. I was glad I had my hat and gloves and scarf. Definitely needed.
I parked at the beach parking lot, walked across the small beach, and alongside the lake to the dam. The dam is quite long but since it is level it provides good walking. However, the wind is always strong at this end of the lake and it was no different this day.
I then examined some ruins from the Kopac family, who had a farm at this site years ago, before the land was purchased by NY State. There are still foundations visible of the house and barn, not far from the dam, which obviously wasn’t there years ago. The origin of the campground goes back to 1962, however, I'm not sure when the dam was built to form the 35-acre lake. My guess is that there was already a small pond there.
I then crossed Bliven Sherman Road and headed down Bowman Road about a quarter-mile. There can be found Gale Cemetery; a small, old cemetery similar to numerous others in this area. Remnants of an age gone by. Most of the graves were of people who passed in the late 1880s, some the early 1900s. Small flags marked the graves of a few veterans. One was marked as a veteran of the War of 1812. So much history. So remote. So peaceful.
Daylight was fading, so I turned around to head back towards the lake and my car. About a mile to go. The wind was subsiding which made the return hike better. I took a slightly different route back to the car, to keep things interesting. The park is large with many roads to choose. The sun angles made for some great photos as they illuminated the forest and trees.
It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, even though I am retired. Always good to take a break, even though holiday decorating can be therapeutic. We are pretty much done with the Christmas decorations, so I will have more time now to enjoy nature and write about my outdoor adventures.
