HEMLOCK

Sunday, October 17, 2010

After the detailed planning and strenuous effort of the major lake walks, autumn brought a sense of urgency about finishing all the lakes in the same season. By mid-October, only Hemlock and Conesus remained. Hemlock is another lake in the Rochester watershed that doesn’t allow swimming. I did manage to get my feet wet during this excursion, however.

On a fairly warm and partly cloudy day, I parked off Rix Hill Road at Hemlock State Park near the northern end of the lake. Proceeding west and then south on Blank Road, I saw a monastery, St. Michael’s Mission House for which Mission Road is named. This route continues west from the lake toward Bishop Road and south on Marrowback Road.

The route around Hemlock is quite hilly with no real views of the lake from roads that seldom approach close to the shore. As I descended a long hill, a neighborhood dog first barked at me and then decided to become my new best friend. She stayed with me for a couple of miles, long enough that I worried about how I’d find her owners later that day. Finally she gave up and trotted off, hopefully back to her happy home.

I continued on alone to Kellogg Road where I ignored a sign that indicated a road closing, only to find that the sign should also have mentioned that a bridge was missing. Rather than backtrack, I removed my sneakers and socks to walk through a shockingly cold stream. I can surmount any obstacle!

Feet dried and warmed, I turned left on Route 15A and north all the way back to Rix Hill Road, finishing the twenty-four mile walk in close to seven hours. With time to spare, I drove to nearby Conesus Lake on a scouting foray. Conesus would be my final Finger Lake walk!