Morgan Hill State Forest - Fellows Hill Loop to Tinkers Falls

     Southeast of the city of Syracuse, NY lies a vast region of hills and valleys known by locals as the "Southern Hills".  The area I describe encompasses roughly the villages of Tully, Pompey, Fabius, Preble, Deruyter, and well as the northern tier of Cortland County.  Forests are pretty deep here, and trails are plentiful.    The "Southern Hills" likely account for some of the best close backcountry hiking and camping for Syracuse, since most people in the metro area could reach these trails by car in thirty to forty minutes.  Morgan Hill State Forest, one of such state lands owned by the NYS DEC and covering a total of 5,284 acres, is mostly forested, with a few geological surprises thrown in.  There are a little over 11 miles of marked foot trails in the forest, most of which are part of the Onondaga Trail.  The Onondaga Trail runs for 39 miles and is a branch of the much longer Finger Lakes Trail.  I've hiked many segments of the Onondaga Trail, yet this stretch still remains my absolute favorite.
    Usually I try once every spring to hike the Fellows Hill Loop and make the trek up to Jones Hill and then eventually Tinkers Falls.  So I did the same early in May 2019, on a day of more overcast than I would have liked.  But the hike was still great, and the temps were still warm enough to enjoy the budding spring green.
     I began the hike at a trail head off Herlihy Road right after where it turns from paved to dirt.

I followed this uphill through beautiful stands of evergreens and bright orange paint blazes.  The dampness from the previous night's rain gave the woods an additional appeal.

Further down the ground was carpeted in Trout Lily which happens to be a common understory plant in these parts.

Once I reached the highest point of Fellows Hill about twenty minutes into the hike, I found this old geodetic survey marker in the ground (I always forget this is here so I snapped a picture this time.).

     I'm going to take a liberty and give this foot path the unofficial name Fellows Hill Trail for the purpose of this blog.  You are really atop a hill, although the views to places below are quite obscured by trees and the budding canopy.

 As soon as the trail pitched southward, I passed this tree and the interesting luminesant growth that has coated its old branches.

     These yellow signs tell hikers that they are indeed on the Onondaga Trail, managed by the great, hard-working volunteers for the Finger Lakes Trail Conference (FLTC).  I want to "shout out" to them and say the work they do is incredible and very appreciated by people like me!

  Another point of interest: a sign marker for the Wegman's Passport system.

  Small, young spruce trees found here:

The final leg of the Fellows Hill Trail follows for a short while a stream before crossing it and a jeep trail/snowmobile route.

It then reaches Spruce Pond, protected by hills on its west side and pictured below:

     There was a Boy Scouts camp and some fishermen at Spruce Pond.  I always find a few people by this watering hole, no matter what the weather.  After taking a quick break to eat a snack, I continued along the orange-blazed trail to where it merged with a blue-blazed foot path and followed along the western edge of the pond.

Trillium on the trail - always a tell-tale sign of spring.

I'm not sure what these yellow wildflowers are . . .

     The Fellows Hill Trail forked to the right and headed north and the blue-blazed Onondaga Trail forked to the left before beginning a series of uphill switchbacks that are rather steep and always force me to exert myself.  This is no mountain, by any stretch, but for this area it's enough of a rapid elevation change to make your legs and your heart notice.  But, as I kept climbing, the views of Spruce Pond below me were pretty rewarding!

     My hike, about an hour in at this point, continued down the blue-blazed path through more hardwoods, a section of private property, some VERY muddy sections, and a secluded stream crossing where I passed two other hikers.  The tiniest waterfalls can be seen cascading down the shale stone in this stream.

 

     The next part of the trail has been rerouted in the past year from where it previously traveled.  It seemed the property owner closed off that segment of trail to hikers.  Nevertheless, the path still goes where it intended: the incredibly beautiful, well-visited hang glider lookout spot at the the top of Jones Hill.  This is why I come here! 

     Down below is Labrador Pond and an actual bog, rare in this region of the state.  This spot gets its name from people who hang glide from this lookout that doubles as a launch site.  On this day, I spent nearly ten minutes here to have a water break, some nuts and berries I brought, and take in the spectacular view.  I was surprised to see no other people here, as there often are, but I was also glad to have the place to myself.

     The Onondaga Trail continues its wooded journey along the steep hillside, and I think this part of the trail may be starting to get eroded.  Over the next fifteen minutes or so, I kept going, the path becoming wider and looking like more of an old jeep road before the blue blazes leave the dirt road and head left and further south.  The hills became slowly more steep and angular as I inched closer and closer to my destination and turn back point: Tinker's Falls.

     At last, I reached the top shelf of Tinker's Falls - a little more than two hours into my hike.  This spot is a jewel! 

The falls were rapid because of all the rain.
   

 Looking westerly down the creek and gorge.

     Well, that's it!  The rest of my hike was returning to my car and enjoying the same great scenery but in the opposite direction.  I said earlier this is one of my favorite hikes, and it never gets old for me.  By the time I reached my starting point, I had hiked a grand total of 3 and a half hours.  Most of the hike was moderately challenging, with only two portions that I would consider strenuous.
     One other note: the Onondaga Trail does not end at Tinker's Falls, but keeps on southward through more hill country in Morgan Hill State Forest.  Eventually I intend to explore and blog those additional sections.