Danby State Forest - Michigan Hollow to Tamarack Lean-to
Last summer I described my journey along the popular Abbot Loop in Danby State Forest, just south of the small city of Ithaca, NY. Well, it also turns out a gorgeous stretch of the nearly 600-mile long Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) crosses Danby State Forest in a mainly west to east direction, passing through deep mixed deciduous hardwood forests that are splendidly green and lush come mid-June. As you may recall, these protected lands are part of the expansive "Emerald Necklace", a belt-like corridor existing south of Cayuga Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. My goal of this hike was to reach the Tamarack Lean-to, built a decade ago, and then retrace my steps back to my starting point in the hillside cut Michigan Hollow. I've only visited this lean-to once, and my memory of the trail to get there is a bit foggy, at best, so I was eager to revisit. And once the FLT continues past the reaches of the Abbot Loop, other hikers aren't as frequent as this part isn&