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Erie County Forest
"That which does not make you stronger might be lots of fun before it kills you." — D.U.
The Scarbuck Trail in Winter
This was a horribly cold, snowy day -- a bizarre change after near 80 degree weather yesterday for our hike in Darien Lakes State Park. It was also, incidentally, my 30th birthday and the first day of Spring.
There are several trails to choose. We picked the Scarbuck trail (yellow trail markings), which is a 2.75 mile loop with its extension, because it is less frequented by snowmobilers and cross country skiiers.
This was my first time on snowshoes, although Karl had been previously this season. I found it extremely tiring, especially since the wet snow kept crusting into icy snowballs on the bottom of the snowshoes. My feet felt like they weighed 30 pounds apiece. I was also having balance problems in the hilly areas, so I grabbed a fallen tree branch for support.
I had envisioned walking on top of the snow like Jesus walking on water. My largest complaint was "these darn things aren't doing any good. I'm still sinking into the snow. I could do just as well in my boots." Was I wrong! I took off one of the snowshoes to test, and I sank into the snow nearly up to my knee!
Here we entered what we termed "The Dark Forest". The trees are so close together that they block out most of the sunlight. It's very eerie, especially combined with the constant creaking of the trees in the wind.
We saw many animal tracks. Sadie smelled a deer, and bounded over a log to chase the scent.
The Conservation trail also cuts through this area and is marked by orange trail heads. For the second time this year, we missed a turn on our trail. After 2 miles, we realized we were off the trail and retraced our steps back. We plan to come back in the summer to try again.
Across the street are warm-up sheds with wood stoves. There are also maps of the cross-country ski and snowmobile trails (but sadly, not the Scarbuck hiking trail, else we might not have gotten lost!)
Located on Genesse County Road.
Visit Erie County Forest's Silent Woods Trail.
Thanks to my husband Karl for generating a map of the region.
View a topographic map of the Erie County Reforestation Area
Photos by Jennifer and Karl Weir, 1998
