The Eastside Overland Trail: October 14, 2001

The day was a little too rainy to be out on the water, especially out on the lake with 40 mph wind gusts. However, the urge to be outdoors took us to the Overland Trail in Arkwright.

I hate to backtrack on trails, so we decided to do a loop that is in land owned by New York State and Chautauqua County. It was easy to get there. Going north on Route 60 from Jamestown, we took a right onto Bard Road in Cassadaga. The entrance to the trail was on the left, well marked, with parking for about 4 cars.

Using the "Eastside Overland Trail" map published by the Chautauqua County Parks Dept, we went from point A to F on the trail, then back to A by roadway. This four miles took us about two hours.

The trail was well maintained. We easily walked three abreast the whole way. Penny, our golden retriever, was our scout. This was her first hike, and she impressed me by staying on the trail and close to us.

The first half of the trail was mostly uphill. It was great to take in the smell of fall in the air. After trudging up the hills for awhile, though, the need for oxygen overtook the sensual aspect of breathing.

Hiking a leaf-strewn trail takes me back in time. Kicking through the leaves, we watched the color patterns change and heard them crunch under our boots. Even though it was a drizzly day, the trail was alive with color. We need moments like these to forget about stressful events in our lives and in the world. It recharges and refreshes us.

With our lunches in our backpacks, we arrived at our half-way destination, the lean-tos. From a wonderful pine grove, they overlooked a little pond. Penny startled a pheasant there.

The second half of the hike, much of it on roadways, was not very picturesque, but we enjoyed going mostly downhill. We reached another pond, where Penny got into some sticker bushes. She was not a pretty sight after she disturbed another pheasant.

That night Penny slept well dreaming about her day in the woods.