Finding Ulysses

Last Saturday morning, a little more than a mile southwest of Taughannock Falls, off of Willow Creek Road north of Agard Road, a group of about 30 volunteers gathered to widen a section of the Black Diamond Trail.

The group made quick work of hundreds upon hundreds of feet of brush, mostly grape vines and invasive honeysuckle, giving each other enough room to move vigorously, but close enough to make the occasion quite social. My older son came with me, and helped me for the first 45 minutes or so, piling up what I had cut. After that, he went off to the side of the trail to climb up a tree, and ask me lots of good questions about everything that he could see, including the far side of Cayuga Lake. Ground was damp, but the air was warm, making it a good day for being outside.

A chocolate doughnut didn’t hurt my son’s enthusiasm either (don’t tell his mother).

People from the Ithaca Journal showed up to take photographs and ask questions, and an article about the work session and the status of the Black Diamond Trail appears in the newspaper this morning. State funding is being requested, most of which would be used to construct bridges over gorges between Trumansburg and Ithaca, and to provide a compacted limestone surface for the trail.

It is hoped that there will be more gatherings to widen the Black Diamond Trail this year. Stay tuned.