Hike of the Week: Hemlock Hills-Lake Windwing

This past Monday, the kids had off school, & the weather was utterly perfect-- a crisp, cool fall morning, the first long-sleeve weather day of the season. So we ventured off to find Hemlock Hills, one of many hikes on my To Do List of hiking. I wanted to hit one of the high points of elevation while sticking to a do-able mileage for my kids (typically 1.5-2.5 miles for a one-hour hike total). So here are the details . . .

Drive toward Ridgebury Elementary School on Bennetts Farm Rd, then turn onto South Shore Dr. This will bring you to a baseball field, where you can park. Here is where this particular hike begins. As always, bug spray & sunscreen up, and be sure to pack enough water for all hikers, depending on heat/humidity.

• First, you'll walk around the baseball field, heading north toward Lake Windwing. There's not a traditional-looking trail here, but there should be a mowed down area that could pass for a trail. Go that way ;)
• You'll pass through a meadow, then eventually hit a wooden bridge with a special message engraved to you. This was probably my favorite site on the hike. This is also where the lake waterfalls over some rocks. Definitely stop & take a photo here.
• Once you reach the Hemlock Hills sign, you'll veer left. Make sure you don't miss the orange trail on your right-- it comes quickly, but the spot is so pretty, you may automatically stop there for a photo! This section is a bit steep for little ones, but it's short & just like a stair-climb. It levels out at the top & is a nice, soft-dirt trail (I'd love to return for a trail run-- not too rooty or rocky!)
  
• The orange trail is very tranquil. Take it in. If I had been better prepared, I might've brought some Thoreau to read to my kids through this section-- that would've been a nice touch ;)
• From orange, take the yellow marker as soon as you see it. The yellow trail is a moderate climb with roots and moss walls, soft terrain-- it's gorgeous. You will see a lot of dog-walkers, as this is a dog-friendly hike. So if your kids are scared of dogs, this might not be the hike for you. But every dog owner we encountered was very courteous with well-behaved dogs. One dog was scared of US!
  
• If you're more observant than I was, you would've noticed the marker of the blue trail on the orange trail. I missed it, and that's okay because the yellow connects to the blue, which loops back to orange. So we took the second blue marker & looped back. The blue trail will take you to a nice high point with an elevation of about 800 feet. There isn't much of an overlook, but it's a fun climb. Do be careful with the kiddos on the way down-- this section definitely requires some adult supervision & hand-holding. This is where you teach your kids about safety: testing the stability of a rock before stepping on it, locating trees that might be good handholds, navigating safest route, going down with a sideways step, using hiking poles/sticks, or doing the quick-jog down. Okay, it's not that bad, but I know parents these days would bubble-wrap their kids if they could, so I try to err on the side of caution with my tips ;) Obviously, decent athletic shoes with a good grip will serve you all well!
  
• You'll return the way you came, hopping (or sliding down) back to the orange trail. You'll get another visit to the wooden bridge and maybe spot dogs swimming in the lake. Total for us was about 1.66 mile and just under an hour, but we take photos and water breaks, as you should when hiking with kiddos!
• The beauty of this hike is that there is so much more left to discover! I can't wait to return to explore a new trail!
  

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