Guided Walks, Rides
This will be a weekend full of guided hikes, along more paths than any trail-walker, no matter how enthusiastic, could possible cover. All of them are free of charge, and reservations are not required.
The occasion, the first of its kind, is "A Celebration of South Fork Trails," a cooperative venture among local, county, and state environmental organizations. Altogether, the weekend features seven walks and two rides, on horseback and by bicycle.
Setting off at 9 a.m. Saturday from Third House in Montauk County Park will be an ambitious group led by Ed Slaughter, who will take them on an eight-mile trek through Montauk's moorlands, forest, and beaches. Hikers have been asked to pack lunch and be prepared to be out most of the day; the hike ends at 4 p.m.
At 10 a.m. Saturday Mike Bottini will meet hikers at the entrance of Camp Hero State Park in Montauk for a three-mile "Point o'Woods" hike along the Montauk bluffs. That trek runs until noon.
Horseback riders who bring their own four-footed transportation will gather at the corner of Narrow and Norris Lanes in Bridgehampton at 10 on Saturday for a ride through the hills of Sagaponack, led by Dai Dayton-Smith.
Also in Montauk Saturday, Peter Liss, supervisor of the county park, will guide a two-hour, full-moon hike around the park starting at 7:30 p.m. Hikers can meet Mr. Liss at Third House at that time.
On Sunday the celebration continues with another challenging eight-mile hike, this time through Hither Woods in Montauk. Hikers will meet their guide, Rick Whalen, at the Hither Hills overlook at 9:30 a.m. and will trail-walk until around 4.
A trek around Montauk County Park's Big Reed Pond, guided by Richard Lupoletti, will also take place Sunday morning. Forest, wetlands, and remnants of a Montaukett Indian village will be featured. Hikers have been asked to meet at the East Lake Drive entrance of the park, two miles north of the Montauk Highway at 10.
Bikers will get their day in the sun, and on the bike trails, on Sunday from 10 until noon, on a guided tour through the Hither Hills trails system. Helmets are required. The leader, Kurt Pfund, has asked bikers to meet him at the entrance to the Montauk Recycling Center, east of the Hither Hills overlook off Montauk Point State Boulevard.
Farther west on Sunday, Sara Davison will guide a walk through the Big Woods preserve in Southampton from 10 a.m. until noon. Trekkers have been asked to meet at the intersection of Millstone Brook and Scott Roads in North Sea.
Still farther west, two treks are scheduled in Flanders. One is an eight-miler at the Sarnoff Preserve; hikers have been asked to call the Group for the South Fork's Bridgehampton office for the meeting place and time. The other will go through the Smithers Preserve, and hikers will gather at the Big Duck on Route 24, south of Riverhead, at 10 a.m.
The organizations sponsoring the weekend's events include the Group for the South Fork, the East Hampton and Southampton Trails Preservation Societies, the Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation and its New York State counterpart; the Long Island Greenbelt Trails Conference, the Nature Conservancy, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Remember, daylight savings time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday. Don't forget to set the clocks back or you'll miss your hike.