Fall 2012 Inside • 2012 Wally Wood Award.............................................. 4 • NCTA Awards .................................................................. 15 • New Section of Trail Opens Near Cannonsville Reservoir ...........................................................................23 • and much more! www.fingerlakestrail.org President’s Message: Pat Monahan Summer 2012 has come and gone. It certainly was a memorable time for me with near perfect weather conditions for enjoying nearly any outdoor activity in Upstate New York. The Finger Lakes’ waters were warm for swimming as well as an easy paddle in the Chemung River. The trails were a great escape from the blistering heat with the well-deserved coolness under the can- opy. I hope you were able to enjoy the summer as much as I did. As project manager for the Crys- ranging from clearing and construct- tal Hills Trail for the last seven ing off-road trails in the Catskills to years, I have held a vision to build a lean-tos on the Crystal Hills Trail in lean-to somewhere along the trail the Addison area and Boyce Hill for day use as well as overnight State Forest near Ellicottville to camping. That vision became a name just a few of the major pro- reality this year in McCarthy Hill jects. This is in addition to the many State Forest with the support of the hours of volunteer labor to do the NYS DEC unit management plan regular maintenance along the 950+ (October 2008), financial support miles of trail in the FLT system. from the Community Foundation of Thanks goes out to all who make Elmira Corning and the Finger our trail a great place to enjoy a Lakes and others, and an Alley Cat walk in the woods. crew that spent five days building As you read this newsletter, our the structure from milled logs, past FLTC newsletter editor, Jo lumber and steel as well as stones Taylor, can now enjoy retirement harvested from a nearby creek for a after serving 10 years as editor. fireplace. I was amazed to see a pile Through her efforts, she has left us of logs transform itself into a struc- with a wonderful, quarterly maga- ture that can be enjoyed by many zine that has few, if any, rivals for for years to come. In addition to above and beyond in supporting lean- an organization our size. Thanks for being accessible from the Crystal to construction projects across the your attention to detail and quality Hills Trail, this lean-to has been trail; (c) Trail Maintainer Award to over the last decade, Jo. Jackson constructed near a DEC motorized Lynda Rummel, our VP of Trail Thomas has offered to fill the gap accessible program for people with Quality who keeps a watchful eye to for the fall issue, but we are still in disabilities (MAPPD) route for maintain a premier footpath trail need of a newsletter editor after this those with a mobility issue. A tem- experience; and (d) Lifetime issue. Please consider helping out if porary permit is required to use this Achievement Award to Irene Szabo you have this set of skills. You may route and is available from the DEC for her lifetime dedication to trails. contact me or the office in Mount web site listed here: http:// Congratulations to all for your efforts Morris. www.dec.ny.gov/ to improve the hiking experience in Finally, later this month you will outdoor/2574.html. New York State. For more informa- receive a letter under separate cover I am very pleased to let you tion about these award winners and asking you to assist the FLTC in its know that New York State was well the NCTA conference, check out the annual appeal. This is the only time represented at the awards ceremony article in this edition. (Note: If you this year that we will ask you to help for the North Country Trail Asso- are not an NCTA member, I encour- financially in addition to your mem- ciation's national conference in age you to join. Check out their web bership. This is still a challenging Augusta, Michigan. Congratulations site, http://northcountrytrail.org/, to economy. I encourage each of you to the following: (a) Vanguard apply or use the convenient ad in this to assess your personal situation and Award to Gretchen Cicora with the magazine. Dual membership with the consider making an investment with NYS Department of Conservation FLTC and NCTA doubles your sup- the FLTC during its annual appeal. Region 7 for supporting the trail as port for trails in NY and beyond our If you are able, I hope you will give a government official; (b) Sweep borders.) generously. Award to Mahlon Hurst, End to There has been considerable trail Get out there—go take a hike— Ender and volunteer who has gone work this year on the trail system in the leaves!!□ FINGER LAKES TRAIL NEWS Published for Members and Friends of the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc. Fall 2012 Volume 51 Number 3 Mission Statement 2 FLTC 50th Anniversary 11 FLT Officially Meets the CVT, by Celebration, by Jacqui Wensich Lynda Rummel The mission of the Finger 12 Board of Managers Honors Gene Lakes Trail Conference is to 4 2012 Wally Wood Award: Tom and Bavis build, protect, enhance, and Donna Noteware, by Lynda Rummel 13 Hiking the Branch Trails, by Roy promote a continuous 6 Violet “Vi” Davis: A Memorial Dando footpath across Tribute, by Ed Sidote & Jacqui New York State. Wensich 15 NCTA Showers New Yorkers with Forever! 8 Robert Fordon End-to-Ender #1, Awards, by NCTA Awards Committee by Georgeanne Vyverberg 23 New Section Opens Near Cannonsville Reservoir, by Rick FINGER LAKES TRAIL NEWS 9 Tompkins County Hike Series: Group Volume 51 Number 3 Hiking at Its Best, Roberts Fall 2012 by Karen Serbonich 30 Ed Sidote (Summer) Hike Report, by Finger Lakes Trail Conference 10 Erv Markert Award: Mahlon Hurst, Larry Blumberg Service Center 585-658-9320 by Quinn Wright [email protected] Editor Departments Jackson “Jet” Thomas [email protected] 6 Faces of the FLT: Ray Zinn End-to-End Update 27 Memorials Jacqui Wensich 28 New and Returning Members Trail Medicine 29 Life Members Bob Michiel 30 Hiking Calendar Wildflowers 32 Name that Map! RWW Taylor Answer to the Summer quiz, page 32 Walking through Time Irene Szabo, Tim Wilbur Columns Natural Connections Inside Front Cover One of the 50th Anniversary hikes John A-X. Morris President’s Message (Photo by Ralph Lynn) FLT Archives Georgeanne Vyverberg 3 End-to-End Update Finger Lakes Trail News is the 5 Trail Medicine: Two Poles or NOT Two Poles official publication of the Finger 7 From the Desk of the Executive Director Lakes Trail Conference, Inc, and 17 Wildflowers Along the Trail: How Blue ... is published four times each year by the Finger Lakes Trail Con- 18 Trail Topics, reports from the Trail Management Directors ference, 6111 Visitor Center Road, Mt. Morris, NY 14510. 26 Walking Through Time Comments and original con- tributions are welcome and may And on the Back Cover be submitted to Jet Thomas, 970 Danby Drive, Webster, NY FLTC Staff and Board of Managers, plus Membership Form 14580-2309. Phone 585-671- Photos from the 50th Anniversary Celebration 8949. (more at www.fltconference.org/gallery) Send address changes to Dick Hubbard, Executive Director, at the Mt. Morris address above or [email protected]. Copyright 2012 by Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc. Cover: Hiking on Dunn Road in the Bristol Hills Branch (map B-2) in March 2009. L to R: President Pat Monahan (Corning), Chris Asbury (Rochester) and Dave Matthews (Geneseo). Photo by Cate Concannon Fall 2012 - 1 - Finger Lakes Trail News FLTC 50th Anniversary Celebration: 1962 - 2012 by Jacqui Wensich A record 215 folks registered for DAY HIKE” on June 2nd. Roy Dando Donna) received the Wally Wood this milestone event. The weather organized this amazing event with the Distinguished Service Award for was beautiful and the setting appro- help of Larry Blumberg and webmas- their many years of work on the priate at Keuka College, home of the ter, Roger Hopkins. Bristol Hills Branch Trail. Gene very first meeting of the Finger Lakes Many folks visited the display Bavis received a well-earned send-off Trail Conference on March 17, 1962. room organized by Donna Flood. for his 11 years of service as the first Registration started slowly, but There were interesting and informa- Executive Director of the FLTC. everyone was accommodated. Our tive exhibits representing the member The highlight of the raffle was new Executive Director, Dick Hub- clubs, including the new Finger Lakes Jay Zitter’s beautiful “Lean-to Quilt,” bard, began his administration full Museum, Ted Anderson’s hiking won by Stephanie Spittal. Jay was blast. He and Gene Bavis and some sticks and a collection of ancient delighted that someone she knew other volunteers managed this task, measuring wheels used on the FLT. won it. Many sponsors and board while Karen Mann, Director of Con- Liz Bavis and Stephanie Spittal members donated various raffle ference Services at Keuka, smoothed staffed the FLT store. items. Dick Hubbard ran a silent the way. auction for some of these items. The food seemed to please most Stephanie Zdimal, a visual art student people. There were certainly many at Chenango Forks HS, drew a pic- choices between the serving line and ture of Ed Sidote which was won by the buffet/salad/dessert bars. The the Bullthistle Hiking Club for dis- Chapel served as a memorable back- play in their museum. Donations also drop for Saturday evening’s presenta- included 180 individual cartons of tion.