President’s Message Tompkins County Planning by Irene Szabo civil engineering madness to Department leads by example enable trains to travel through The FLTC and members of local impossible countryside from the Cayuga Trails Club were invited Potomac River valley northwest by Tompkins County Planning to over mountains to Pittsburgh. For a September meeting in Ithaca to instance, in only twenty-some discuss what areas of our trail miles, the rails must climb from route were in need of protection. 600 feet at Cumberland on the As the planning process unfolds, Potomac to famous Sand Patch, at they are trying to garner input 2258 feet the high rail spot on this from many kinds of local land-use segment, so it is no wonder that advocates to map where sensitive long tunnels and scary viaducts on natural areas should be the focus tall skinny iron legs are a part of of any potential future county this neighborhood... and of the rail efforts at protection or special trail, too! status. However, I learned from Somerset We regard this effort by the County that the 3254-foot-long county to learn the protection Big Savage Tunnel, while re- needs of our trail, and which opened for public trail use with the portions are especially vulnerable infusion of several million dollars, to loss of permission, as a still must be closed from just pioneering project. While every Joan Young before Thanksgiving until April. one of the twenty-some counties Y2K, 1 Jan 2000 or more probably 31 Dec 1999. Irene on This is because the north wind our trail crosses is also in the the North Country Trail near Antrim, Michigan, during blows through it so fiercely that the great adventure of sleeping out in a snow fort. Gummy constantly dripping water inside midst of land management plan- in attendance. ning, Tompkins is the first one the tunnel freezes into monster which has sought to include input from trail advocates. icicles, and it was this freeze/thaw cycle that kept threatening to destroy the tunnel. During Western We applaud their first steps, and hope their vision will Maryland Railroad days, crews were kept there to whack start a trend wherein other counties will recognize the icicles so that trains could get through, but now they have same need. For instance, echoing the example of Steuben built massive doors to close off the windy tunnel, thereby County’s original highway signs that mark FLT crossings keeping the interior above freezing. Pretty bizarre trail so helpfully, both Schuyler and Cortland Counties now are problem, eh? While a continuous trip through some fine following suit with signs of their own, so let us hope that and wild miles of southwest Pennsylvania might have other counties will see fit to include this grand recreational been my original goal, I’ll confess I won’t mind being resource in their landscape planning. “forced” to omit that long drippy tunnel with only my And we thought we had troubles department puny headlamp and bike light to guide me. Scary During attempts in late October to obtain updated trail boogums, indeed! Of course, my ultimate goal is to ride condition information for a wee little Thanksgiving my bike down into Cumberland, and take the Western vacation I was planning, one which would combine trail Maryland Scenic Railroad’s 80-year-old steam train back and rail passions happily, I was talking to the single trail uphill for sixteen miles’ worth of mountain climbing and employee of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, just north of breathtaking horseshoe curves before I have to get back on western Maryland and home to a long leg of the Great my bike. In fact, I may even pay for the special ride right Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile bike trail along the route up in the cab. However, it’s not a trip along the FLT, so I of the old Western Maryland Railroad that connects can’t tell you just how incredibly cool it was afterwards. Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md., where travelers can then Ha! continue on the 184-mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal towpath all the way to Washington, D.C. Irene Szabo, President of the Board Somerset County includes terrific ridges over 2000 feet, 6939 Creek Rd, Mt Morris NY 14510 winding rivers in deep gorges, and many miles of no 585/658-4321 (fax 4438) apparent civilization, so the old Western Maryland RR [email protected] and its rival Baltimore and Ohio (now CSX and still very active along a parallel route) required amazing feats of FINGER LAKES TRAIL NEWS Published for Members and Friends of the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc. Winter 2005 Volume 44 Number 4 Jim Wade (left) and Dick Lightcap, volunteers from the Mission Statement Adirondack Mountain Club’s 18 Onondaga Chapter, raising a The mission of the Finger bridge on the Onondaga Lakes Trail Conference is Branch Trail south of Syracuse to build, protect, and in preparation for placing it on enhance a continuous a new foundation. Read about footpath across this and other trail mainte- New York State. nance projects in Howard Forever! Beye’s Trail Topics, page 18. FINGER LAKES TRAIL NEWS Volume 44 Number 4 Winter 2005 4 Four Generous Finger Lakes Trail Conference Landowners Service Center 9 Java Joe Honored 585/658-9320 9 Schuyler Hike Series Tony Rodriguez [email protected] 10 Eagle Scout Projects: Marc Bridon, Zac Edwards Editor Jo H. Taylor 13 Birdseye Hollow Bridge Repair: Girl Scout Project Editing Assistance 14 North Country Trail Sampler: Petoskey, MI Sharon L. Galbraith 15 Welcome to Chenango County Trail Topics 15 Classified Ad Policy Howard Beye 16 FLTC Fall Campout: Photo Recap End-to-End Update Edward J. Sidote 28 Holiday Gift Ideas from the FLTC Store Morris A-X. John Trail Medicine Bob Michiel Departments Special Places 3 Help Wanted: Volunteer Opportunities Margaret and Ken Reek 24 End-to-End Album: Jacqui Wensich (Branch Wildflowers #39), Bill Baum (#194), Sharon Wheat (#195) RWW Taylor 32 Name that Map! Walking through Time Irene Szabo, Tim Wilbur Columns Natural Connections Inside front cover... John A-X. Morris President’s Message Finger Lakes Trail News is the official publication of the Finger 2 From the Desk of the Executive Director Lakes Trail Conference, Inc, and 5 Natural Connections: January is published four times each year by the Finger Lakes Trail Con- 6 Walking Through Time #11 ference, 6111 Visitor Center 11 Wildflowers along the Trail Road, Mt. Morris, NY 14510. 12 Trail Bucks, a new column from the FLTC Comments and original con- 5 tributions are welcome and may Finance Committee be submitted to Jo Taylor, 967 18 Trail Topics Meigs Street, Rochester, NY White-breasted nuthatch in 14620. Phone 585/473-6729. 21 Trail Medicine characteristic posture Email [email protected]. 23 End-to-End Update Send address changes to Gene And on the back cover... Bavis, Executive Director, at the Mt. Morris address above or Special Places on the Finger Lakes Trail: Allegany State Park [email protected]. Copyright 2005 by Finger Lakes Cover: The Finger Lakes Trail in winter. Photo taken near the Foxfire Lean-to in Trail Conference, Inc. Cortland County (Map M-19) by Ray Kuzia in March, 2005. Winter 2005 - 1 - Finger Lakes Trail News From the Desk of the Executive Director by Gene Bavis Schuyler County Hike Series attendance… 138 people registered! That says a lot for Congratulations to all those the attractiveness of the program. We look forward to who completed the Schuyler an equal or larger number of attendees at our Spring County Hike Series. This is the Weekend to be hosted by the FLT-Bullthistle Hiking fourth year in a row that we Club in Norwich on May 5-7, 2006. (Save the date!). have done such a hike series, You should have received your annual appeal letter and while I don’t have the prior to Thanksgiving. We are thankful for your statistics on how many people have participated in all support as members and for those of you who can give four, I know there are many. This is the second go- a little extra to help fund our operations and keep our round for this project. The idea originated with Ed dues low. I’m sure that many of you have already Sidote around 1990, and a large number of people responded generously. If you haven’t done so yet, we became “End-to-Enders” as a result of getting started would appreciate your consideration. Due to an this way. I had the privilege of attending this year’s oversight on my part, a few of the letters were mailed picnic on a beautiful day in October. It was obvious without the “pledge form” included. While the form that a special camaraderie has developed among the itself is not absolutely necessary (you can just write participants. Several “special” awards related to some “annual appeal” on your check), I’ll be happy to email of the unique events from the hikes were made in good or send you the form if you’d like one. fun. There is no doubt in my mind that a good time Technology Upgrades was had by all. We also got to recognize Joe Dabes for yet another End-to-End achievement, his sixth! Ed This year we are in the process of upgrading our Sidote was there to give him his patches. Thanks to technology at our service center. The biggest part of Sigrid and Jim Connors and all of the Cayuga Trails this project is our NEW MAPS! A plain-paper sample Club volunteers who made this year’s series (and last was mailed to you with the annual appeal letter, and year’s, too) possible.