Newsletter of the Cayuga Trails Club Founded in 1962 "to explore, enjoy, and preserve wild lands and places of natural beauty.. " January-February 2001 Winter Edition Vol. 41. Nos. 1. & 2 Cornell Students and CTC Members Complete Foot Bridges (story and another photo on page 3) President's Message by Suzanne Cohen y the time you receive meeting, you will also soon be receiving a membership this newsletter, the win­ renewal form. I hope you will consider renewing your Bter solstice will have membership. One of my goals for the CTC this year was passed, the amount of daylight to increase membership, and we did a great job--we saw will be on the rise again, and a lot ofnew faces, and we exceeded our budgeted amount maybe we'll even have some for dues money which helped offset the costs of projects snow. I sure hope so, because I to improve the trails. took my cross-country skis My other goal was to get our members more involved down from the attic, and I'm in activities that support the club's efforts. There is more ready to go. Every year, I con­ work to be done toward achieving this. We'd like to ex­ sider buying a new pair, and pand the number of outings that we offer, but we need every year I end up getting into people to lead them. We'd like more publicity, but we my familiar boots (with the rubber three-holed extension need people to help spread the news. We'd like to have tip that fits onto the pegs and gets clamped in ... remember more social events, but we need a social committee those?) and saying "maybe next year." chairperson. We'd like to make more improvements to the Speaking of "next year," it's almost time for the CTC trails- getting the people to help with a trail project is Annual Meeting (January 21st), and I hope that you will usually not too difficult (thank you!)-but all of the attend what promises to be a fun and informative event behind-the-scenes work (scouting, conversations with state We'll enjoy good food and entertainment along with land officials and private landowners, paperwork, fund­ reports on the past year's activities from me and our raising, supplies-buying, map adjusting, etc.) takes a lot of committee chairpersons. You can also meet and vote for time. Just let me know that you'd like to help, and I'll find the 2001 slate ofCTC officer candidates and see who will something for you to do. win this year's Oscar Awards for Distinguished Service to I hope you have enjoyed the holiday season and the the CTC. I am excited about sharing our achievements peacefulness that winter can bring. Whether you 're on old over the past year with you and to share ideas about next skis or new skis, snowshoes, or on foot, I hope I'll con- . year (yes, I will be running for a second term as tinue to see you on the trails and also at the annual president). Along with a flyer inviting you to the annual meeting on January 21 ! Food, Friends, and Fun! A Report on the General Membership Meeting by Suzanne Cohen bout 40 CTC members and guests enjoyed a Vilcanota where the main 20,905-foot glacier-covered delicious array of potluck dishes, lively con­ mountain is called Motmt Ausangate. A versation, and wonderful entertainment at the Ellis We also elected the nominating committee, which will Hollow Community Center on Sunday, November 12. A propose a slate of officers to be elected at the annual meet­ nice variety of slides was presented by four different ing on January 21, 2001. The committee consists ofBetty people: Kurt Seitz on his sllllillier 2000 hike of the entire Hansen, Joan Jedele, and Marsha Zgola. High Sierra Trail; Joe Dabes on the Finger Lakes Trail and Thanks to everyone for coming and for bringing such nearby areas (Joe is currently 50.2% finished with his great food! Thanks especially to Peter and Jim Harriott for fourth end-to-end hike on the FLT!); Phil Davis on the reserving and helping to set up the com.mtmity center. West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island; Simon Catterall on Thanks to John Andersson and Betty Hansen for helping Peru's Inca Trail, which runs from Cusco to Machu with preparation of the CIC-provided food and beverage. Picchu, and also on his climbing trip to the Cordillera Thanks also to the person (I didn't get his name) who came to help us get the water running again! Cayuga Trails - 2 - Winter 2001 Cayuta Gulf Trail Bridges Completed by Kurt Seitz, CTC Trails Chairman he Cornell University student chapter of the Amer­ Thank you to the many people who have contributed so ican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the much toward the successful completion of this project. To TCayuga Trails Club have completed construction of get to the bridge site, take Schuyler County Route 6 south two pedestrian bridges on the Finger Lakes Trail in the from NYS Route 79 in Mecklenburg. Continue 3 Y2 miles Town of Catharine in Schuyler County. The bridges were beyond Cayutaville to Gulf Road on the left. Park at the fmished by Cornell students on Sunday, December 3, after trail head (yellow and green FLT sign) a few hundred feet a cold and snowy final weekend of work. down Gulf Road on the right side. The first bridge is 1Yi The bridges were first conceived about three years ago miles down the white-blazed Finger Lakes Trail. The as part of a plan to relocate a three-mile section of the second bridge is a few hundred feet farther down the trail. Finger Lakes Trail to go through the scenic and wild To hike the loop trail, continue following the white blazes Cayuta Gulf, a gorge at the southwestern edge of the another 1 Yi miles to the junction with the orange-blazed 12,000-acre Connecticut Hill State Wildlife Management Van Lone Hill section of the loop. Follow the orange Area. The bridges now provide year-round access on the blazes less than 3 miles back to Gulf Road. nearly six-mile-long loop trail created by combining the For more information on the project, go to the fol­ new and former sections of the trail. lowing Web sites: Planning began in October 1999 when I approached • Cornell ASCE ASCE students for assistance in designing and con­ www. cee. cornell. edulascelbridgepage. htm structing the two bridges, 53 and 40 feet long. Dan Mullins and Mike Tavolaro, two civil engineering students • Black Locust Initiative in their fourth year at Cornell, designed the bridges in www.blacklocust.org accordance with National Design Specification for Wood • Cornell Chronicle article Construction standards. A truss design was chosen due to www.news.cornell.edu!Chronicles/11. 9. 00/bridges.htm the length of the bridges and limit of the budget. The cost • Cornell Daily Sun article of materials totaled just over $5,000 and was paid for by the Cayuga Trails Club. www.cornellsun.comlperllgetArticle.pl? id= I 2 5 5 Black locust was chosen as the construction material for two reasons. It is naturally resistant to decay and extremely strong, therefore an excellent alternative to toxic chemically-treated wood. Also it could be sawn to exact custom specifications by the Black Locust Initiative, Inc., a local non-profit organization that promotes sustainable forestry headed by Dave Gell, a local forester and woodworker. Black Locust Initiative worked with Cornell's Arnot Forest to provide a local supply of black locust lumber. In addition, the Black Locust Initiative worked with Sara Brown, a local horse-logger and farmer, to skid the logs. As many as 25 student volunteers and a dozen trails club volunteers spent much of their free time over the past three months drilling hundreds ofholes in steel plates and hard black locust timbers, transporting construction materials and supplies to the isolated bridge sites, and . ~· helping to build the abutments and bridge structures. Some ofthe 25 Cornell civil engineering students who built the two Challenges included digging through rock to prepare for new foot bridges on the Finger Lakes Trail in the Cayuta Gulf. the abutments, assembling the trusses on uneven surfaces, Bridge designers Dan Mullins and Mike Tavolaro are on Left. moving all four nearly one-ton trusses across the stream Photo by Doris Abbott. beds, and lifting the trusses onto the abutments. Cayuga Trails - 3 - Winter 2001 Cayuga Trails Club Helps Clear the Black Diamond Trail by John Andersson hilly air and rain can't keep Cayuga Trails Club gave its name to the elegant passenger train which volunteers inside when there is hiking or trail eventually gave way to the automobile and airplane. C maintenance to do. Several CTC members and Hikers, skiers, and bikers will enjoy the same beautiful guests showed up with tools and rain gear at the first Black Cayuga Lake views as passengers on the Black Diamond Diamond Trail volunteer workday on Saturday, November Train once did. But those who travel by foot will enjoy the 11, at the request ofSue Poelvoorde from the Finger Lakes landscape and wildlife even more than train passengers State Parks. Working with several other groups and in- did. The trail will border active and fallow farm fields, dividuals, the volunteers cleared over one mile of formei: • )lside glens forested with maples, oaks, and hemlocks railroad right-of-way from Jacksonville Road at the -es .