Finger Lakes Trail NEWS Summer 2013 Inside... Cobb Chronicles FLTC Fall Campout 2013 Onondaga Trail Completed FINGER LAKE TRAIL CONFERENCE STAFF President's Message Dick Hubbard, Executive Director Pat Monahan 716/604-8380 rdh@buff lo.com Jennifer Hopper, Office anager/Accounting & Database Assistant Earlier this spring, I walked in the Great Saunter in NYC around the Stephanie Spittal, Order Fulfillment/General Information island of Manhattan. It was 34 miles of urban trails that gave some OFFICERS spectacular views of the river and the city. There were approximately Pat Monahan, President 1000 of us who enjoyed a beautiful day (Makes the county hike series Corning 607/936-8312 [email protected] seem small, doesn’t it!). I have drawn the conclusion that I really do Ronald Navik, VP Trail Preservation prefer the beauty of the FLT system and enjoy being out in the woods. Penfi ld 585/377-1812 [email protected] Our footpath provides some outstanding views that have no comparison Steve Catherman, VP Trail Maintenance to a walk down a strip of blacktop with thousands of other users. Bath 607/569-3453 [email protected] Lynda Rummel, VP Trail Quality Summer is now here in New York State as you read this. We have Keuka Park 315/536-9484 [email protected] held our annual membership meeting on June 1 at Alfred University. I Jarret Lobb, VP Finance Pittsford 585/383-1938 [email protected] would like to thank Phil Dankert and Gail Merian for their service on Peggy Coleman, VP Membership & Marketing the Board. The Board Class of 2016 includes returning Board members Elmira 607/426-0494 pcoleman@corningfi gerlakes.com Cate Concannon, David Drum and Donna Flood as well as adding new Roy Dando, Secretary members Gene Bavis and David Tuttle. Thank you to the membership for Endwell 607/785-3141 [email protected] its vote of confidence for these new Board members. Our Vice President Quinn Wright, Treasurer of Finance reported that we are fiscally sound and operating within our Buff lo 716/826-1939 [email protected] means as a membership driven organization. Speaking of that, I hope Matt Branneman, VP Construction you have renewed your membership for this year. We cannot stay true Ithaca 607/220-77812 [email protected] to our mission “to build, maintain, enhance and promote a continuous Greg Farnham, Mapping Director Fayetteville 315/877-5762 [email protected] footpath across New York State” without your help. BOARD OF MANAGERS Finally, we are a Terms Expiring 2014 volunteer organiz- Scott Bahantka ation. Have you Painted Post 607/962-7627 [email protected] considered giving Jon Bowen back to the trail Baldwinsville 315/638-8749 [email protected] as a volunteer? Donna Coon It could be as Gilbertsville 607/445-4003 [email protected] simple as stuffing Melanie Okoniewski envelopes or as Buff lo 716/341-4737 mokoniewski@buff logames.com Sigi Schwinge complex as running East Syracuse 315/437-6906 [email protected] a conference weekend. It might Terms Expiring 2015 be doing some Doug Cunningham trail construction Brockport 585/637-3853 [email protected] in the Catskills or Greg Farnham snipping back the Fayetteville 315/877-5762 [email protected] multiflora rose on Roger Hopkins a section of trail. I Lansing 607/257-9778 [email protected] Terry Meacham hope you can find Hornell 607/324-0374 [email protected] your niche and join Laurie Ondrejka others who enjoy Avon 585/865-1989 [email protected] being outdoors as Wensich Jacqui much as you do. 8 year old Thayerin Coppola, Nike in his safety hat, and Terms Expiring 2016 Contact the office Pat Monahan at last summer's shelter project on the Crystal Gene Bavis and we will get you Hills Trail in McCarthy Hill State Forest, Steuben County. Walworth 315/986-1474 [email protected] started at [email protected]. Cathy Concannon Geneseo 585/880-4456 [email protected] David Drum After you sign up to volunteer, go take a hike!! Hammondsport 607/569-2294 [email protected] Donna Flood Clarence 716/759-6442 dmfl [email protected] David Tuttle Pittsford [email protected] Mission Statement The mission of the Finger Lakes Trail SUMMER 2013 Conference is to build, protect, enhance, and promote a continuous footpath across DEPARTMENTS New York State. Forever! 21 FLT Named Hike Events 31 Bug Bites 34 End to End Album: William F. Jones 35 End to End Album: FINGER LAKES TRAIL NEWS Laurie Ondrejka & Debra Nero Volume 52 Number 2 41 Name that Map! Finger Lakes Trail Conference Answers to the Spring Quiz Service Center 6111 Visitor Center Road Mt. Morris, NY 14510 CONTENTS (585) 658-9320 4 The oads Less Traveled Editor 10 Fall Campout Schedule and Registration Irene Szabo 14 Ithaca's Boy Scout Troop 4 and the FLT 6939 Creek Road, 18 Cobb Chronicles 2013: Learning from Our Trees Mt. Morris, NY 14510. Phone (585) 658-4321 20 Schuyler County Hike Series Update [email protected] 22 Lawsuit Against NYS Office of Parks Editing Assistance 24 Great Eastern Trail Th u Hikers Coming Soon Brenda Reeb 24 Boy Scout Troop 43 from Apalachin, NY Layout/Graphic Design 29 Great Chaps from a Really Fine Chap Jennifer Hopper 33 FLTC Sawyers Certified and Recertified End-to-End Update 40 Onondaga Trail Completed Jacqui Wensich Trail Medicine Bob Michiel Walking through Time Luanne Vallese, Binghamton, NY, Irene Szabo, Tim Wilbur rests on an old foundation wall found on FLT Map M30, just west of the NY 206 Natural Connections Jeff liveri John A-X. Morris crossing in the western Catskills. Fall Campout Hikes B1 and B2 will both pass FLT Archives by this spot. Georgeanne Vyverberg COLUMNS Finger Lakes Trail News is the official pub- lication of the Finger Lakes Trail Confer- Inside front cover... ence, Inc., and is published four times a year President’s Message by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, 6111 8 Trail Medicine Visitor Center Road, Mt. Morris, NY 14510. Comments and original contributions are 16 welcome and may be submitted to the editor. 25 Trail Topics, reports from the trail management directors Send address changes to : 38 Executive Director's Report Finger Lakes Trail Conference 39 End-to-End Update Copyright © 2013 by Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc. FLTC Office Hours We are normally open Mondays and Thursdays, 9:00 to 2:30, but there are frequent exceptions, so COVER: Dawn at his favorite swamp by call ahead if you want to be sure: 585-658-9320 Vinnie Collins and one resident goose. www.fi gerlakestrail.org Finger Lakes Trail News Summer 2013 3 The oads Less Traveled Rick Roberts Andy Rooney, the long time commentator on TV’s 60 Minutes, After I worked three years to find a route from Campbell Mt. often started his monologue with “Ya know what I hate?” He into the Village of Downsville and on to the BSWMA, a 12 would then go on to lay damage on, say, pill bottles that were mile reroute, eliminating the 5 mile road walk down Campbell only half full of pills and the rest with cotton, or food packages Brook Rd. to Corbett, was completed in May of 2013. By that were packages inside of packages. linking together existing DEC trails, log roads thru the lands of Gutchess Lumber, and one private owner, the FLT now omas Well, ya know what I hate? I hate hiking on highways. If passes thru the Village of Downsville. Before this reroute, we were meant to hike on roads a skateboard would be part a westbound hiker would not have encountered any town ” Th of our equipment or inline skates. Hiking poles are of no use until Bainbridge, 90 miles from the start at Denning. This on macadam. After thru-hiking the FLT (yes, it was a long reroute however replaced my first one and that section was time ago; in fact I was # 51) I was disappointed by the vast abandoned. The FLTC wishes to thank the DEC, Gutchess “Jet Jackson number of endless road walks in the Catskills. Right off Lumber and Alan Shaver for their cooperation with this vital the bat, anyone starting from the east was required to slog reroute. down mile after mile on the Beaverkill Rd. I grew up in the Catskills and as a youth roamed all over the hills, valleys and As of late May 7.5 miles of road walk remain to be eliminated, streams at will. I could not understand why the FLT was on but by time you read this, all 21.5 road miles will have been a road and promised that when I moved back to this beautiful replaced and the total road miles reduced to less than 4. The area, I would find a remedy to that problem. first 2013 Alley Cat Crew is camping out at my house for five days; that’s 8-10 stinky guys ( the gals don’t stink so bad). Well, I’m here. Been here for over 10 years and my dream of Hopefully at the end of those five days over 10 miles of new relocating the FLT off the roads and into the woods is finally trail will be constructed. This new section is entirely on DEP happening. My main concern was in the Downsville/Walton land and the FLTC is deeply indebted to them for their new sections. In all, two complete FLT maps had the trail on 21.5 policy of cooperation. miles of road. During my thru-hike, I remember spending an entire day pounding the asphalt and dodging dogs.