Central & Western NY Outdoors
 April 2007 

     

 ~~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~~         

New Guidebooks Available!

Kilimanjaro Climbers are Swinging

Ontario Pathways Opens Flint Bridge

Magic of New Zealand

The Wild Water Derby is Back!

Chautauqua Rails-To-Trails 

Free Nature Programs at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

Mt. Everest Panorama

Many of our readers have asked for information on trails in other regions of New York State. We have now expanded our geographic reach by teaming up with Roger Fulton and Mike Carpenter who know the 1000 Islands area and Eastern New York State, and have written guidebooks on hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking and wildlife viewing for those regions.

Mike and Roger are a couple of “just past” middle-agers who like to get out and enjoy the outdoors. But they don’t want to work too hard when they get there. “We just want to get out and enjoy the outdoors, get some exercise and have an enjoyable day,” Roger told us. To that end, they have written several books with the common man or woman in mind. “We’re not great athletes and we know most people aren’t either. You won’t find any hikes more than 5 miles in our books, and most are shorter than that.”

Footprintpress.com now offers Roger and Mike’s 1000 Islands books, as well as their Lake George and Saratoga Springs area books.

Mike and Roger’s guidebooks are a little bit different from Footprint Press guidebooks. The detailed information in their books is set in a 4” x 8”, top spiral bound format. That’s so they can easily fit in your back pocket and go with you on your trek. Full color photographs of trailheads, landmarks and other interesting subjects are a part of all of their books, but maps are not. They always include directions from an Interstate highway, GPS readings and detailed information on facilities, trail conditions and what they found when they traveled on the trail.

“We originally started this series because we were frustrated trying to sift through federal, state and local trails, which generally had poor directions on how to get there, and even worse guidance on what was really there,” Roger told us recently. “One hiking book we looked at actually had a 46 mile trail in it. Not only can I not hike 46 miles, I don’t even know anyone who can hike 46 miles!” he continued. (Of course, that was only true before he met Rich & Sue Freeman!) He continued, “that’s why we named our series the Common Man’s Exploration Series. The common man or woman can actually get out and enjoy our trails, without hurting themselves.”

The snowbird of the two authors is Roger Fulton who spends his summers exploring the trails of northern New York and then goes south to sunny Florida. And, then he hikes, bikes and paddles his way around Central and Northern Florida for several months each year. Yep, you guessed it, he writes guidebooks about Florida while he is there. “Mike comes down to help me on occasion, but as a full time college professor up north, his time in Florida is limited,” Roger told us. 

The Florida guidebooks can also be purchased through www.footprintpress.com or by calling 1-800-431-1579. So many new places to explore, so little time……

 

Announcing a HUGE swing dance to raise support for Cancer Climbers on Kilimanjaro.  www.journeysofinspiration.com

Swing Dance at the Clarion Riverside Hotel Grand Ballroom in support of the Kilimanjaro for Cancer team.

Date: Sun Apr 29th from  5 PM - 8 PM

Live Band: Jon Seiger and the All  Stars

Location: 120 E. Main St., Rochester.  The Grand  Ballroom is on the 2nd floor.

Directions:  parking available in either the Riverside South Ave. garage or the Clarion garage.  Both have direct covered access to the Clarion Riverside Hotel.

Ticket Price:   $15

There will be a free dance lesson at 4:30 with Gloria Betlam.

There will be a 50/50 raffle at the 2nd band break.

If you call Pack Paddle Ski to reserve tickets ahead of time, they will also give you a $5 discount off a current course if you sign up at the same time.  585-346-5597

  __________________________________

R-NEWS COVERS CLIMBERS

For a recent broadcast, if you missed the Channel 8 News about Climbers on Kilimanjaro, hit this link. http://www.rnews.com/mediaplayer/players/wmplayerlite.aspx?sid=4595

You can now hop on your bicycle and ride from the City of Canandaigua, southeast for 11.6 miles to Stanley, then stay on the trail heading north for another 4 miles to Orleans, for a grand total of 15.6 miles – all on trail!  Turn around and head back to Canandaigua and you’ve achieved a heart pumping day of 32 trail miles.

This is possible because last December the wonderful volunteers at Ontario Pathways completed the Flint Bridge renovation. Previous to this the bridge was impassable as it passed over Routes 5 & 20, necessitating a 0.8-mile detour along busy Routes 5 & 20 and County Road 20. Now you can sail along, staying high above the roads on the old rail bed and newly re-decked bridge.

Progress such as this is a good thing – no it’s a great thing – but, it means your “Take Your Bike” guidebooks are now slightly out of date. So, get out your books right now & make a notation that there’s no off-trail detour needed anymore in Flint:

“Take Your Bike – Family Rides in the Rochester Area” page 163

“Take Your Bike – Family Rides in New York’s Finger Lakes Region” page 69

 

If you have seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy, you have already experienced the magic of New Zealand. 

Just announced is a new expedition for 2008. See the beauty beyond the big screen and your imagination, as we travel from deserted golden beaches, through ancient rainforests, over an active glacier, and through the Southern Alps. There will be a cruise, a helicopter ride and great hikes. Take day hikes to spy upon seal colonies and sea birds, see the playful Dusky Dolphins, hike on an active glacier, explore the towns and still have time to relax. Lodgings are the best available in keeping with the unique character of each area.  

For more information on exploring the “Adventure Capital of the World”  www.packpaddleski.com

       The Wild Water Derby is Back!

Be sure to catch this year's Wild Water Derby when they open the flood gates below Canandaigua Lake & let the water flow north, creating a white water run! Participate or watch kayaks, canoes & rafts ride the wild Canandaigua Outlet. Also, check out participating vendors and don't miss the pancake breakfast. Saturday, April 28, 9:30am. Water St. & Rt. 21, Shortsville/Manchester, www.wildwaterderby.com. 585-289-6073.

This year you can even take a train to the event thanks to Finger Lakes Scenic Railway. Catch it in Canandaigua ($15 round trip), Geneva ($25 round trip), Phelps ($15 round trip), or Clifton Springs ($15 round trip). For more info go to Finger Lakes Scenic Railway 

Then return later in the season to paddle the milder Canandaigua Outlet. Refer to page 31 in "Take A Paddle - Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks" for a map and instructions on paddling the16 miles from Manchester to Lyons. It's a beautiful moving, flat-water stream through pristine countryside.

 

   Chautauqua Rails-To-Trails                from Parks & Trails New York newsletter 
http://www.ptny.org/e-news/Mar_Apr_07/index.htm

In Chautauqua County, the westernmost county of New York, members of the Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails (http://www.cecomet.net/%7Ecrtt/) are celebrating the opening of three miles of the Portage/Trolley Line Trail (http://www.cecomet.net/%7Ecrtt/Trackinfall06.pdf), dedicated in memory of Bill Sharp, a local naturalist and educator. This segment, located within the Village of Mayfield, offers visitors elevated woodland views, an active beaver pond, and bird and wildlife viewing. The Portage/Trolley Line Trail began as a Native American portage route between Lake Erie and Lake Chautauqua. In the early 1900's a steam-powered rail line was developed there. In 1910, the line was converted to electric power and eventually became the last inter-urban trolley operating in New York State. Now the corridor is used by hikers, horseback riders, bicyclists, cross country skiers, snowshoers, and naturalists.

The nonprofit Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails, founded in 1991, manages 32 miles of dirt-surfaced rail trails in Chautauqua County. Recently, in partnership with the Chautauqua Lake snowmobile Club Inc., the group was awarded a Recreational Trails Program Grant (RTP) (http://nysparks.state.ny.us/grants/programs/recreation.asp) for $37,600 to purchase a tractor and accessories for trail maintenance. Together, the two clubs maintain 160 miles of trail in Chautauqua County.

Efforts to preserve and expand the abandoned rail corridors in the area for recreation continue as Jim Fincher, trails manager for Chautauqua Rails-to-Trails, is planning improvements to five miles of the Alison Wells Ney Trail (http://www.cecomet.net/%7Ecrtt/crttrails.html), from the Village of Mayville north to the Village of Brocton.

Regarding other long-term trail plans, Fincher said, "I hope that the organization will be able to successfully gain right-of-ways around Lake Chautauqua so we can have a ring around the lake. We would also like to tie into the Pennsylvania North Country Trail Association's (http://www.northcountrytrail.org/pa/) right-of-ways by extending our trails to connect with theirs. This would establish a regional tie-in."

      Free Nature Programs at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge 
by D. Gerhart

 

Discover spring with a Saturday outing to the “Iroquois Observations” nature programs presented by the Buffalo Audubon Society at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Every Saturday from now through May 12, plus June 16. All programs are free and open to the public.

Activities include:

•  9:00 am to 12 pm - Birding Field Trip - Caravan with a knowledgeable guide who will take you to some of the best birding sites in the area. Trips begin and end at Cayuga Overlook.

• 12 pm to 4 pm - Scope watch at Cayuga Overlook on Route 77. Audubon Society volunteers will provide spotting scopes and their expertise to help you see and identify birds in the area.

• 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm " Goose Roost " Watch as flocks of Canada geese return to the marsh to roost at night.

In conjunction with these special programs the refuge Headquarters/Visitor Contact Station will be open both Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from now through May 17 in addition to our regular office hours of Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm. The building is closed on holidays.

For further information or a complete schedule call: Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge at (585) 948-5445 or visit website: www.fws.gov/northeast/iroquois/
Maps and descriptions of the trails in Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge can be found in "Take Your Bike - Family Rides in the Finger Lakes & Genesee Valley Region," and "Snow Trails - Cross-country Ski and Snowshoe in Central and Western New York."

What would it be like to stand atop the tallest mountain on Earth?  To see a full panoramic vista from there click the link below. Visible are snow-peaked mountains near and far, tremendous cliffs, distant plateaus, the tops of clouds, and a dark blue sky.  

Mt. Everest stands 8.85 kilometers above sea level, roughly the maximum height reached by international airplane flights, but much less than the 300 kilometers achieved by a space shuttle.  Hundreds of people have tried and failed to climb the behemoth by foot, a feat first accomplished successfully in 1953.  About 1,000 people have now made it to the summit.  

Roddy Mackenzie, who climbed the mountain in 1989, captured the image.  Mt. Everest lies in the Himalayan mountains in the country of Nepal.  In the native language of Nepal, the mountain's name is "Sagarmatha," which means "forehead of the sea."

Thanks Jackson Thomas for finding and sharing this great shot.

Note:  Click the image below and scroll horizontally to see the full image.

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