Wally Wood Hike in Western NY

view from the Abbott Loop (photo by Larry Blumberg)

from Larry Blumberg

Saturday, April 23 was another one of those 'lucky' (our 'karma' is with us) days, for in spite of a near 100% forecasted chance of rain and showers, we never felt a single rain drop from the moment we started our hike -- and the sun even popped out for a few moments !

I am writing, of course, about the annual Finger Lakes Trail Conference-sponsored Spring 'Wally Wood' Hike along the Abbott Loop on FLT Map M17, south of Ithaca, NY, in Tompkins County, home of the Cayuga Trails Club who maintain the Abbott Loop along with about 70 miles of Finger Lakes Trail.

Fifteen hikers, primarily from the Cayuga Trails Club, the Bullthistle Club, and the Triple Cities Hiking Club came out for what turned into a very nice day of hiking. In addition we also had a special guest in attendance, Steve Randall, an FLT land-owner from Swain, NY.

Tom Reimers provided the opening remarks, he talked a little bit about Wally Wood, the founder of the FLT back in 1962 (you can do the math, but that means the FLT will be celebrating its 50th birthday in 2012 !!!). Phil Dankert, who served as the hike leader (but let's be honest - he had lots of help from his buddy Jack Vanderzee), then talked about the Abbott Loop and how it was built in the early 1990's by a couple from the Cayuga Trails Club, Cliff and Doris Abbott.

Phil chose to hike the Abbott Loop in a clockwise direction, or 'backwards' from the description as written on the back of Map M17. That, to me, meant we must have been hiking COUNTER-clockwise, since we were heading COUNTER to the map description, but I was out-voted...so, yes, we hiked clockwise around the Abbott Loop. Not sure it mattered, though, cause we climbed a total of 1900 feet and to my way of thinking that's the same no matter which direction one hikes the loop!

This segment is on FLT Map M17

See Finger Lakes Trail Conference