FINGER LAKES TRAIL CONFERENCE
ONONDAGA CHAPTER OF THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB

Although BILL COFFIN has hiked in Switzerland, Norway, and Spain, has scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro, is an Adirondack 46'er, and done the Northville- Lake Placid Trail twice, he says that a long time ago he used to wonder "Why build long trails." Most people just hike for an hour or an afternoon or a weekend. But over time he came to realize that they are needed by those people who are "seized by wanderlust." Long trails "take you somewhere; they connect resources, people and cultures." And he's spent literally thousands of hours over the past several decades working hard so that you can walk your dog, or walk to the next state if you so desire. Since the early 1970's Bill has volunteered with the FLT. And the North Country Trail found him, when it was commissioned in 1980. The list of trail organization offices he's held, local and state-wide, fills an entire sheet of paper! 300 words are not going to skim the surface of his accomplishments. He's promoted foot trails with the public, with legislators and agencies. Bill has been a trail steward, and one who oversees others in this position. He's made many contacts with landowners seeking and receiving permission for trails to cross their lands. One particularly rewarding area that has been a focus of his energy is working to connect the FLT to the Adirondacks. Bill was a leader in the formation of the highly active Central New York Chapter. A smorgasbord of route ideas through that area has now been refined to the Onondaga Branch- Link Trail combination which the NCT will follow. His skills at bringing people together to work toward this connection are resulting in 18 miles of new trail across both public and private land. But Bill is never one to sit and feel satisfied with present accomplishments. Now he's wondering who will take on the task in the Adirondacks.

WESTERN MICHIGAN CHAPTER

Now we'll welcome you to the literal smorgasbord. STEPHANIE BLACK's mother-in-law bought her an NCT membership about six years ago, and she attended the Chapter Christmas party. She's been involved ever since. She says she's always loved the outdoors, but didn't realize until recently how much she liked hiking. "I'm intrigued by putting everything on your back and just going..." she mused. Members say, "she cooks a lot... like at every event!" This alone boggles my mind. And when Stephanie told me that her full-time occupation is that of a chef, kitchen-o-phobic I could barely complete the interview. But if you come to a Western Michigan event, Stephanie will make you "feel welcomed, very welcomed," and enjoy doing it. She may cook on a camp stove out of the back of a pic-up, on a park grill, or bring things made at home. Her favorite is the "challenge of cooking over a fire." She delights in trying different things. She casually mentioned things we don't usually expect as trail food: fresh vegetables, continental breakfasts, hors d'oeuvres... Your meal may be rustic (she liked the one she served in white crockery bowls), or fancy with colored picnic cloths and flowers. But at the end of a long work day you can look forward to a wonderful dinner she has prepared. Now Stephanie comes to the Christmas parties armed with homemade jams and breads as presents for other people. Keep in mind that this is the largest chapter in the Association. She's not just kneading dough for 3 or 4 loaves of bread! And by the way, she's Chapter Vice President, and also helps with trail maintenance. Another of her priorities is working with youth at her church. We have to wonder with one of Stephanie's friends (in between bouts of rejoicing and rubbing our happy tummies), "Where does she find the time?"

HIAWATHA SHORE-TO-SHORE CHAPTER

MARK HALVORSEN brings his own smorgasbord of talents to the Trail. He works full time as a clinical social worker with the county mental health department. But he likes being in the wild forest. "Walking is healing," he commented. "It's very different from what I do all day long. It gives me a different perspective." And he's walked 114 of the 122 miles maintained by this new chapter. Tracking him down for an interview was a challenge too since in his other spare time he has a lead role in a play nearly an hour away from his home in St. Ignace.. I say "other spare time" because the NCT obviously owns a chunk of his life. He was a key member of the group who formed this Chapter in 2002. He had come across the NCT often while out walking, hunting or fishing with friends. The idea "percolated in all our heads," he said, and finally they made the contacts and received their charter. He's taken the Forest Service training to be certified as a "feller" in chain saw use. He worked to secure roadway trail-crossing signs. He also designed the chapter brochure. Mark explained that right after the chapter formed they realized that they "had a million things to do" but that they had nothing concrete to give people to tell them about the trail. So Mark wrote some text, applied skills from his degree in geology that helped him include a map, and then sketched some beautiful art work to complement it all. The result is a Chapter brochure they are proud to distribute. "Now that more people know about the trail, it's easier to have a meaningful conversation, " Mark offered. His most personally rewarding contribution has been the Adopt-a-Section project. With 122 miles of trail some members were getting discouraged. Mark decided to divide up the miles into manageable sections, with reasonable expectations of walking, marking, and reporting problems on the trail. This has worked very well. "People have developed emotional ownership of a section, so they choose to put in even more time than we ask," he commented. There's a motivational lesson that we all need to learn!