Founder Hikes

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The Founder’s Hikes (Named Hikes) will once again be held separate from the County Hike Series. Howard Beye, Erv Markert, Wally Wood, and Ed Sidote are founding members of the FLTC, and the hikes allow us to show our appreciation for everything they did so we can hike across the state.

For all hikes: All participants should be aware that hiking trails may be slippery and have uneven terrain. Some of the hikes will have creek crossings and possibly mud. Proper sturdy hiking type footwear is advised. Wear weather appropriate clothing, the hikes are rain or shine. Bring drinking water, bug spray, camera/cellphone, and sunscreen. A snack or lunch is also recommended based on your personal needs.

Howard Beye: April 26, 2025

Hike Date: April 26, 2025, Saturday
Start Time: 10 AM
FLT Map: International Loop #1
Meet Location: FLT trailhead on Daisy Hollow Road North Trailhead
(GPS: 42.47078530588466, -76.2310341423272)
Hike Leader: Triple Cities Hiking Club hike leader Karen Harriell
Hike Distance: ~7 miles
Description:

Hilly terrain, Moderate pace, approximately 7 miles in the western part of the James Kennedy State Forest along a combination of the Finger Lakes
Trail and the International Trail’s Spanish Loop. The hike will follow a mix of rolling terrain and a few creek crossings. Lunch stop at picturesque Mercedes Spring.  This is one of Karen’s favorite hikes, especially in early spring when wildflowers begin to appear.

Recommendation: Wear sturdy hiking type footwear (there are tree roots, uneven ground, creek crossings, possible mud). Wear weather appropriate clothing, the hike is rain or shine. A hiking stick or pole may be helpful. Bring drinking water, bug spray, and sunscreen. A snack or lunch is also recommended. All the hikes have beautiful sights, so bring a camera/cellphone.

Register

Wally Wood: May 4, 2025

Hike Date: May 4, 2025, Sunday
Start Time: 10 AM
FLT Map: L1
Meet Location: Visitor’s Center of Mt. Morris Dam 6103 Visitor Center Rd, Mt. Morris, NY 14510 (GPS: 42.73132052997531, -77.90528823541558)
Hike Leader: Genesse Valley Hiking Club hike leader Ann Bayley
Hike Distance: 4 miles
Description:

Leisurely pace, 4 miles, mostly flat, spectacular views.  Comfort station and picnic tables are available for lunch.  See the home office of the FLTC. There is 2-mile extension possible.

Recommendation: Wear sturdy hiking type footwear (there are tree roots, uneven ground, creek crossings, possible mud). Wear weather appropriate clothing, the hike is rain or shine. A hiking stick or pole may be helpful. Bring drinking water, bug spray, and sunscreen. A snack or lunch is also recommended. All the hikes have beautiful sights, so bring a camera/cellphone.

Register

Erv Markert: June 14, 2025

Hike Date: June 14, 2025, Saturday
Start Time: 9:30 AM
FLT Map: AL
Meet Location: parking area at junction of Bald Hill and Station roads in the Town of Danby (GPS: 42.318167, -76.495778)
Hike Leader: Ithaca Hikers hike leader Jim Rolfe
Hike Distance: varies; up to 8 miles
Description:

There is plenty of parking on Station Road and it gives people who want to do a shorter hike the option to bail out early, or people can do the whole
thing. The lead hike will be a 2-hour loop hike that involves walking up the seasonal part of Bald Hill Rd to the Abbott Loop to the Pinnacles. Hopefully with a good view from the observation spot at the top. The hike continues down the other side of the Pinnacles and meets the seasonal part of Bald Hill Rd. Some hikers who travel a distance to join us on this founder’s hike may want to do the entire 8+ mile Abbott Loop if they’ve never done it.

Recommendation: Wear sturdy hiking type footwear (there are tree roots, uneven ground, creek crossings, possible mud). Wear weather appropriate clothing, the hike is rain or shine. A hiking stick or pole may be helpful. Bring drinking water, bug spray, and sunscreen. A snack or lunch is also recommended. All the hikes have beautiful sights, so bring a camera/cellphone.

Register

Ed Sidote: June 28, 2025

Hike Date: June 28, 2025, Saturday
Start Time: 8:30 AM (Longer Hike), 10 AM (Shorter Hike)
FLT Map: M23
Meet Location: Fred Stewart Road 9-mile truck trail (CCC Trail) Pharsalia, NY 13815 (GPS: 42.583567124810315, -75.70061934241754)
Hike Leader: Bullthistle hiking Club hike leaders Steve Ellsworth and Peg Fuller
Hike Distance: 5 miles (Longer Hike) 3 miles (Shorter Hike)
Description:

The hike will be in the Pharsalia Woods along the FLT to the Sidote Bench (and the Passport rubbing station # E05) and ending at the Sandberg
Pharsalia Lean-to where there will be a hotdog cookout. Hikers can bring a dish to pass (desserts, sides, etc.). Two hike distances will be offered (5-miles and 3-miles). It is a mostly level hike with slight elevation (250 ft).

Recommendation: Wear sturdy hiking type footwear (there are tree roots, uneven ground, creek crossings, possible mud). Wear weather appropriate clothing, the hike is rain or shine. A hiking stick or pole may be helpful. Bring drinking water, bug spray, and sunscreen. A snack or lunch is also recommended. All the hikes have beautiful sights, so bring a camera/cellphone.

Register

More About Our Founders

Wally Wood

Wally Wood is an important figure in the history of the Finger Lakes Trail Conference because without him, there would be no Finger Lakes Trail.

In the fall of 1961, Wally Wood was a long-distance hiker living in Rochester when he dreamed up the idea of a trail system across New York State. He brought the idea to the Genesee Valley Hiking Club, and a committee was established to explore the idea with like-minded hiking clubs across the state. In March of 1962, approximately 100 representatives of these clubs gathered at Keuka College for the first official meeting of the Finger Lakes Trail Conference (FLTC).

Wally Wood became the founding president of the FLTC and served in that role from 1962-1966. He served on the Board of Managers until 1969 and had many roles with the FLTC, including Bristol Hills Trail Sponsor and Trail Coordinator from 1962-1976, editor of Finger Lakes Trail News in 1969 and from 1972-1973, and executive secretary of the FLTC from 1975-1976. He was \awarded the first Wallace D. Wood Distinguished Service Award in 1984, which has since been awarded to dozens of individuals who have made significant contributions to the Finger Lakes Trail. Wally Wood passed away in 1996.

There is a monument to Wally Wood on map M7 South of Portageville. It was installed by the Hesse family, who are landowners on the FLT, and the Genesee Valley Hiking Club on June 4, 2005.

Erv Markert

Erv Markert was chairman of the Trails Committee for almost twenty years.

Georgeana Vyverberger profiled Erv Markert for her column in the Fall 2009 issue of FLT News. The following is excerpted from her column:

“Erv Markert held the position of Trail Committee Chairman for over 20 years. That kind of dedication most likely had its effect on Howard Beye who was mentored by Mr. Markert. [When] Howard’s meticulous files were brought to the Service Center, there in the back of many of the folders was Erv Markert’s voluminous correspondence. It details beautifully the growth of a trail that was less than 50 miles on the ground when Erv took his place as Trail Manager. In June of 1964, along with some friends he flew more than 350 miles in a small plane piloted by Fred Hiltz scouting out routes in the eastern part of New York State.”

He also served as FLT president from 1971-1973. When Wally Wood retired Erv graciously made a place for the office in his home and though he recruited help for some of the endless tasks associated with record keeping, he and his family were the folks who answered the phone when anyone needed something or had a question.

Like many of the other people [Georgeanne profiled] about in [her] column, Erv heard about the trail from a news article and attended [the] first meetings. Erv and his wife Kathy met Wally Wood on the trail of the Bristol Hills Branch one day. Wally knew a good thing when he saw it because soon afterward, he knocked on the Markerts’ door and proceeded to talk Erv into taking the position of Trails Manager. During those 20 years he worked tirelessly for the FLT and was the perfect public relations liaison with the Appalachian Trail Conference and other groups.

He served on the Board of the National Trail Council, North Country Trail Advisory Board and was instrumental in the establishment of the New York State Trails Council.

In 1985 Erv was awarded the FLTC’s Wally Wood Distinguished Service Award. At the time he was still Finger Lakes Trail News editor. When asked why he became interested in the FLT his reply was simple: “I have always been interested in the outdoors but hunting and fishing didn’t answer all my needs. The Trail offered a chance for my family to do something together.”

Erv’s legacy is truly phenomenal. When he received the Wally Wood Award the main trail was 420 miles and branch trails totaled 196 miles. Most of those miles were nurtured by the intelligence and carefulness of Erv Markert.”

Howard Beye

Howard Beye was a volunteer who literally couldn’t be replaced when he passed away suddenly in 2008 at the age of 75.
For seventeen years, the Finger Lakes Trail Conference lived in the home of Howard and Dorothy Beye. They filled orders for maps and t-shirts out of their home, managed an early iteration of the FLTC’s “database” of donors, members, and volunteers, and responded to inquiries and phone calls from trail users, sometimes at all hours of the night. In addition to managing these office functions, Howard’s official title was Trails Chair for the then 880-mile system. In this volunteer role, which he occupied for 25 years, Howard kept track of map updates, recruited and trained volunteer trail maintainers and sponsors, and tracked their volunteer hours. He also organized every Alley Cat Project each year, and managed relationships with state agencies and partners.

Howard did so much and had so many responsibilities that when he passed away suddenly in 2008, his position had to be split among several volunteers to accomplish the many tasks. It took the organization years to adjust to his absence. In some ways, the impact of Howard’s death is still being felt today.

Long-time volunteer and past FLT News Editor Irene Szabo wrote two pieces in the Winter 2008 issue of FLT News about Howard and his death. In the first, she shared the history of his involvement with the organization and predicted then just how difficult it would be for the FLTC to carry on without him, stating that it was “crushingly difficult to imagine how we will fill his shoes.”

Howard’s influence and impact on the trail were significant, but not more significant than his influence and impact on the people of the trail. In a second piece, Irene describes her relationship with Howard, who was the “first human she ever talked to about the FLTC.”

“In those days he was the only person at the other end of a phone for the whole trail, so he became THE trail to each of us,” she writes. After his death “I began to realize how thoroughly the man haunted the interior of my head. A week after he died, I was doing trail work and was amazed at how many times I caught little semi-conscious thoughts popping in unbidden, sort of an ongoing mental conversation with Howard, reporting in, so to speak, about what I was doing, how many hours I’d spent that day, what I still had to do. Even a full month later, I caught myself being faintly ashamed for Howard to see the sloppy blaze I’d just painted.”

Years later, Irene still had the feeling of “reporting in” to Howard. And it honestly sounds like he was the best kind of person to report in to. Remembering Howard Beye is a good time to remember that the trail was built and is maintained by people. It is the people and their relationships with each other that make the FLT strong and stable, and it is the people that attract other people to become involved.

Ed Sidote

In 1990, at the age of 73, Ed “Mr. FLT” Sidote became the third person to hike the entire Finger Lakes Trail. Three years later, Ed was awarded the FLTC’s Wally Wood Distinguished Service Award, and in 2004 he was the first recipient of the FLTC’s prestigious Howard Beye Lifetime Achievement Award. Ed’s contributions to the FLT were considerable and he left a lasting legacy with the FLTC.

In addition to serving as President of the FLTC’s Board of Managers, Ed left an indelible mark as the organization’s first End-to-End (E2E) Coordinator. According to FLTC-lore, if a hiker finished the FLT at 2 a.m., Ed would be there in the middle of the woods to give them their badge. Ed was also a “Trail Angel” for many hikers – giving rides in his famous Suburban – and was the creator of the FLTC’s first Trail Angel list, which was painstakingly and beautifully handwritten for hikers.

Ed was committed to the FLT hiking community, and to supporting the Finger Lakes Trail Conference. To celebrate his 90th birthday (and the FLTC’s 45th), Ed asked family, friends, and supporters of the FLTC to celebrate with a gift of $1,250 to the Finger Lakes Trail Conference. The donations could be paid all at once or over time, and all contributions would be directed to the Sidote Stewardship Fund, which is dedicated to trail protection projects. These gifts and the generous donors who made them established the FLT Forever Society, which now has 82 members and has generated more than $100,000 in donations.

A portion of trail in Chenango County is named and dedicated to Ed, and a stone bench on the trail in Pharsalia is engraved in his honor: “Ed Sidote: Mr. FLT.”