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north, crossing the Saratoga County line and reaching the Adirondack Park and the Northville-Placid Trail, another long distance hiking route. New York State is surprisingly speckled with these trails; also on the resumé is the Finger Lakes Trail, stretching from the Catskills to Alleghany State Park in the Western 1er, and the mul1-use Empire State Trail, connec1ng Al- bany to Buffalo, and Manha2an to Canada. This year Otsego County resident, Thomas Walsh who has thru-hiked the trail twice, is the first to hike the trail in both direc1ons having com- pleted the accomplishment a few months ago. The community around the Long Path is highlighted with astonishing majesty and the encounters you have with people are tremendous, as he recalls 1mes strangers brought him water during a dry season, or helped carry food on his own trek. He has met other Long Path thru-hikers and a2ests to this being a very hiker- friendly trail and with a strong community. And, aside from day hikers or those taking to the trail for a weekend camping trip, many sec1on-hike the Long Path by breaking up the en1re route by one or more of its 35 official sec1ons. Kami Morgenthaler, a Trail volunteer, points out the accessibility of the Long Path as a significant highlight as you can be on the trail for a couple of days and s1ll be within an hour or two from home. Parking areas are do2ed throughout, so those looking to get off or be picked up in a specific area can do so. Between towns and parking areas, "it's invaluable to have opportuni1es to get off the trail to rest or reassess," says Morgenthaler. There's also plenty of opportunity for on-trail support. There's no way I could have completed this without the help of others," says Walsh. "There's always a bounce in my step walking away from those interac1ons." In the words of President Teddy Roosevelt, who established our national parks: "There is nothing so American as our na- tional parks". "Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it." Forest bathing works only if the forest is wild and ungroomed. Let's keep our parks free and wild from added man-made infrastructures and overdone signage. Hook Mountain (right) that HOOK Magazine is named a(er in all its autumn glory on the trail. Photo by Janet A. Wortendyke 2024 | HOOK MAGAZINE 39