CHENANGO COUNTY – Hikers are encouraged to consider the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT). There are 72 miles of the FLT in Chenango County. The main trail consists of a total of about 560 miles and around 950 including the branch trails across the southern part of NYS.

The Finger Lakes Trail Conference has recently partnered with Wegmans to produce a “Passport” introductory guide to the eastern part of the FLT. These little booklets are available at Rogers Center in Sherburne. Just stop by the office and ask for one. The guide includes all you need to know about hiking the Finger Lakes Trail, maps and descriptions of 12 different hikes on the trail east of Route 81 and the opportunity to get some free coupons from Wegmans. You just have to complete four of the hikes, do a rubbing of the trail marker and send the rubbings in to the FLT office. .

You can get a head start on the hikes by joining the Bullthistle Hiking Club as they lead the annual Finger Lakes Trail Sidote Hike on Saturday, August 2. Each year the FLT sponsors four hikes to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the history of the FLT and this one is in honor of Norwich’s Ed Sidote who is a Past President of the organization and a tireless supporter of the FLT. You can choose from a 5 mile or 9 mile hike so it’s not exactly the same as in the booklet but will give you a taste of what these Passport hikes are like.

Meet at 9 a.m. at the starting point, which is just off Chenango County Route 10 west of Norwich at the corner of Stewart and Hoag Childes Rds. This is the same place as the start point of Hike E05 in the Passport guide. Be sure to bring water and a snack or lunch if you plan to do the long hike. There’s no need to register but you can get more info by calling or emailing hike leader Warren Johnsen at wjohnsen@roadrunner.com or phone 373-3054. For more information about the FLT see: fltconference.org/trail/.