December 2009
Dave Harrison, Chapter Chair
Like many of you, I've spent many a Sunday participating in our chapter's
Sunday hikes. I've hiked with the group in all seasons, in all sorts of
weather, in local parks, on the Crescent Trail, and in several beautiful places
in the Finger Lakes region. (In October, I was part of a group of nine hikers
who enjoyed near-peak autumn foliage hiking in Wesley Hill Nature Preserve,
near Honeoye Lake, and then traveled to Naples to explore the dramatic
waterfalls and gorge that make up Grimes Glenn.) Sometimes, our group of Sunday
hikers sees no one else in the course of our wanderings. But sometimes, we
encounter other hiking groups along the trail. After all, we're not the only
group in the Rochester area that enjoys hiking. And that's a good thing. The
more people enjoying the outdoors, the better.
But as I pass those other groups that occasionally hike the same trails that
we hike, I can't help but reflect on the difference between those groups and
Genesee Valley ADK. What sets us apart is that we are not just a hiking
club, or just a paddling club, for that matter. We are those things, but
we are also something more: we are an organization that gives back to the
community. We do this in many ways--through monthly programs that bring in
experts on a variety of outdoor-oriented subjects, through educational
workshops on outdoor skills, through local and State-wide environmental
advocacy, through our trails projects (both local and in the Adirondacks),
through our Adopt-a-Highway program and streamside cleanups, and through our
huge annual Outdoor Expo event at Mendon Ponds. We also lend our support to
other local nonprofit organizations whose missions overlap with ours.
So when you run into those other hikers and hiking groups along the trail,
say "hi" as you pass them by, but as you do so, it's okay for you to take quiet
pride in knowing that you are hiking with an organization that occupies a very
special place in the Rochester community.