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Gov. Cuomo announces proposal to complete 750-mile statewide hiking trail

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  • Gov. Cuomo announces proposal to complete 750-mile statewide hiking trail



    I see a trend where having paved trails and all access is the way of the future in NYS. I hope Im wrong.

  • #2
    To build it, the state would need about 50 bridges, tunnels and culverts and would pave and grade the trail. The state would also install lighting and signage and connect it to scenic outlooks.

    "Sounds like a lot but it's not a road that we're building, it's just a trail that we would pave," he [Cuomo] said during the address.

    Helluva trail!

    What is that? Like 375 miles of county road?
    Looking for views!

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    • #3
      And it would all be FREE .
      The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.

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      • #4
        'Not as simple as it sounds. I've seen presentations by those involved with the Champlain/Erie Canal system who have been working on their trail from Waterford to Plattsburgh. They can't just follow the railroad all the way and they're hitting roadblocks, mainly due to wetlands, between Hudson Falls and Ticonderoga. Perhaps if Albany is getting involved it will help them.
        Life's short, hunt hard!

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        • #5
          I think it's more of a bike trail than a hiking trail. It could be a real economic boost to some communities. I've ridden the Erie from Buffalo to Albany, and the GAPCO from Pittsburgh to D.C. Many towns along them have seen the benefits of bike and/or hike tourists.

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          • #6
            I'm sure to some big-city folks a paved "hiking trail" would seem like wilderness to them.

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            • #7
              I see both sides of this, I am excited as a cyclist mainly because I loath riding on the road (was hit by a driver who was texting) but wonder if this $$ could be used more effectively else where in the state. If it actually goes through, it be nice if camping along the trail in designated areas was allowed.

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              • #8
                Could a moderator please fix the title of this thread?
                The proposal was for a "multi-use" - NOT "hiking trail", no it's not supposed to go through or be wilderness...

                Read all about it, from 'original' source:
                "Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today proposed completing the Hudson River Valley Greenway and Erie Canalway trails by 2020 to create the Empire State Trail, the largest state multi-use trail in the nation. To achieve this, the state will develop 350 miles of new trail in three phases to create a 750-mile pathway for hiking and biking along scenic vistas and through charming, historic communities. The Empire State Trail will span much of the state, from the New York Harbor up through the Adirondack Mountains to the Canadian border – and from the shores of Lake Erie along the historic Erie Canal to the heart of the Capital Region."
                Feverishly avoiding "a steady stream of humanity, with a view that offers little more than butts, boots, elbows and backsides". (description quote from Joe Hackett)

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                • #9
                  It is going to be a hiking trail, along with a biking trail. Identifying it as a "Hiking" trail is using Cuomo's words not mine. He could have used "walking path" but he specifically chose the adjective "hiking".

                  My comment stands. Who, other than city folks, views a paved path as a hiking trail?

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                  • #10
                    Semantics?

                    "hike":
                    To go on an extended walk for pleasure or exercise, especially in a natural setting

                    verb (used without object), hiked, hiking.
                    to walk or march a great distance, especially through rural areas, for pleasure, exercise, military training, or the like.
                    noun
                    a long walk or march for recreational activity, military training, or the like.


                    "Urban Dictionary":
                    hiking: Walking where it's okay to pee.

                    Does the type or surface of the path determine the term?

                    Cabin fever season?
                    PS: nothing personal, and trying to avoid generalizations ...
                    Feverishly avoiding "a steady stream of humanity, with a view that offers little more than butts, boots, elbows and backsides". (description quote from Joe Hackett)

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                    • #11
                      The title of the thread is the headline given the story by the linked news source. I didn't make it up or change it. I don't agree with the way it was titled either but it is what it is.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Golddragon214 View Post
                        The title of the thread is the headline given the story by the linked news source. I didn't make it up or change it. I don't agree with the way it was titled either but it is what it is.
                        Not blaming you one bit.
                        "Media" taking a little creative license is nothing new, problem is when it flows through informal channels (such as forums or "social media") it tends to snowball...
                        Feverishly avoiding "a steady stream of humanity, with a view that offers little more than butts, boots, elbows and backsides". (description quote from Joe Hackett)

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                        • #13
                          its one thing to build it, another to maintain it.

                          nyc has greenways, multi use trails. they were great when new but over the years the only one well maintained is the manhattan trail along the hudson river. the outter boroughs trails look like over grown jungle paths.

                          in some places, the park dept uses tgese paths to drive their trucks on as a short cut access to parks n golf courses pushing the intended users into pot holes n mud where the pavement is now damaged by the heavy trucks.

                          yeah, sounds nice, been there done that. just another black hole to throw money at.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by paul ron View Post
                            its one thing to build it, another to maintain it.

                            nyc has greenways, multi use trails. they were great when new but over the years the only one well maintained is the manhattan trail along the hudson river. the outter boroughs trails look like over grown jungle paths.
                            A large part of the problem in the NYC area specifically (and the Hudson Valley in general) is the prevalence of invasive plant species. Multi-flora rose, Japanese barberry, Japanese knotweed, Asiatic bittersweet, and Norway maple are common invasive plants that will often densely grow into an area faster than any management agency could reasonably be expected to deal with. Some invasive species in particular, such as knotweed and phragmites, require fairly intensive procedures to remove because mowing them down will just spread them around even more (they can reproduce asexually through cloning of plant parts). Even then, such efforts are usually wasted as the plants will reseed back into the area from adjacent property rather quickly anyways.

                            There's even some evidence that poison ivy grows more aggressively now than it did 200 or 300 years ago. I've been to areas in the Hudson Valley and Long Island where it grew into free-standing, woody shrubs that were taller than I am.

                            As with any efforts to ensure long term maintenance of recreation opportunities, I think having an active friends group with willing volunteer laborers is vitally important to success of trails like this.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by paul ron View Post
                              its one thing to build it, another to maintain it.

                              nyc has greenways, multi use trails. they were great when new but over the years the only one well maintained is the manhattan trail along the hudson river. the outter boroughs trails look like over grown jungle paths.

                              in some places, the park dept uses tgese paths to drive their trucks on as a short cut access to parks n golf courses pushing the intended users into pot holes n mud where the pavement is now damaged by the heavy trucks.

                              yeah, sounds nice, been there done that. just another black hole to throw money at.
                              My thoughts are that if they want to "build it " or basically fill in the blank spaces , fine. But please do not pave it. The initial cost and then the long term constant yearly maintenance of blacktop would be a foolish waste of money in my opinion.
                              Phil



                              “The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.” —Herbert Spencer

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