I haven’t done the math on this, to be honest, but I’d be willing to wager that there are more miles of hiking trails in the Tristate region than there are paved roads.
There are trails everywhere, running through woods and fields and alongside rivers and creeks. They go uphill and downhill. Some are easy, some are hard. Some have views that extend for miles, others don’t.
This is mecca for hikers, but a great many of the recreational pedestrians who come through this region (and again, I haven’t done the math) are just passing through on one of America’s greatest interstates: the Appalachian Trail, which has its terminuses in Georgia and Maine and which passes right through many of our local towns.
Perhaps you’ve seen the hikers as they trudge along roadways or stop at post offices and libraries to catch up with family and friends back home. You might have sat near them at a café while they wolf down entire pints of ice cream. If the café was indoors, perhaps you moved away to a distant table, your senses assaulted by the scent of many days on the trail without any bathroom facilities of any kind. One of our Lakeville Journal summer interns once wrote that Appalachian Trail hikers smell like the 18th century.
It’s an annual tradition at The Lakeville Journal that we send our summer interns out in search of hikers, preferably those who are trekking the full expanse of the trail. Every hiker has an interesting story to tell, and provides a great interview opportunity for a young writer. All our interns enjoy this assignment; one went on to do a documentary about AT hikers for a high school project and more than one has decided to hike the trail him or herself. You can read in this issue the story of our 2021 intern Sadie Leite, who writes about hiking the trail last month with her sister, Petra (see story on the next page).
We generally shorthand the length of the trail and say it’s 2,100 miles but its actual length changes every year or two, as repairs are made and sections are rerouted.
For 2022, the trail is officially 2,194.3 miles long, thanks in part to trail work done by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) on sections in New York and Connecticut. Much of the AT runs through privately owned land; this new work by AMC members shifted the trail over onto National Park Service lands.
You can get details about the AMC (which maintains sections of the trail between Maine and Washington, D.C.) and find out how to volunteer for future work details at www.outdoors.org. The website also has useful information on, for example, where there are overnight shelters along the trail. You can learn about the Appalachian Trail parent organization (the Appalachian Trail Conservancy) at www.appalachiantrail.org.
But if you’re looking for serious up-to-the-minute data (and if you want to register as an AT hiker), then you should go to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s registration pages at www.atcamp.org. There you can find explanations of why you should bother to register, and tips on when and where to begin your journey.
As a journalist, I particularly like the page that shows how many hikers have registered and started walking. If you’ve lived in the Tristate region for long enough, you start to see the hikers as an indicator of the seasons. Sometimes the lilacs bloom late or early; sometimes the first hikers appear earlier or later.
In 2020, shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were only 42 hikers who started out on April 1, and the numbers dwindled from there. In 2021, the majority of hikers doing the traditional south-to-north journey started out on April 1. There were 56 hikers on that date.
In 2022, there were 65 hikers who registered to start on April 1, but the following day (April 2) there were 66 hikers. On April 3, an additional 63 hikers headed north and the numbers have remained steadily high since then.
The first hikers began to appear in our towns in mid May. If you see a hiker on the road, give him or her a wave but don’t be surprised not to get a response. Often, to help them survive the many hours and days of walk, walk, walk the hikers go into a sort of fugue state. They’re most likely to be most friendly if you see them seated and relaxing with a lot of high-calorie food outside a grocery store.
If you want to help a hiker along the way, think about leaving some food or cold drinks in a cooler with a sign that says Trail Magic. Or if you see a hiker or two who are depleted and hoping for a ride, pull your car to the side of the road and let them clamber in if you have space for all their gear. But keep in mind that you might want to roll down all the windows first.
MILLERTON — Donald Francis “Frank” McNally Jr., passed away peacefully at Vassar Brothers Medical Center on Wednesday Jan. 8, 2025, after a short illness. Frank was a resident of Millerton since 1996. He was born on Jan. 27, 1955, in Cold Spring, New York, at Butterfield Hospital and was raised in Garrison, New York, where he enjoyed exploring and camping in the wilderness of the Hudson Valley, participating in the Boy Scouts as a bugler, and competing as captain of his high school wrestling team.
He was a graduate of James I. O’Neill High School in Highland Falls class of ‘74 and SUNY Cobleskill class of ‘76 where he majored in animal husbandry, specializing in equine science. He then proudly volunteered for the United States Peace Corps where he accepted an assignment to his host country of the Philippines, where he met his wife. Frank would then pursue his lifelong passion for horses and horseback riding on several horse farms in Dutchess County. Later he would work for New York state where he would then retire, spending his time caring for animals, reading, fishing and taking photographs. Frank enjoyed a good laugh with family and friends, while also occasionally winning a game of RISK. Frank was an avid reader, often reading several books a week while in the constant company of his cat.
Frank is survived by his wife and best friend, Paz (Alpez) McNally who resides in Millerton, and two sons, Patrick A. McNally and Philipp F. McNally; his daughter in-law, Erin McNally and his beloved grandchildren, Jack and Lila who brought him immeasurable joy in his life. Frank is also survived by his sister, Mary R. (McNally) Gutierrez and her husband Victor and their son Juan, and his brother, Daniel McNally Sr., and his daughter Jacqueline and son Daniel Jr. He was predeceased by his father Donald F. McNally Sr. and his mother Jacqueline (Adams) McNally.
There are no calling hours. At Frank’s request, cremation has taken place at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery in Poughkeepsie. A celebration of Frank’s life will take place in the spring. Memorial Contributions may be made to the NorthEast–Millerton Library, P.O. Box 786, Millerton, NY 12546 or to a local animal shelter of your choice. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Frank’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
NORFOLK — Florence Eugenia Cooper died on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, at the age of 92 at Geer Lodge in Canaan, Connecticut where she had been a resident for 2 ½ years. She also spent a couple of days a week at the home of her daughter, the artist Hilary Cooper and her husband Chris Crowley, in Lakeville.
Florence (neé Muhas) was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Greek immigrants. She went to local public schools and then to college at Barnard where she was mentored by Professor of Religion Ursula Niebuhr, wife of the philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr, who urged her to go to her alma mater St Hugh’s College, Oxford University where she earned a D. Phil degree. Later, she received an M.A. in foreign policy with a specialty in China, at the London School of Economics.
Florence met her future husband, Kenneth Cooper, a Diplomatic Courier, in Athens where she was visiting and he was passing through. Ken grew up in Kansas, served in submarines at the end of World War II, and graduated from the University of Kansas under the G.I. Bill. Shortly after his marriage to Florence in 1958, he became a Foreign Service Officer and served as such for the rest of his professional life. His service brought the family to Frankfurt, Belgrade, Karachi, London, Washington D.C., Manila and finally Hong Kong. Their sixty-year marriage was the center and the joy of both their lives from the start to Ken’s death in 2018. Florence was bookish and a little shy. Ken had an easy social charm. They both had wonderful senses of humor. They had two children, Hilary, born in late 1958, and Christopher “Topher”, born in 1960.
Florence wanted to work but that was not so easy in the 1960s and 70s, even for a gifted and lavishly educated woman. During the Washington assignment she searched for a job in vain (how many words can you type per minute was the usual question.) At the suggestion of a friend, she met with a remarkable woman who had started the Women’s Rights Movement, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Through that organization she found work at the State Department. When Ken was posted to Manila, she was given a commission as a consular officer issuing visas, often to young brides of servicemen at Subic Naval and Clark Air bases. She also ran the fraud unit which was a colorful challenge.
The single and central sadness of their lives was the loss of Topher of a traumatic brain injury in 2004. Shortly afterwards the couple moved to Norfolk to be near Hilary, opening a new chapter in their lives. One day Hilary brought Florence along to the Yale Art School community drawing group run by Sam Messer, who immediately gave her a pad and pencil. Florence demurred, and he said, “either you draw or take your clothes off and model!” She started drawing and never stopped, also becoming a sculptor. The drawing group and the Yale Norfolk community were a central joy and she and Hilary continued to attend sessions right up until last summer.
WEST CORNWALL — Frederick Ralph Scoville II, 72, of 243 Town St., died Jan. 7, 2025, at the Waterbury Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Fred was the husband of 45 years to Lynn (Pollard) Scoville. Fred was born in Torrington, son of the late Ralph and Thalia (Hicock) Scoville.
Fred spent his whole life in West Cornwall. He attended Cornwall Consolidated and Housatonic Valley Regional High School. The only time he left was to attend the University of Connecticut for animal science. After school he came home to work with his father on the family farm taking over full-time in 1996 milking dairy cattle and selling hay. His life passion was the farm. He could always be found tinkering on equipment or surveying the neighborhood on his golf cart. The only thing that rivaled the farm was his love of his family. His wife, sons, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren meant the world to Fred.
After changing the farm from a dairy operation to all beef in 2006, Fred went to work for the Town of Cornwall Public Works, where he got to keep up on the town chatter. He was a founding member of the Cornwall Agricultural Commission and looked forward to the local Ag Fair each year. His expertise in judging maple syrup was unparalleled! He was regularly seen around town giving “sage” advice to many local farmers.
In addition to his wife, Fred will be deeply missed by his sons, Stephen and Frederick R. Scoville III (Katherine) of West Cornwall. His sisters: Grace Kanderfer (Peter) of New Hartford; Eliza Cleaveland of Bloomfield; and Maria Bonetti (Walter) of East Canaan. Fred leaves behind his two grandchildren, Abbé Lynn and Frederick Ralph Scoville IV of West Cornwall. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Fred was predeceased by his infant sister, Priscilla, brother and sister-in-law Ralph and Marta Scoville of Denville, New Jersey.
Funeral services will be held on Jan. 18, 2025, at the West Cornwall Meeting House at 11 a.m. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. There are no calling hours.
The family has requested that you come as you are and the way Fred knew and loved you. No fancy dress, no need to impress, just come as YOU.
Memorial donations in Fred’s memory may be sent to the Cornwall Agriculture Advisory Committee Scholarship Fund, 26 Pine Street West Cornwall, CT 06796. Arrangements are under the care of the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home 118 Main St. Canaan, CT 06018.
MILLERTON — Violet Leila Woods, 95, passed away peacefully on Jan. 1, 2025, in Mesa, Arizona. She was born on Jan. 23, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. Following birth, Violet resided in Millerton, New York, where she lived until moving to Jacksonville, Florida following her retirement. She was preceded in death by her husband, Norman Woods; her parents, Henry George Rice and Eurie Marion Rice; her ten siblings; Audrey, Glendon, Joseph, George, Robert, Gordon, Beulah, Marion, Edith, and Betty. Violet, more commonly known as “Vi” lived a long, fulfilling, and wonderful life spent with family and friends.
Day to day, Violet spent time playing sudoku puzzles and was an avid reader, finding joy in exchanging books with friends. She also found great joy playing bingo, pinnacle, poker, and had a lifelong passion for knitting and crocheting, which she learned from her mother. Many friends or relatives have received sweaters, blankets, and afghans hand-made by Vi. Her handmade gifts truly touched the lives of many.
She is survived by her children; Karan, Dianne (George), Ron, and Donna, children of her late husband, Sandy and Paul. She leaves behind her grandchildren, James II (Melissa), Jenna (Kevin), Joey, and Matthew (Jenna), as well as her three great-grandchildren; Bailey, James III, Georgie and many nieces and nephews. Her love and generosity will be missed by all who knew her.
Violet will be cremated in Arizona. Her celebration of life will be held on Jan. 26 at the Arlington Lions Club, starting at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Arlington Lions Club in her memory. Donations can be made through their website at www.jaxarlingtonlionsclub.com/ or by check made to Arlington Lions Club, at 6523 Commerce St., Jacksonville, FL 32211.
