Walking the Finger Lakes – Ask Our Travellers!

Avid Traveller | Lindsay | May 28, 2012

Last weekend our Avid Traveller program visited upstate New York for our annual May hike.

Friday morning, 30 guests, 3 guides and 1 friendly bus driver headed towards the border – which we crossed over with relative ease both there and back (Yay!).

The weekend found us surrounded by sprawling valleys covered in bright green grass, exploring small sleepy American towns, hiking alongside waterfalls at Letchworth and Stony Brook State Parks, learning about (and tasting) local wine, enjoying the hospitality of the locals and watching the stars beside Conesus lake.

The weather gods were smiling down upon us every step of the way. In fact, they may have been a little too happy with the heat, but for those of us who still had memories of hiking the Bruce Trail in the cold rain last year, it was a welcome change!

As we returned to London, I ask our guests a couple of our classic “Ask a Traveller” questions. Check out their responses and some pictures of our journey below:

Q: If you could go back and re-pack your suitcase what would you add?

A: “Flip-flops for lounging around the hotel and to give relief to feet that have been in sweaty hiking boots all day.”
“A smaller day pack – mine was too heavy, especially because of the amount of water we needed in the heat.”
“A bathing suit!” (our hotel had a pool)
“A quick-dry towel to put around my neck on the hot days”

Q: Was there anything about this area that surprised you?

A: “The amount of waterfalls!”
“The lack of bugs.”
“The amount of State Parks in the area, and how clean and well-kept they were.”
“How quaint the towns were – it felt like stepping back in time.”
“Just how long the Finger Lake Trail is.” (897.2 km)
“The Genoese canyon – I had never heard of the “Grand Canyon of the East.”