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Richard J. (“Dick”) Lightcap, 92, of Manlius, New York, passed away on October 6, 2026 at Crouse Memorial Hospital. Dick grew up in Queens, New York, the youngest of four boys born to William and Mabel Lightcap. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America as both a Scout and Leader and later served in the US Military. Upon graduation from Queens College, he worked as a history teacher at Grant Junior High School in Syracuse, where he met his future wife, Christine Ragonese. The couple moved to California and began their family in the Pasadena area. Upon their return to upstate New York, Dick received an administrative certification and worked as an assistant principal at several schools in the Syracuse City School District, including Corcoran High School, Roosevelt Junior High School and Lincoln Middle School. During his tenure as an administrator, Dick remained active in the F-M Sports Booster Club, the Optimist Club, and Immaculate Conception Church in Fayetteville, along with spearheading several after-school programs, while simultaneously supporting all of his children’ s extracurricular activities. Upon retirement, Dick spent his time planning hikes for OASIS and the Adirondack Mountain Club, as well as succeeding in his quest to become an “ADK 46er”, an accomplishment held for hikers who have climbed the Adirondack Mountains “High Peaks”. He led many hikes over the years and spent a great deal of time researching and maintaining trails in the Central NY area. Following the death of his wife, Dick met Madlyn Oliver through a mutual friend, and an instant connection sparked a deep and loving relationship. Dick and Maddy traveled together, wintered in Florida, explored numerous nature trails, and spent time with family and friends. In the last few years, Parkinson’s Disease stripped Dick of his mobility, but not his kindness, gentleness and compassion. Dick’s family wishes to extend gratitude to the many wonderful doctors, nurses, and caregivers who helped navigate his journey with Parkinson’s. Dick leaves behind his loving partner, Madlyn Oliver of Fayetteville; son, Kerry and daughter-in-law, Victoria Lightcap of Manlius; daughter, Kelly and son-in-law, Kevin Daley of Skaneateles; grandchildren, Kirstyn (Joseph Blasting), Langston (Sydney Oyler), Kieran, Jordan (Zachary Hudack), Christian, Natalyn, and Jocelyn; great-grandson, Caiden Blasting; as well as his beloved nieces and nephews. Dick will be remembered as a loving husband, partner, father, and grandfather who demonstrated deep devotion to his faith and family. He cherished moments spent with those he loved most of all. His quiet strength, steady wisdom, calm demeanor, and gentle nature will be sorely missed. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, October 17th at 11:00 am at Immaculate Conception Church, 400 Salt Springs St, Fayetteville. The family will receive guests prior to Mass, from 9:00-11:00 am, in the Church vestibule. There will be a reception for friends and family in Dwyer Hall immediately following Mass. In lieu of flowers, please make any donations in Dick’s honor to the Adirondack Mountain Club, Onondaga Chapter.

Fall Potluck / Business Meeting 2026

Spring Potluck / Business Meeting 2026

Mary Crittenden Coffin, 81, from Chittenango died peacefully on October 25 under Crouse Hospital life-ending palliative care. She had sudden multiple strokes.

Growing up in a rural family setting she finished high school in LeRoy, NY, college at SUNY Potsdam and her graduate work in science education at Syracuse University. Her 34 years of teaching included East Syracuse Minoa Central School, Syracuse University and on assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Burma. She was cited repeatedly for being an excellent teacher.

She was most active in the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, North Country Trail Association and the Adirondack Mountain Club. Her crowning achievement was leading a scouting team to connect the 4800-mile North Country National Scenic Trail across the entire Adirondacks. She is remembered for her conservation work and teaching it at the Canastota Great Swamp.

Mary led many extended hiking trips across the nation and overseas. She loved scuba diving, hiking, rock climbing and skiing. She was the most considerate and caring person and why so many people loved her.

Surviving is her husband, William Coffin, sisters Margerie Martin and Alice Crittenden, nephew, Eric Crittenden and step-family, William Coffin Jr., Benjamin Coffin, Douglas Coffin, Thomas Coffin and Laura Coffin Bauer. This descends to 8 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

Mary’s choice for contributions would have included the Crouse Hospital, Francis House, Great Swamp and long-distance hiking trail perpetuity.

To find out more information go the North Country Trail Website

or click here

The Northville Placid Trail is celebrating it’s 100th Anniversary this year.  Since its completion in 1924, the 138-mile trail has given hikers—whether through segments or a thru-hike—the chance to immerse themselves in the outdoors: an adventure and an experience that celebrates our public lands. Enjoy many remote and quite lakes and ponds, abundant rivers and streams as you hike this fairly moderate terrain.

Check out it’s 100th Anniversary Web Site.

Fellows Hill Loop (4 miles, 577 ft. ascent)

Take Herlihy Road from Route 80 near Apulia and park on the west side of the road at the top of the hill.

To walk the trail clockwise, cross the road heading east and up a fairly long hill.  At the top of the hill there is a cemetery but no view. The trail heads south descending slightly until curving west and descending more rapidly.  There is a junction with Herlihy Road and then a short walk to Spruce Pond. Spruce Pond has a nice log bench for sitting and clear view of the pond.  The trail continues along the west shore of the pond, at about midway along the pond, there is t-intersection with the trail heading west up the hill to Jones Hill.  To continue on the loop stay along the shore and head into the woods beyond the pond.  The trail heads north and then slightly east until you reach the parking area.

The attached document contains  information on archeologic sites in or near hiking trails in Central New York.  The site data was provided by Bill Coffin and Ed O’Shea.  There is a short description of each site along with a trail map indicating the location along with it’s GPS co-ordinates.  The GPS co-ordinates have not been fully verified.  Please use them with caution.

by Meg Keech

“You’re going to do what??”  “Won’t you be scared?” “Won’t you be lonely?”  These were the reactions I got when I told my non-hiking friends about my plan to do a solo through hike of the Northville Placid trail (NPT), a 135-mile trail running from Northville in the southern Adirondacks to Lake Placid.  I can see their point.  A woman hiking alone in a wilderness setting is not what a lot of people would choose as an ideal vacation.  But for me, it was.

If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be doing this, I would have laughed.  Although I have been doing day hikes my whole life, my backpacking experience started only a few years ago.  I will never forget leaving from the Upper Works trail head, on route to Flowed Lands, with my (VERY) full pack.  After the first 20 minutes I was in tears.  I have learned a lot since then.

My training for the NPT consisted of many miles of day hikes, gradually adding weight to my pack, until I was able to hike for 6-7 hours with a full pack comfortably.  I also did several overnight backpacking trips, learned how to use all my gear and learned what gear I really needed and what I could live without.  As I am sure you have read many times before, reducing pack weight is one of the keys to a successful and happy through-hike experience.  The other thing I did to prepare was to study the route, read about the trail, and make a well thought-out plan of how I was going to take on this challenge.

I started my hike at Benson Road rather than at the true beginning of the hike in Northville.  I did this to avoid the solo road walk, and also to shorten my hike by 1 day which I needed to do for logistical reasons.  My hike from the Benson Road trailhead to Lake Placid took me 9.5 days, including one short 6.0-mile day.  My longest day was 16.2 miles.  I broke my trip down into three sections, with 2 gear drops, one in Piseco and one in Long Lake.  This helped keep my pack weight manageable.

I planned my route to take advantage of the wonderful lean-tos scattered along the trail, although I did carry and use a small tent a couple of times.  I carried a small stove, first aid kit, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, food in a bear canister, water filter, and minimal clothes. I also carried a Garmin InReach, so that I could get help in case of an emergency, and could check in with my husband periodically.  As luck would have it,  on the first night the signal didn’t go through, and he was worried until he heard from me the next day.  I also carried bear spray, just in case.

The NPT trail offers a lot of variety.  It is overall fairly flat, with small ups and downs to make it interesting.  The only real climb is between Tirell Pond and Long Lake, where a steep climb takes you to the highest point on the trail at around 3000 feet.   The trail has areas that are very wet.  Beaver activity caused some re-routing in places.  Overall, the trail is quite well marked, but there are a few places that require a little more awareness to stay on the trail.  I carried sections of the guide book, map, and a compass.  The description in the guide book helped me a few times in the areas that were less clear.  The first section (which I didn’t do) has a creek to ford.  The trail goes through the village of Piseco and passes nearby Blue Mountain and Long Lake.  It also goes directly through the Wakely Dam area and Lake Durant State Park.  Other sections of the trail are more remote including the beautiful Cedar Lakes, West Canada Wilderness, and Cedar Lakes areas, as well as my favorite section, the Cold River area.  Beautifully located lean-tos, fabulous swimming opportunities, and a relatively easy flat trail that parallels the Cold River, make this section very enjoyable.

My daily routine was to wake up early, pack up my gear, have a quick breakfast (bar, oatmeal), and then set out on the trail, usually by 6:00 am.  I then hiked to my destination, stopping periodically for snacks and short breaks.  I went in early July and the deer flies were in full force.  This kept me moving at a brisk pace.  After arriving at my destination, usually by early afternoon, I would set up camp, do camp chores (get water, hang up clothes, set up bed, put out boots to dry, etc.) and then explore the area and rest.  Dinner (hearty rehydrated food) was early—5:00 pm or so, and then I was usually in bed by 7:00 pm.  The sleep after a day carrying a full pack is blissful, deep sleep.   Was I bored? Not at all.  Was I lonely? Not a bit!  I met people going both northbound and southbound to chat with along the way. Each day brought new memorable experiences: swimming in the Cold River,  seeing otters, sitting in my lean-to and seeing a canine (I think a coy-wolf?) climb out of the water onto the shore not far from me, listening to loons, enjoying a feast in Long Lake, having a hot shower at Lake Durant campground, etc. It also provided me many hours of time to enjoy peace and solitude.   Was it all fun and games? No.  I fell twice, leaving both shins tattooed with bruises and scrapes.  One day I walked in wet boots too long and developed a nasty blister on one toe.  The day I hiked between Blue Mountain and Long Lake I cursed the blow down and briefly wondered why I was doing this.  But once I arrived at Long Lake and enjoyed a Stewarts hot fudge sundae while chatting with a southbound hiker, I forgot all about that.

Backpack solo might not be for everyone, but for me, the NPT provided a backcountry experience that was both challenging but extremely rewarding.  I am going to go back this summer, this time with my husband.