Otsego2000 May 18, 2026

Charity hike to benefit Otsego Outdoors and Bassett Cancer Institute

August 11, 2026

On August 11, Tom Walsh of Worcester completed his charity hike challenge to raise funds for Otsego Outdoors and the Bassett Healthcare Network’s cancer patient assistance fund. This is Tom’s seventh charity hike, and he completed the Northville/Lake Placid Trail southbound as a 138-mile thru-hike. All money raised will be divided evenly between Bassett and Otsego Outdoors.

If you would like to support Tom’s Charity Hike, you can still donate online.

August 3: Tom started his hike on July 31, and has completed about 40 miles. He has encountered lots of mud, deadfall, and overgrowth, but also some pleasant stretches of hiking and three crews who are working to improve the trails.

August 4: Tom reports he has an uphill day ahead of him, and will not have cell service for the next 4 days or so.

August 6: Tom got a bar on his cellphone and called to let us know he completed a 15-mile day yesterday. He woke up and wasn’t sore (yay) and now that he earned his trail legs is enjoying a beautiful day on the trail. He has met multiple folks hiking the trail northbound. Tom is past the half-way mark and doing well, hoping to find a lean-to to stay the night if it’s raining.

August 11: Tom finished the hike, even though it meant wading across

About Tom Walsh
Tom, a cancer survivor, is a great advocate for Otsego Outdoors and hiking. You will often see him walking logging roads in state forests, or helping improve trails at Robert V. Riddell State Park, Basswood Pond State Forest, Otsego Land Trust properties, or anywhere that needs a helping hand.
“Tom is a great volunteer and trail advocate, and we are grateful that he selected Otsego Outdoors again to benefit, along with the Bassett Cancer Institute, from this year’s charity hike,” said Peg Odell of Otsego 2000, which manages the collaborate program along with partner organizations the Otsego Land Trust, Otsego County Conservation Association, and the Butternut Valley Alliance.
Bassett Healthcare Network interviewed Tom in this video, find out what motivates him to hike.
His previous charities hikes include:
  • a continuous 200-mile thru-hike to Otsego County’s 21 state forests and 4 state parks (2022),
  • a continuous 200+-mile thru-hike to Otsego County’s state forests and 5 Otsego Land Trust conservation areas (2023),
  • a continuous 360-mile thru hike on the Long Path from Thacher State Park in Voorheesville to 175th Street in Manhattan (2024),
  • a continuous northbound hike of the 138-mile Northville/Lake Placid Trail (2025).

 

If you would like to support Tom’s Charity Hike, you can donate online.

Tom Walsh celebrates completing the Long Path in New York City
Tom after completing the 360 mile Long Path hike in 2024, from Thacher State Park to Manhattan.