Day 3: Thursday, August 21So, where will we go today? GT wants to see the Adirondacks and I have a book of places to hike so we find a couple of possibilities that are close enough to do in a day. We choose #19, Gleasmans Falls, southeast of Lowville and close to the village of Glenfield. The directions are very explicit so even though the trail is remote, we feel confident that we will find it with no troubles.
Okay, we had trouble. The "explicit directions" did not jibe with the actual surroundings. We went mostly on instinct, ending up on a dirt road that was rutted and rocky. 3-1/2 miles later we came to a trailhead - still no marking so we weren't sure we were in the right place. GT, being a veteran hiker, felt sure we were on track so we took off down the trail. It wasn't until about 1/2 mile later that we came to the sign-in board (there is a book where you enter your name, addy, phone, etc. and a place to check out when you come back) and saw that others had been here to see the falls.
It was an interesting trek. First a marshy area, then woods. The trail was pretty easy and we figured we could complete the three miles in a couple of hours. Two hours later we heard water. Eureka! It's the falls! Within a few minutes we came to a small footbridge deep in the woods with a couple of "fall-ish" places. Could this be it? If so, it was a huge disappointment.
Taking a minute to rest, have some nourishment, and consult the book, we discovered that we were at Second Creek and had about 1/2 mile more to go. That last 1/2 mile was steep and rocky but boy was it worth the trek! These falls are breathtaking! Other than one place below the falls where we could get out on the rocks at rivers' edge it was difficult to see
the entire falls. But they are beautiful indeed, even more so because of their remoteness. Being there we knew that we were only two of a relative few who had experienced these waterfalls.
On the way home we spotted this red-tailed hawk high in a tree across the meadow. I was lucky to get a clear photo before he flew off. It was a long a tiring day - 6 miles of hiking and about 175 miles of driving...I think I need a rest!
Okay, we had trouble. The "explicit directions" did not jibe with the actual surroundings. We went mostly on instinct, ending up on a dirt road that was rutted and rocky. 3-1/2 miles later we came to a trailhead - still no marking so we weren't sure we were in the right place. GT, being a veteran hiker, felt sure we were on track so we took off down the trail. It wasn't until about 1/2 mile later that we came to the sign-in board (there is a book where you enter your name, addy, phone, etc. and a place to check out when you come back) and saw that others had been here to see the falls.
It was an interesting trek. First a marshy area, then woods. The trail was pretty easy and we figured we could complete the three miles in a couple of hours. Two hours later we heard water. Eureka! It's the falls! Within a few minutes we came to a small footbridge deep in the woods with a couple of "fall-ish" places. Could this be it? If so, it was a huge disappointment.
Taking a minute to rest, have some nourishment, and consult the book, we discovered that we were at Second Creek and had about 1/2 mile more to go. That last 1/2 mile was steep and rocky but boy was it worth the trek! These falls are breathtaking! Other than one place below the falls where we could get out on the rocks at rivers' edge it was difficult to see
the entire falls. But they are beautiful indeed, even more so because of their remoteness. Being there we knew that we were only two of a relative few who had experienced these waterfalls.
On the way home we spotted this red-tailed hawk high in a tree across the meadow. I was lucky to get a clear photo before he flew off. It was a long a tiring day - 6 miles of hiking and about 175 miles of driving...I think I need a rest!
2 comments:
Wow, it sounds like you had a lot of fun!
Yay B.. Uh Susannah! Great shots. Nice job with the Red Tail backlit. Got the glint in the eye.
Good macros too.
Sounds like a satisfying day. I'll bet you slept well.
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