Buttermilk Falls

Last summer, Scottie and Jack and I were on the look out for a fun photog adventure. We did this periodically throughout the summer. Some were big adventures and some were misadventures. One of our favorite trips was to Buttermilk Falls State Park in Ithaca, NY. Jackson was so excited on our way there that he snotted all over the window in the car in anticipation…

There must have been a million stairs to the top of the gorge. After the first set I was hunched over with my hands on my knees gasping for breath and sweating my whole face off. This is an embarrassing thing to have happen in a public place, especially when there are really fit people running up the stairs next to you in little spandex outfits. It makes me want to trip them as they run by. It also makes me have thoughts like, “Yeah, if I lived here, I would totally be fit too”…which is something I think about every place I visit and has yet to happen anywhere.

Once I regrouped, caught my breath and stopped sweating I looked around and realized that I was standing smack dab in what could only be considered the most beautiful park I had ever seen. Solid rock walls jutted up and touched the sky on either side of me. To my left a clear, cool stream babbled past, dotted with green pools where the force of the current had cut deep holes into the rock bed below it. Sun streamed down through the trees and into the water and the air smelled like hot pine needles and damp earth. I grabbed my camera and started shooting…

It took us about 3 hours to hike all the way to the top. We took off our shoes and walked through the water while Jackson took a drink break. We took the trail around the rim of the gorge back down to the parking lot which wound through the woods. As we saw other visitors climbing the unending stairs below, it gave a little perspective as to how high up we really were.

By the time we reached the car, I was so tired I could have collapsed on the spot. I took off my shoes, threw them in the trunk and reclined the passenger seat all the way back and promptly fell asleep. Mr. Jackson assumed a similar position on my lap as Scottie graciously drove us home.

This was yet another lovely day trip that I would highly recommend to anyone. For more information on Buttermilk Falls State Park head over to their site: http://nyfalls.com/buttermilk-falls-state-park.html Happy Hiking!

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Tags: Adventure, Buttermilk Falls, Dogs, Hiking, Ithaca, New York, Photography, Stairs, summer, Trips, Upstate, Waterfalls