Buttermilk – A smooth crowned
rock face guides rivlets across to cascade and dance to a pool below. Further back the gorge still pools create breaks between narrow chutes and wide laminar flow. Think beauty and grace and detail.
Ithaca Falls – A wall of water
crashes over the jagged cliff and pounds to the pool below where the space is filled with the roar. Think power.
Both falls are beautiful and magnificent examples of natures fine work.
Today we head for Robert Treman State Park on the south end of Cayuga Lake. It is to be our home base for exploring the Finger lakes Region. I’m driving separately. Our tow bar is in the trailer that is still in storage. The drive is curvy and hilly but goes by quickly. There won’t be problems with solar here! Our site is in an open grassy area. That’s ok. It isn’t supposed to be too hot and it will be nice not to run the generator. We settle in and take a short break then it’s off exploring.
The centerpiece of this park is the gorge formed by Enfield Creek
and the falls that are created. The trail begins right here in camp and takes us up the ridge then back down through the gorge. What great trail work! The stone walkway winds through the steep walled gorge next to the creek and 115ft Lucifer falls. There is even a crossover bridge. It’s been a good day.
We spotted a yellow bellied sapsucker on the ridge trail at Catskills Interpretive Center else it was a quiet ¾ mile hike. Local artists have won the opportunity to display their works along the longer nature trail. A doe and fawn made an appearance but the main draw is the art. 
Check out these scarabs and their urban dung balls. Other favorites are a mermaid constructed of mechanical odds and ends and an installation entitled unwrapped (birch-bark-like fabric unpeeling from neighboring trees). Kent and I frequently ponder how it is one gets onto these contributing artists lists.
Campfire! It has been months. No S’more makings but still a nice evening.
Still thinking stroll rather than hike, we explore the trails around camp (Kenneth Wilson State Park). Kingfishers chatter and swoop and a beaver glides across the pond. Surprisingly, there are no mallards but a noisy gaggle of geese gather on the shore. Shoreline benches are inviting and we return later to watch the sunset and wildlife settle in for the night. It made for a lovely quiet evening.
The Ashokan Reservoir provides 40% of NYC drinking water and its shorelines provide great habitat for nesting Bald Eagles. A shoreline trail is a nice place for a morning stroll. An abandoned eagle nest clings to a high pine and we get glimpses of the occupants as they perch high above the water. Good thing I had my binoculars!
We get ambitious and head for the Ashokan High Point trail for some long Catskill vistas. We start out along a beautiful creek. We are climbing but gradually and the trail is a bit rocky but tolerable in boots. The climb gets steeper and small seeps wet the trail. It is warm and muggy and within a mile we are dripping wet. I’m thinking this is a 4-mile round trip hike. We can do that! We trudge on. There is a cool spring bubbling up into a catchment basin around the 2-mile mark. I splash my face. On we go. The trail gets steeper. At 3 ½ miles in we find multiple sets of rock steps. A quick google check says still 800 ft up. Yikes, but we have come this far. After 4+ miles and an elevation change of 2030 ft we collapse at the top drenched in sweat.
We consider that we might have bitten off a little more than we should have. We relax as we take in the view. The 4-mile return trip is considerably less tiring.
The very things that make the Catskills a wonderful place make hiking difficult; rugged terrain created by creeks and streams everywhere, lush green forests that thrive in the high humidity, and rock-strewn trails. We will keep hiking, just choosing shorter routes or overnight stays. There are even two cool creekside campsites on this 4-mile trek to Ashokan High Point.
The sky brightened a bit so we decide to get out and explore. Catskills Park is home to dozens of waterfalls. Today we pick the path to its tallest, Kaaterskill. It is only ½ mile to the base of the falls but it is across rain slick boulders and tree roots. We move slowly. The trail is right along the creek and cuts through dense dark woods accented with bright splotches when the occasional sunbeam pierces the canopy. High humidity and a bit of elevation change leave us soaked with perspiration but the view at the falls is worth the work.
Meyers Beach trail winds along the top of the sandstone cliff shoreline above a cool collection of sea caves.
We get some interesting views of the formations from above and hear the gurgly, blubbly sounds as waves fill the cavities, pressurize the air in them, then burst out. Some sound like a giant sneeze and others like a backed up bathtub. Next time I think we will sea kayak to get the most close up view and sound of the caves.
Another 3 miles took us to Lunch Beach, a tiny strip of sand that when we arrived was covered with about 15 or 20 kayaks as guided tours took their morning break. If you hike this trail, I recommend you turn around after the first 2 ½ miles where the cliff views are the best. The rest of the hike is fairly rugged under foot with many dips into and back out of steep ravines. The view at the end not worth the energy expended to get to it.
We make a quick stop at Cornucopia Beach
to fill our water bottles with artesian spring water. It tastes wonderful.
We are back in camp by suppertime and take the rest of the evening just to relax.
Ouimet Canyon, the narrow canyon has nearly perfectly parallel vertical walls 100 meters high as it slices across the landscape. 
Theory 1: the land fractured under the forces of the last ice age. Erosion has done its thing since then widening the chasm and creating an immense boulder talus slope below. Theory II: tremendous water flow during melt of the glaciers retreating eroded the subsurface rock creating a void. Later the top layer collapsed creating this canyon then erosion took over. It’s all about rock; it seems straight forward but there is obviously room for debate and difference of opinion in the science of geology. A short trail leads to well placed overlooks providing a great view of the rugged terrain. We crossed a cool bridge on the trail
…
Back at Sleeping Giant we check out Thunder Bay overlook. The trail ends on a platform cantilevered out over the cliff. 
It is a great view that comes with a slightly queasy feeling in the stomach as I look far below down between my toes. We picnic on the shore of Mary Louise Lake and come upon a nice patch of red raspberries. There are many long trails through the back country and along the shore. Perhaps we will return some day to check out some of those.
It is quieter in camp tonight. A red fox brazenly moves through camp to the treeline along the beach. A sleek coated, well fed doe contentedly munches on lush green grass near the shower house. We are heading to bed a little earlier tonight to rise bight eyed and bushy tailed. Mike and Tracy arrive in Thunder Bay by 10AM .
White sandy beaches are great for swimming, sunning and sandcastle building but a rugged rock strewn shore with driftwood cast about is the best for hiking. The Geology Walk along Lake Superior in Neys PP takes us across the remnants of an ancient volcano and is a perfect example of that kind of walk. The walk is easy among wave tumbled, smooth boulders atop great stone outcroppings that remind me of the backs of breaching whales. Other sections are a bit more challenging. We hop jagged boulder to jagged boulder, across deep open fractures and scramble down drop offs. It takes a toll on knees but is a wonderful walk with great views even on this overcast morning.
A lovely gazebo sits high over Lake Superior at the Pic Island overlook (one of the sketch sites for the group of seven). 
It is about a 3 mile hike all up hill but hey, with a little planning this could work as at least a summer place. We soak in the view warmed by brilliant sun and cooled by the lake breeze.
On the walk down we are on the watch for a cow moose and calf that have been seen in the area but they don’t make a showing for us.
We are heading out to explore Lake Superior Provincial Park. First stop, a short but adrenaline pumping walk at waters edge below high cliffs to see ancient pictographs. There are warning signs everywhere but we are not deterred and continue to clamber over fallen rock along towering cliffs toward the shore. Signs mark the spot where we are to find the ancient artwork. 
Chains and ropes are affixed along the lower trail to help traverse the slanted, smoothly eroded rock; and to use to pull yourself back up if you happen to fall into the lake just below. We pick our way along successfully and find two pretty cool pictographs. I’d recommend this walk but must say the actual cliff art is a bit anticlimactic compared to the journey out there. If you go, don’t forget to turn around and look at the lake view. It is fantastic even with a bit of mist as there was today.
Three of the four miles of Orphan Lake trail involve cautious foot placement to navigate among tree roots and protruding rocks. Add to that nearly constant steep descent or ascent. It is really pretty messy underfoot but there are some great treasures along the way. From atop huge granite outcroppings we get a bird’s eye view of inky dark Orphan Lake with its granite and lush green shoreline and of vast Lake Superior shrouded in mist and dotted with rocky islands. About midway the trail drops down to a colorful cobblestone strewn section of Lake Superior shore.
Today it is calm but the many rounded stones provide proof that the waves pound here often. We move back into the quiet of the vegetation-muted forest trail. Before long the air is filled with the sound of rushing water as
Baldhead River makes its final spectacular descent to the lake. We wind our way back to the silent shores of
Orphan Lake and pause a few to take in the scene of still reflections and swirling mist. Nice.
Back to the car and we head home to put our feet up. It was a good outing.