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.