APRIL 2018 – Despite all the ice and snow in my photo below of adventuring in Kaaterskill Falls, I swear it was during Spring time and actually mild and muddy out on the trails! Have to give my brother credit for suggesting a trip to the Catskills to go hiking, and it was awesome. Searching the ‘Catskills’ online I came across a stunning photo that had been taken by a hiker from behind Kaaterskill Falls in NY. To achieve such a photo, you have to venture onto an unsanctioned trail and walk behind the inner rim of the falls. Which you could only sort of do (and not especially safely) with the amount of ice and snow build up (for the record, that is not my brother and I in the photo, haha. As that sheet of snow/ice they are on is right over the falls and didn’t look entirely stable to me. In fact, a block of ice the size of a microwave fell down from the ridge above on the trail in front of me walking over to this spot and terrified some of my fellow hikers! Luckily no one was crossing in the spot where it crashed through at the time, whew!) during our trip. The falls are actually a double water fall in that below the frame of the photo I took there is a pool that leads into a second water fall. The height of both is something like 230 feet and is very powerful to witness up close and in person.
I’d really like to go back at some point when everything is lush and green and see about hiking around the falls. I did summit the falls and then went back down again, despite their being a convenient parking spot about a 1/10 of a mile from the top that we only found out about later on, oops, haha. As when I got to the top there was A LOT of folks up there, small children, etc, and I was like, how did they all get up here? As it was pretty hazardous climbing given that the trail up had been practically hit by a mudslide with all the melting snow. What normally would have been a straightforward pathway was covered in multiple inches of red, shoe destroying, mud, haha. Still, I loved the climb, the rock formations and evergreen trees were beautiful. Is really a site worth seeing and is the largest water fall I’ve ever seen in person (not having been to Niagara Falls or Angel Falls, etc). Definitely want to go back, if you couldn’t already tell!
As per usual, it is very hard to not talk about my writing progress in any specifics! Have kept the journal going and am settling in to some ideas (all of which likely will still change, haha), debating how much of an action bent the story will have. With my first two books being very heavy on the action and less on the inner monologues and thoughts of the characters. Haven’t decided yet. Have a setting in mind, again, sort of, ahhh. If only I could take the plunge off the falls and write a book like Stephen King writes a book, and just write and see where the story goes. That is so not my process, but I will have to try it at some point and just experience it.
What places have you adventured to lately? And if nowhere, maybe take a morning/afternoon and venture forth even within your own state/county, there are probably some cool places you haven’t seen yet! Or go by bike, scooter, paddleboard, a new perspective can work wonders for your inspiration levels!
Happy Spring!
– CS
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