Huh...
Well, since my last blahg, a lot has been going on. The vast majority of which really isn’t fun, etc. etc. but I’m glad to finally have something to report. Anyway…today is the 4th of July. After spending the majority of the weekend hanging out and eating my face off, I needed a little me hiking time in the woods to clear my head.
I decided to visit a cache I had found last year, but due to my sloppy record keeping, I had forgotten when it was I had actually signed the logbook. To determine my exact find date seemed like a good a reason as any to return to The Old Erie Reservoir by Dehgewanus in the always fabulous Letchworth State Park.
The park was mega-hopping busy today, but thankfully the trail to this cache was relatively empty. That's probably due to the fact that in the opposite direction is the train trestle and the upper falls. Both of which are key landmarks for tourist types visiting LSP.
Upon my arrival, I had the good fortune of catching the train just as it was crossing the bridge and heading in the same direction as my intended hike. A serendipitous photo opportunity I'd say!
I figure that's a good way to start of hike - even if you are looking for a little peace and serenity. I enjoyed the passing by train until it had rounded the bend - and then continued on down the trail. This is a multipart cache, but since I was familiar with the area and knew how to approach the final, I skipped re-finding the legs and headed towards the grand finale.
Of course it wouldn't be appropriate to hike in Letchworth without snapping some trailside pictures.
Beautiful sites to be sure! The ultimate payoff for this particular cache is discovering a lesser known reservoir in the park. Truth be told, before I completed this cache, I had no clue this structure existed. Apparently it was built in the 1850's to provide an ample source of water steam locomotives using the nearby train trestle (and also as means to put out any potential fires that might occur - because at that time the train trestle was considered the longest wooden train bridge on earth - pretty damn nifty right?!?) After standing for over 150 years, nature is certainly doing its' part to reclaim the area - but the dam still stands and is a pretty impressive sight to behold - especially if you don't expect it!
The dam itself, does hold back some water still - although the far side has been washed out and the water it holds back is minimal at best. Regardless, it's a neat spectacle and the ecosystem it has created is extremely cool.
Who can't resist the attractive allure of green swamp water?!? Hahaha. From here, I climbed the bank to the ridge that follows the east side of the trench leading to the reservoir. There I discovered a beautiful red pine plot - which was just so darn photogenic!
After tickling these beauties for a bit, I bushwhacked through the open woods in the general direction of the trail I hiked in on. Eventually I reconnected with it, and started the slow hike back to my cast off point. It was really nice to revisit this place, and in the process it brought back some fond memories and also got my ass into the woods after a long hiatus. I can't say I'm all in...but hopefully this means more adventures to scribe about and to also entertain my nearly-fanatical fan base.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
It's about time! Glad you finally got out and did something scribe-able. :-) Does this mean I can't answer the question on FB?
ReplyDeleteOf course! The only other person who would know is the CO. Oh the many benefits of reading this turdlicious blahg. :)
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