Mike and I are always looking for an excuse to get away to our summer place in the Adirondacks. We found the perfect one in an email from the Adirondack Almanac about the Hamilton County Waterfall Challenge. The challenge offers a badge to anyone who earns 12 points by visiting a variety of waterfalls. With a business trip nearby, we extended our stay for a long weekend to take on the mission.
When we arrived on May 4th, there was still snow on the ground, but we were lucky to find that our place had running water. After a quick haddock fish fry, we were ready to hit the trails.
Our first stop was Death Falls, also known as Secret Falls, near Raquette Lake. It was a lovely cascade, and the heavy snowmelt meant the water was really flowing. On our way to the next fall, we were surprised to see so much ice still on Blue Mountain Lake and were thrilled to spot a Bald Eagle flying overhead.
Next up was Buttermilk Falls in Long Lake. This was an easy walk to a low-lying waterfall where the rushing water created a stunning rainbow. We liked it so much that we came back in July with our family to go swimming and have a picnic. The easiest waterfall of the challenge was Squaw Brook Falls, which we spotted from a bridge. This small fall leads to Indian Lake, and it would be a perfect waterfall to see by kayak.
With three waterfalls under our belt by noon, we decided to tackle a more difficult one: OK Slip Falls. This waterfall is a three-mile hike each way, but at 200 feet, it’s higher than Niagara Falls. The first mile or so was filled with passerines, and we spotted several of our favorite birds. The Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, and Song Sparrow were all there. It was a real treat to see a Yellow-rumped Warbler in its breeding plumage, a stark contrast to the ones we see all winter in Florida. The trail got more difficult as we continued, with muddy patches and rocks to navigate across flowing water. The snowmelt made it wet, but it was worth it. The falls were absolutely stunning, with a huge drop and ice still clinging to the rocks below. The five-hour round trip earned us four points and an unexpected fall on my butt, but we’d do it all again.
On Sunday, we only needed five more points to earn our badge, and a Broad-winged Hawk sighting was a great start to the day. We headed toward Speculator to find Christine Falls, a 20-foot waterfall just down from the power dam that’s a local swimming hole. Next, we were off to Auger Falls in Wells. This was a really nice hike along the Sacandaga River to a beautiful 40-foot waterfall. Continuing our journey through Wells, we found East Jimmy Creek Falls. It’s actually two small falls, but we retreated after the first one when we heard gunshots in the direction of the next falls. Then we found Austin Falls, which is a long, waterslide-type fall. Our last stop was Whiskey Brook Falls, conveniently located right next to the road. The huge boulders surrounding the falls were a sight to behold.
We may have been on a mission, but we still managed to spot a few birds along the way. We finished the weekend with 13 bird species and 13 points, earning our badge! There are still 10 waterfalls on the list we didn’t get to, so we’re already looking forward to our next trip. We are so grateful to Hamilton County for putting out this challenge and encouraging us to explore all these new places.
Trip Birds: 13 Life Birds: 0
Next up: Ottawa Birding
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