Sticky Saturday

Man, our walk this morning was very humid.  Thick fog had settled over night, but is burning off nicely as of 9:00 a.m.  But well before that, I took Evvy over to Mt. Gilboa Rd. for her morning romp.  I had taken a mountain bike ride yesterday, which took me over that way.  I call rides like that one, "discovery" rides.  I call them that because quite often I wind up bushwhacking my way off the trail.  I believe that is the only way you find the natural treasures you might never see otherwise.  Yesterday was no different.  After carrying my bike through a hideously tangled old logging site, I ended up at the Faulkner Forest cellar hole.  The area is marked by a stone with a plaque on it.  The plaque dedicates the beautiful spot to Phillip H. Faulkner, Jr., by his sons.   

There is a gate at the entrance to the property, then a well worn road that eventually connects to Mt. Gilboa Rd.  I have been there many, many times.  Yesterday I decided to check out an area that appears to have been a mill.  There are many stone walls there, and a couple cellar holes.  As I went closer, I heard the loud roar of water rushing and knew there had to be a sizable waterfall. I love finding waterfalls, and this one, new to me, was by far the tallest.  I made my way to the edge of a point of granite overlooking a spectular cascade.  I think it had to be over 100' from top to bottom.  The rock here is different than that at Fay Falls, more jagged with slabs of granite instead of worn bowls and slides.  I'm going to assume this cascade becomes a trickle when there is less rain.  There is a nice pool at the bottom, and Evvy of course got right in.

I didn't have my camera with me yesterday so I drove there this morning early.  You just take Rte 12 in Westmoreland, past the gas station(if you're headed south toward Keene).  Mt. Gilboa Rd. is on the left.  Drive well past the last house, and bear right.  You should see a 4x4 trail on the left, and a more driven road leading to the right.  You can walk in from there or drive up a little closer.  The falls are on the right, you can't miss the sound.