“I will go on a hike to a waterfall if it’s a short one,” my son said. We are continuing our efforts to be more active by chasing waterfalls. The Rensselaerville Falls at Hyuck Preserve fit the bill- about a mile hike.
It was chilly and overcast. After a short detour to Rensselaerville Library for Library Expedition 2023, we set out. A nice little bridge, moss-covered ruins of a felt mill, and a satisfying waterfall. The trail was lovely, then it got confusing. The route seemed to stop at private property, but the trail map showed going through to get back. My son found another trail and called to me- “This trail is great!”.
“Wait!” I yelled, but he was gone. Instead of going back to our car, he took the trail upstream to Myosotis Lake. I am sure it is lovely on a warm summer day when you know where your child is. He sent me a location marker on his phone, and then I lost signal. By the time I reached the shore, fuming, cold, rain lightly spitting, I was not in the right mindset. I gave the 14-year-old a remedial review of woods-manship: stay with your group, pay attention to your environment (to get back to the bottom of a waterfall you need to go DOWNSTREAM), and stay where you are if you get lost. He was apologetic, but happy about his walk, which he didn’t mind had tripled in length, so… a victory of sorts. Definitely a good waterfall hike, we will be back.
