The Waterfalls of Letchworth State Park

by: Mike Radomski

   

Letchworth Middle Falls
Photo Credit: Keith Walters Photography

Letchworth State Park is commonly referred to as the “Grand Canyon of the East.”  The park is more than 14,000 acres and is bisected by a 22 mile long segment of the Genesee River.  The river is at the base of the canyon that is over 550 feet deep in some sections.  This unique topography offers visitors spectacular vistas and several waterfalls.

"The Grand Canyon of the East"
Photo Credit: Mike Radomski

The river gorge cuts through the valley allowing the Genesee River to roar over three major waterfalls and several whitewater rapids. The Seneca Indians called the area Sehgahunda, meaning the “Vale of Three Falls”.  The Upper, Middle and Lower Falls are by far the most popular and most photographed waterfalls in the park.

The sheer cliffs of the gorge and size of the Genesee River watershed  gives way to the more than 30 additional waterfalls throughout the park. Many of the waterfalls are created by creeks flowing over the gorge walls with some of these cascade over 300 feet high.  However, many are considered  ephemeral (only exist after a rainfall) or seasonal.

The Letchworth Middle Falls
Photo Credit: Keith Walters Photography

Deh-ga-ya-soh Falls, located between the Middle Falls and Inspiration Point, is the most dependable of these “minor, ephemeral" falls.  Deh-ga-ya-soh Falls is a complex ribbon falls that cascades over 150 ft.  Deh-ga-ya-soh Falls in the Seneca language means “Nameless Spirits”.

Inspiration Falls
Photo Credit: Keith Walters Photography

Located nearby Deh-ga-ya-soh Falls, is the 350 ft. tall Inspiration Falls.  Although Inspiration Falls only flows during periods of heavy rain or snow melt off, it becomes NYS’s tallest waterfall.

Another dependable waterfall is located at Wolf Creek.  The Wolf Creek Falls is a long cascade made up of 4 waterfalls plunging 225 feet.  Three of the waterfalls can been seen from the upper trail, but the final and most spectacular cascade can only be seen from the river.  

Shower Curtain Falls (final drop as Wolf Creek enters the Genesee River).
Photo Credit: Mike Radomski

Adventure Calls Outfitter’s rafting trips hike up to the final cascade when conditions permit.  At the base of the falls, is “the leap of faith”, a 6-7 foot deep hole inside the fall’s grotto where guests leap through the waterfall into the pool that is often above their heads.

NYS is blessed with many spectacular waterfalls from Niagara Falls to Taughannock Falls to Kaaterskill Falls, over 3200 have been documented.  The abundance of waterfalls has created opportunities for people to document them.  There are a several great websites and books that document the falls.  DigTheFalls is the best place to start.  They have an interactive map of the known NYS falls.  DigTheFalls also sponsors the NYS Waterfalls Challenge.

One of the best resources for Letchworth State Park Falls is FalzGuy.com.  Much of his work is referenced in this article as well as the previously mention websites. FalzGuy.com has a wealth of the information on Letchworth State Park waterfalls. He has documented GPS locations, best places to view each falls, maps and descriptions. I have summarized his waterfalls listings in the table below. FalzGuy.com also offers book called A Waterfall Guide To Letchworth State Park.

If you are into maps like I am, you can create your own custom Letchworth State Park waterfall map using this custom Caltopo map I created for this article. You can import the GPX file of the Letchworth Falls into your GPS device and create your own custom adventure.   Maps of the park can be found at NYS Parks online.

Although you can see most of Letchworth’s “minor” falls from trails in the park, one of the best ways to see the Three Sisters Falls and Wolf Creek Falls is from the gorge on whitewater rafting trips with Adventure Calls Outfitters. 

Adventure Calls Rafting Trip
Photo Credit: Mike Radomski

A special thanks to Keith Walters Photography.

Keith provided amazing photos for this article. He is extremely talented and has captured many spectacular photos of Letchworth State Park and other landscapes. All are available for print on his website. You can follow his work at:

• Website: http://www.keithwaltersphotography.com
• Instagram: @kwphot0
• Facebook: /KeithWaltersPhotography

Guest Essay - Call From the Wild Cannot be Ignored

For this week's blog entry we are sharing an article written by Bob Chavez, Sports Editor for the Canandaigua Daily Messenger. We have added some photos and links to provide more information about his recommended hikes.

Photo courtesy Rochester Birding Association. 

You don’t have to be a naturalist to enjoy the great outdoors, even if it’s just an easy walk through the woods so here are some places to get you started. It was the naturalist John Muir who wrote “the mountains are calling and I must go.”

It was in an an 1873 letter, describing the pull he felt for California’s Yosemite before it was a national park. And while we don’t have California weather, or mountains here, the point applies to anyone who loves to put feet on the ground.

Except that this time of year, the ground around here is either frozen solid or full of mud. It’s been a bit of both this week, which doesn’t make for optimal hiking conditions. 

Maybe that’s why the call seems to grow with intensity this time of year. While it’s certainly not impossible to enjoy a hike in February, it’s usually more comfortable in the summer months and many of us choose to wait until then.

I’ve been feeling the call quite urgently these past few days and whether I hit the trail this week or this summer remains to be seen. But either way, it got me to thinking about which trails I enjoy the most. So, in order, my Top 5.

http://www.bergenswamp.org/maps/Taylor_Marsh_Map_Directions.pdf

Taylor Marsh in Honeoye, along Allen’s Hill Road. It’s a 600-acre plot owned by The Bergen Swamp Society, which owns several other area nature preserves.

The Taylor Marsh is among my favorites because its so accessible and simple. The entry point is easy to find along Allen’s Hill Road and the grassy area right off the road is where you park.

The mowed trails are easy to navigate, making it more of a walk than a hike. And if you move through the property as you should, that is quietly, chances are excellent you’ll spot plenty of deer.

The one big summer drawback is seeing the vegetation fully grown along the trails. It’s tall and hides you from wildlife, but the converse also is true. So it can be difficult to spot animals unless you’re moving through with the aforementioned silence.

It’s easy to spend close to an hour exploring all the mowed trails, so it’s time well-spent. Below the mowed trails is a marsh that doesn’t invite walking, but it’s an excellent opportunity for cameras or binoculars to sit and watch.

Photo courtesy AllTrails.com

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/hemlock-lake

Trails along Hemlock Lake. After taking Route 15A through Hemlock, about 30 minutes southwest of Canandaigua, you can find the boat launch along the eastern shore or drive to the end of the lake for an area to park your car. It’s all part of more than 6,000 acres of state-owned land.

The walk along the shore trail offers fantastic views of the water and always takes my mind to a place where I wonder what it was like here during a couple of eras. First, the days of the Seneca. How bountiful was this lake for their needs?

Second, the heyday of tourism in the 1800s that included hundreds of cottages and several hotels. Once the lake became the source of drinking water for Rochester, in the 1870s, development ceased and structures eventually were torn down to make what we see today.

But if you look carefully as you walk the trail along the eastern shore, you’ll spot the remnants of foundations from long ago.

Photo courtesy I Love NY.

https://parks.ny.gov/parks/attachments/HarrietHollisterTrailMap.pdf

Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area. This park covers just over 1,500 acres at the south end of Honeoye Lake.

While it’s great to hike, it’s also a fantastic area for cross-country skis and snowshoes. And because of its elevation at 2,133 feet (Canandaigua is at 750 feet), there often is more snow at this park than in other area parks.

The park has trails through the woods tough enough to challenge you, but there are some wide roads to accommodate the beginner as well.

But the best part of this park is the view you get of Honeoye Lake, looking north. Once you spot the vista from the main trail into and out of the park, it’s the kind of view that makes you stop, take a deep breath, smile and stare.

Photo courtesy Waymarking.com

https://www.cnyhiking.com/BristolHillsTrail.htm

Bristol Hills Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail. If you want a hike to test your lungs and legs, this is the one. It’s not as difficult as any of the High Peaks in the Adirondacks, but it’s as close as you can get in this area.

The Branch is technically part of the Finger Lakes Trail that crosses New York State and the best parking spot for the start of this hike is on West Hollow Road (County Road 33) north of Naples. You’ll have to look carefully for it, though, especially for a summer hike when the foliage is full.

Once you cross the road and head eastward on the trail, it’s an easy walk for a bit until you hit the hills and that’s when fitness, or lack of it, can be an issue.

But once you plow through the steep climbs and reach the top of hill, you can follow the trail until you reach the overlook for Gannett Hill and that view is breathtaking. Especially in the fall.

If you’re not up for the challenge of this hike, you can still see the view. Enter the Ontario County Park off of Route 64. You can drive into the park, get out and a short, easy walk through the woods will take you to the overlook for Gannett Hill.

Photo courtesy AllTrails.com

https://www.victorny.org/facilities/facility/details/Boughton-Park-1

Boughton Hill Park in Bloomfield. A true gem of a park in our area and the catch is, it’s open only to residents of Bloomfield and Victor. It covers 300-plus acres with 5 miles of trails and a pair of ponds that cover 56 acres.

The hiking is casual and cool, perfect for an energizing breath of fresh air. The paddling can be calm and serene and if you park at the lot on Stirnie Road, the carry for your craft is just a few feet to the shore.

The abundance of wildlife is what you’d expect and the variety of trails is fantastic for cross-country skiing.

Some of my personal favorites among the memories here include cross-country skiing at night during a heavy snowfall and seeing the work of beavers along one of the more remote pone shores.

Of course, going on a hike here as a first date with the woman who turned out to be my wife is at the top of the list. It ranks even higher than catching 3 or 4 bass in the West Pond on my wedding day in 2009.

So there’s my list. Where’s yours?

Western New York: Secret Places: The Eternal Flame

by Mike Radomski

   

Chestnut Ridge County Park is located in Orchard Park, NY, not far from where the Buffalo Bills play their home games. The park itself is wonderful containing miles of trails, an 18-hole frisbee golf course, tennis courts, a historic Casino, an awesome sledding hill, toboggan chutes, great views of the City of Buffalo and tons of picnic shelters.

We love spending the day there slacklining, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking and enjoying nature. But the most remarkable part of the park, is a natural gas jet “flame” that emerges from behind a waterfall, called The Eternal Flame. Although you may be singing it in your head, it has nothing to do with the Bengals.

The Eternal Flame Falls is one of Western New York’s Secret Places named by the late Bruce Kershner’s book by the same name.

The Eternal Flame waterfalls are found in an isolated part of the park called the Shale Creek Preserve. This is a primitive wooded ravine section home to hemlock, maple and pine forests. The Shale Creek Gorge is a 150ft. deep ravine that contains The Eternal Flame Falls.

The Eternal Flame is found in a grotto on the lower third of a 35ft. waterfall. The actual flame varies from 3-9″ depending on the natural gas pressure. A portion of the waterfall drapes over the grotto giving it a magical effect.

Contrary to its name, the flame occasionally goes out. This could be due to a high water event flooding out the grotto or and ice over in winter. You can re-light the flame by sicking a flame in to the grotto’s left side, way in the back. Don’t worry it does not explode, more like the poof your gas grill makes. My suggestion is to re-light it using a cotton ball saturated in petroleum jelly affixed to the end of a stick as seen in the video below.

I personally think the best time to see the flame is in the winter after a deep freeze. The waterfall completely freezes over and if the flame is lit, is reminiscent of the Game of Thrones. It is an interesting contrast between fire and ice.

It is very important to stay on the trail around the gorge. There have been a few deaths in and around The Eternal Flame. The park has several signs indicated to stay away from the ravine’s edge. Please adhere to these rules, they are there for your safety.

Chestnut Ridge Park Map

First Aid Kits for Wilderness Hiking and Backpacking

by Mike Radomski

   

The best first aid kit is one you know how to use.  It is important to understand its contents and which items can have multiple uses. It is also important recognize your first aid kit’s limitations and thus learn how to use your environment to provide emergency resources. For example, I do not carry a Sam Splint on backpacking trips because I know there are many ways to improvise immobilizing a joint using resources from the environment (i.e. trees and branches)  

I highly recommend taking a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course.  WFA skills are important to anyone tackling local trails or planning multi-day backpacking adventures in the High Peaks. WFA will teach you the essential skills for remote first aid, help you understand decision points for care when an ambulance or ranger is several hours or days away and how to use materials in your environment to administer critical care.

WFA Class Practical Skills Scenario - Chestnut Ridge Park.. 

Every first aid kit should have a base set of items to address basic first aid which includes wound care, medication and various “tools”. We will classify these items as Essential. Vertical Aid by Seth C. Hawkins goes over 9 considerations when building a first aid kit:

1. Medical Knowledge of Group
2. Size of Group 
3. Climbing Environment
4. Destination and Diseases/Illnesses Common to the Region
5. Medical History of Group Members
6. Duration of Trip
7. Distance from Definitive Medical Care and Availability of Rescue Assets
8. Availability of Communications
9. Space and Weight Considerations

The quantity of Essential items is dependent on all the above factors. Including the Recommended first aid items in your kit may depend on one or more of the considerations above.

Vertical Aid recommends using the PAWS acronym as a helpful guideline for organizing the creation of your first aid kit:

• Prevention/Procedures
• Analgesics/Antibiotics/Anaphylaxis
• Wound Care
• Survival

Pre-made vs. Custom-made

There are many very good pre-made kits on the market. I recommend looking at the Adventure Medical Kit (AMK) line. They have a wide range of kits for different group sizes, lengths of trips and activities.  For example, I carry the AMK Ultralight/Watertight .5 on local day hikes and a larger kit for multi-day backpacking trips. 

AMK are a very good, inexpensive way to jump start your first aid kit. The AMK Ultralight/Watertight .9 is rated for 1-4 people, 1-4 days and contains many of the Essential items we will review in this article. When you try to build your own kit, you often have to buy large quantities of some items, enough to fill several kits.

Although the pre-made first aid kits are very good, you will still want to add (or remove) trip and group specific items.  The pre-made kit may contain items you will not need for your climate or time of year.  It will most certainly not contain all of the quantities of each items needed for a group.  For example, groups with kids will need more bandaids than groups with only adults. Conversely, the adults in the group may need more supplies of Ibuprofen and diarrhea medications.

My recommendation is start with an Adventure Medical Kit.  They are the best “bang for your buck”.  I suggest starting with the AMK Ultralight/Watertight .9 First Aid Kit or AMK Mountain Series Weekender First Aid Kit.  One of the added features of the Mountain Series over the Ultralight is the included Wilderness and Travel Medicine Guide Book.   It is good resource to have in the backcountry when you cannot Google treatments and symptoms. The trade off with the Mountain Series is that its case is not waterproof, like the Ultralight’s.

The NOLS Wilderness Medicine handbook says:

There is no such thing as the perfect first aid kit, so you should consider your needs and build a kit that meets them.

Below is an extensive list of first aid items for wilderness travel compiled from a number of different sources including NOLS, REI, NPS, Alpine Institute, ARC, and Vertical Aid. Many lists are just that lists. I wanted to create a comprehensive list AND give some explanation on the uses of each item.

Essential Items

PREVENTION/PROCEDURES

Item	Possible Uses
Small Trauma Scissors	For cutting  clothes, tape, dressings, forming moleskin, etc.
Medical Gloves	Body Substance Isolation (BSI) – keep yourself safe!
Tweezers	Remove wood slivers, ticks.
Nail Clippers	There is a whole article on Outside about it.
Electrolyte Tablets	Replenish lost electrolytes, for dehydration. NUUN tablets are are my favorite.
Aquatab water purification tablets	Purify water when other methods have failed or are unavailable.
Medical Tape	Almost as good as Duct Tape, suitable for wound care.
SPF 15 lip balm	Chapped lips suck! Can be used to start a fire.
SPF 30+ sunscreen (PABA-free)	Packets are good for a backup to your primary bottle.
Duct Tape	MacGuyver could make a stealth bomber with it and he didn’t have Gorilla Tape, can be used it to fix tents/shoes/etc, seal wounds, pad blisters, immobilize a broken bone, etc,  etc, etc…
Small notepad & waterproof pen	Keep track of important primary and secondary assessment data.
Hand sanitizer	Clean hands on the trail is a luxury, it is a good idea to sanitize your hands before and after care.
Irrigation Syringe	Cleaning out deep wounds without touching the wounded area, flush out an eye.
Oral Thermometer	Monitor temp changes in patient, changes can be symptomatic of multiple conditions.
Insect Repellent	Mosquitoes suck!
Vasaline	Chapped lips and other parts, fire starter, burns and minor scrapes.

ANALGESICS/ANTIBIOTICS/ANAPHYLAXIS

Item	Possible Uses
Ibuprofen (Advil)	For inflammation, muscle strains, minor pain and cramps.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)	For pain relief, fever reduction.
Aspirin	For response to heart attacks, chewing has been shown to have the fastest results.
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)	For minor allergic reactions.
Loperamide (Imodium)	For diarrhea, explosive diarrhea is not fun in the wilderness.
Antacid (Tums)	For upset stomach.
Glucose Tablets	Good to have for low blood sugar and diabetic hikers.
Insect Sting Relief	See Insect Repellent, bees suck too!
Tincture of Benzoin	Magical serum that protects the skin and allows adhesives to to adhere better, even wet.
Burn Gel (Aloe Vera)	For sunburns and minor burns
Throat Lozenges	As DJ Kool said “Let me clear my throat.”
Cortisone Cream	Help with itching from poison ivy, rash or allergy
Gold Bond Powder	Curb moisture, control odor, and soothe minor skin irritations, notably jock itch

WOUND CARE

Item	Possible Uses
Hemostatic Gauze	Stop bleeding on large wounds, has agents that assist in clotting.
Moleskin	Reduce friction for blister care, finger cuff.
New-Skin	Liquid bandage for cuts and blisters.
Bandages (assorted sizes)	General small wound care.
Knuckle bandages	Shaped especially for fingers and knuckles.
Butterfly Skin Closures (Steri-strip)	For closing up deep wounds, especially when junior slips with the pocket knife
Trauma pad	Highly absorbent dressing for deep, bleeding wounds. A maxi pad is a good substitute.
Steripads (2×2 and 4×4)	Non-stick, used for dressing wounds or burns where other fabrics might stick.
Roller Guaze (2in x 5y)	For holding gauze pads in place, securing splints and improvising slings.
Coban Wrap (Self adhesive wrap)	Adheres to itself, but not other surfaces. Can be used like gauze, but will stay in place better on moving parts.
Sterile alcohol prep pad or Antiseptic towelettes	Clean wound and surrounding surface, clean your hands.
Antibacterial ointment	Prevent and fight infections in wounds, promote healing.
Triangular Bandage (cravats)	Many uses, common are a sling or tourniquet.
Sam Splint	Waterproof, reusable splint for immobilizing bones, can be used as a neck collar to immobilize the head on suspected spinal injuries.
Safety Pins	Securing bandages or splints to base layers, removal of wood splinters.
Elastic Bandage (ACE)	For sprains or securing a splint.
Cotton Swabs	Clean laceration or eyes.
Eye Wash Solution	Flush eye irritants.
Tegaderm Transparent Film Dressing	Provides a moist healing environment while allowing wound to breathe. Good for road-rash type injuries, can be improvised for a sucking chest wound.

SURVIVAL 

Item	Possible Uses
Lighter	Start a fire, sterilize needles.
Emergency whistle	Signal rescuers.
6 mm cord (2 m long) (750 paracord)	Lots of uses for cordage. Suggest looking at Dyneema based cord (1/8” has a breaking strength of 2,500lbs)
Survival blanket (84˝ x 52˝)	Ground cloth, blanket for warmth, improvised shelter.
Signal Mirror	Start a fire, signal rescuers

Recommended Items

Item	Possible Uses
CPR Mask, if trained in CPR	Body Substance Isolation (BSI) – keep yourself safe!
First Aid Manual	Knowledge is power, there is no Google in the backcountry. NOLS Pocket Guide or NOLS Wilderness Medicine Field Guide are good choices.
Chemical hand warmer	Treat or prevent hypothermia and frostbite during cold weather seasons.
Personal Locator Beacon	Send distress signal and GPS location to rescuers. There are many options, see this article.
Tenacious Tape	Great to repair gear and tents.
Dyneema Rope	Lightweight and super strong compared to Paracord.
Figure-8 rappel device	Can be used to lower or hoist patient from a cliff or ravine.
Carabiners	Many uses, can be used to create mechanical advantages or secure a patient.
Sewing kit	A needle and thread take up no space and can be very useful.
Bandana	You will look like a rock star, can be used to dress wounds, apply cold compress, improvised sling, etc, etc, etc.
Prescription Medications	Need is based on the group’s medical conditions.
Injectable epinephrine (Epi-pen)	Need is based on the group’s allergies, Epi-pens have more medicine than a single injection, see Retrieval of Additional Epinephrine From Auto-Injectors.
Medical waste bag	Keep group safe from used dressings and materials.
Emergency Bivvy sack	A lightweight, must have items for 3-seasons of the year.

References

• American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid
• Vertical Aid by Seth C. Hawkins
• https://store.nols.edu/collections/first-aid-supplies
• https://blog.nols.edu/2016/06/03/27-considerations-for-a-first-aid-kit
• https://blog.nols.edu/2017/06/27/5-things-to-check-in-your-first-aid-kit
• https://press.nols.edu/building-a-proper-first-aid-kit
• https://www.nwrafting.com/safety/personal-first-aid-kits
• https://blog.nols.edu/first-aid-kit-advice-river-travel
• https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/first-aid-checklist.html
• https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/Noncommercial_River_Trip_Regulations.pdf
• http://www.alpineinstitute.com/articles/expert-tips/building-your-wilderness-first-aid-kit/