the Way of the Turtle

NOT QUITE FORGE THE GORGEOUS...
3.7 Mile Hike at Fillmore Glen State Park
Monday, June 29, 2009

I was a bit bummed about missing the Forge the Gorgeous trail race last Thursday (stupid knee) - when I first ran it in 2006 I decided I wanted to keep going back, just for the run along the Gorge Trail, which is a mini-version of Watkins Glen (the park, not the race track!) with the trail wandering along the bottom of the gorge past numerous waterfalls and bridges taking the path back and forth across the stream. I decided the drive back to Albany would be a good opportunity to make the trip to Fillmore Glen State Park to walk through the gorge while the water is still a bit higher than normal, thanks to all the rain we've been getting. The only real question was - would the rain hold off long enough for me to make it out to the far end of the gorge and back?

Before heading out on the trails I stopped at the main picnic shelter to use the restroom and spent a while watching swallows swoop through the building. Since it's an open sided structure there are a number of nests built up in the rafters, so I got to see quite a few hungry swallow chicks. Don't know that I'd want to have a picnic in there, but it was fun to watch. From there I headed across the bridge and up to the Cowsheds, a large waterfall at the end of the gorge (and the only one that isn't actually on the Gorge Trail.) There wasn't as much water as I'd hoped for, but still a good deal more than the last time I was here, in July 2007.

Then it was time to do a bit of climbing... up lots of steps to get to the trail through the gorge. Fortunately going up bothers my injured knee a lot less than going down, but it's still hard work hobbling around, regardless. At the top I headed into the gorge. The path generally heads uphill, though for the most part along a fairly easy grade, and the walls of the gorge keep things fairly cool and shady. The stream makes numerous cascades over the rocks in the creek bed, along with a few small waterfalls at different points and several larger falls up near the far end. Eight bridges cross the water a various points, providing some very scenic views out over the stream. Best of all, since it was a weekday, there were almost no other folks out on the trail - I only passed other walkers toward the end of my trip back.

One of my favorite spots is up near the top of the gorge, where several drops create some sizeable waterfalls, plus there's often water dripping down onto the path from the sheer sides of the gorge. It's all very beautiful and I spent a while there just enjoying the surroundings. At that point I also had to decide how I would get back - return via the gorge or climb up to the south rim and take the trail or road back down. I eventually opted to retrace my steps, both because the grade was easier and because that gave me more time to enjoy walking along the stream.

As I walked along the trail I was a bit surprised to see a number of markers left from the race Thursday night... I have to admit, that made today's hike somewhat bittersweet. I had a great time hiking through the gorge and it brought back some great memories of the two times I ran here, but that also reminded me of missing the race this year and that was a bit of a bummer... fortunately not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the day, but still a tad bittersweet.

It was very slow going back down all the steps, but eventually I was back to the swimming area. I wandered across the grass to the replica of Millard Fillmore's cabin (Fillmore, the 13th president of the US, was born in a cabin a few miles away from the park.) And then it was time to get on the road, possibly to visit Chittenango Falls State Park and definitely to get back to Albany.

JMH