the Way of the Turtle

SNOW, ICE, & WATERFALLS
1.3 Mile Walk at the Christman Sanctuary
Friday, March 25, 2011

Christman Sanctuary trail map (PDF)

I had originally planned to go for a walk at the Christman Sanctuary in Duanesburg and then ride my bike on the bike path west of Schenectady... but today was too cold and windy for me to summon any enthusiasm for riding, so in the end I decided to just do some walking instead. No doubt my legs will thank me during my long run tomorrow...

The most notable feature of this Nature Conservancy sanctuary is a stretch of the Bozen Kill which includes numerous small step waterfalls a few feet tall and a really nice 30 foot waterfall in a natural ampitheater. With the rain last week and the normal spring runoff I suspected the stream would be running strongly and the waterfalls would be excellent.

While the trail from the parking lot was clear, I made a good choice in changing into screw shoes for the walk... because once I got into the woods almost everything was either snow or ice (mostly ice on the trail, from the snow being compacted by the previous winter visitors.) The woods were gorgeous between the sun and snow, especially since I've never been here in the winter. I followed the main trail to the Bozen Kill, then carefully made my way down to the largest waterfall - given how icy the path was, I'd never have made it without the screw shoes. The far wall of the gorge had some really cool ice formations, and the waterfall was running well, though not as strong as I expected. I spent a while taking pictures and generally enjoying the view, then headed back up to the rim of the gorge and followed the stream down to the crossing for the loop trail on the far side. Since I couldn't have crossed without getting my feet wet, it was just as well I hadn't planned to hike that trail today. I did get some nice photos of the smaller waterfalls, though not as many as last summer when I was able to creekwalk pretty much the whole way.

Just beyond the stream crossing I took a shortcut trail back to the entrance to the woods... a nice walk along a pleasant stream which runs past a memorial to William Christman and his wife. Christman spent his life farming, writing poetry, and converting the property to a nature sanctuary; in 1970 the Nature Conservancy acquired the property from his son. The site is also a registered National Historic Landmark. More info can be found at the Historical Marker Database.

JMH