Part 2, Copper Rock Falls

The Grasse River at Copper Rock Falls was a magnificent sight, perhaps all the more so because the water level was not high, thus exposing lots of rocks. And the beginning autumn leaf colors added to the beauty:

Fergus and Seamus had the sense to stay out of the rushing waters, but did go in whenever they found a still, shallow part:

Hi, Dad. Ya wanna come in the water with me?:

We continued moving upstream alongside the roaring river:

And explored some of the Adirondack forest which surrounded us:

A quiet side channel:

Two very happy Papillons went exploring:

I saw more exposed, flat rocks jutting out into the Grasse River and began walking toward them:

This was wild and beautiful country, a remote place of natural splendor. The only catch was my fall the previous day at the Ausable River which was fresh on my mind. I had been made fully aware of how quickly disaster could strike and how I had no one to help should I take a tumble. So I enjoyed the spectacular scenery but walked cautiously. Little Daphne, however, knew no such fears and trotted wherever she wanted:

I walked out onto the flat rocks and snapped a photo of this lovely stretch of the Grasse River just upstream from Copper Rock Falls:

And the two "Silly Sisters" raced each other across the rocks. Notice the copper colored splotches which gave the falls their name:

We began hiking back toward our car which was parked along Tooley Pond Road:

The trail was short and we arrived at the car fairly quickly. But I had one more nearby hike in mind. I'll post about that tomorrow:

Basford Falls, Part 2

This is part 2 of my exploration of Basford Falls on the Grasse River (see yesterday's post for part 1). My dogs ran and played and acted as if they saw no danger whatsoever in the crashing, roaring waters. I did see danger, though not so much that I put them on leashes. I confess that I did holler occasionally when they veered too near and too recklessly to the rapids:

But a great deal of the fun in exploring such wild places, for both people and dogs, is the freedom to go where one pleases and look as closely as one desires. Little Clover did just that:

And Fergus took a sip of clean, cool water from a quiet spot in the Grasse River:

Daphne continued to run up and down the rocks, obviously having a great time. I suppose that some day she'll slow down with age and I'll recall her frenetic youth with fondness:

Seamus has already slowed down, but he still enjoys an outing such as this. And Daphne held still long enough for me to snap a picture:

Seamus, noble companion and intrepid explorer of wild rivers:

We finally left the river behind us and began retracing our steps back to the trail head:

And the forest was beautiful as well as the river:

We walked uphill on our way back to where I'd parked the car on Tooley Pond Road:

That was fun, Dad. Can we do it again?:

We climbed higher up out of the river valley and I was already planning our next short hike:

As we neared the parked car, I was already preparing to visit the other waterfall we'd missed last March - Copper Rocks Falls. But I'll post about that tomorrow:

Basford Falls, Part 1

I'd hiked the eight consecutive waterfalls along the Grasse River back in March - except that I'd missed both the first and the last. Well, this was the day I would remedy that omission. I drove to the tiny hamlet of Degrasse and turned onto Tooley Pond Road. At the 1.5 mile mark I found this small sign and two steel posts. It's no wonder I missed Basford Falls the first time:

I parked and let the dogs out. Tooley Pond Road is so very remote that I had no fear of traffic. We entered the forest and began following the unmarked trail towards the Grasse River:

It was an altogether pleasant experience, and I walked with my four very happy dogs through emerald woods, not yet showing any signs of autumn:

I heard the roar of the falls first and then just ahead and down a hill, I could see the river:

The dogs broke into a run and headed right for the water:

There was a cleft in the rocky shoreline where water drained from the forest and, just beyond that, the beautiful Grasse River:

The water was not so high as it was in the springtime, and I was less nervous. So the dogs ran freely across the rocks, exploring every inch of this magnificent scene:

You probably didn't see her in this photo, but if you'll look to the bottom right of the picture, you'll see Clover sniffing at something. This will give you a better idea of the grand scale of things:

From above, Basford Falls looked more like a rapids. From below, I could see that it was a real waterfall:

My two Papillons, who I often refer to as the "Silly Sisters," frolicked and had lots of fun:

And ran full speed through the forest and along the riverbank:

I confess that I got a little nervous when they were near the roaring water, but I'm getting a little more used to it now. This was a lovely site and I was glad I'd come back to experience it. But I'll post more about our walk to Basford Falls tomorrow:

Rainbow Falls (Part 1) At 6.1 Miles

I was making the Grand Waterfall Tour along the spectacular Grasse River, an Adirondack waterway just south of Canton, New York. I'd so far stopped at Lampson Falls, Sinclair Falls, Twin Falls, Adrenaline Falls and Bulkhead Falls although I'd failed to find the trail head for Basford Falls. The Big Kahuna of cascades, second only to Lampson Falls, was just ahead at 6.1 miles from the hamlet of Degrasse, New York along Tooley Pond Road. I noticed, as I drove along, that logging had cleared the land abutting the road. I found it fascinating to see the lay of the land all exposed, without many trees. The scattering of large rocks, I guessed, was debris left behind by the retreating glaciers many eons ago:

I didn't find the trail head but I did find a marked canoe carry at about the right distance. Thinking this might take me to the falls, I parked and began walking down it toward the Grasse River. Fergus led the way:

I didn't know if this was the trail or not, but it was lovely so I just enjoyed the experience:

When we arrived at the Grasse River I marveled at its beauty but there were no waterfalls and no indication of whether the falls were upstream or downstream:

The Grasse River here, although powerful, was calm and scenic. The dogs played along its shore:

I looked both upstream and downstream for some hint of where to find the waterfall but saw none and heard no roaring:

When I turned to go, however, I saw this sign for canoeists indicating there were dangerous falls just downstream. I can't imagine how someone in a canoe would see that sign, however, and wondered how many people had died going over the falls. But perhaps there was another, more visible sign downstream and a place to get one's canoe out of the water. But I now knew that the falls were downstream:

In that direction. I strained to hear them but heard only the breeze and bird songs. I imagined how an unsuspecting canoeist might be lulled into thinking this was a perfectly safe stretch of placid river:

But we were seeking Rainbow Falls, so we started back up the trail toward the road:

It was pleasant and scenic, enjoyable with or without waterfalls:

We'd been having 70 to 80 degree days and yet there was still snow in many places:

I got back into my car and drove downstream along Tooley Pond Road until I saw this small sign. Now I knew where to find the trail head! But I'll post more tomorrow:

Bulkhead Falls At 3.5 Miles

Adrenaline Falls had been at 3.3 miles from the hamlet of Degrasse along Tooley Pond Road and Bulkhead Falls was to found at 3.5 miles. So I had to keep alert as I watched for a trail along the road. I thought I found one near a large boulder beside the road so I parked and let the dogs out:

The whole forest was dotted with giant boulders, presumably glacial erratics, which were covered with mosses and lichens:

The dogs and I walked down to the Grasse River and enjoyed the stunning view of Adirondack forest and churning, roiling waters:

Seamus began to wade into the water. I was at first alarmed, but decided he was in no danger there. In the end, he only got his feet wet and quenched his thirst:

Little Clover wanted no part of the water but happily explored the rocky shoreline. She looked so tiny in all that grandeur that I found it a striking contrast:

We walked downstream to see the falls, climbing over giant rocks:

And there it was, Bulkhead Falls:

It was such a pleasant spot and a warm day that we hung around and enjoyed a bit of rock hopping near the water:

As you can see, the Grasse River here was quite powerful. Nonetheless, I let the dogs do their exploring and they were careful, not going too close to the rapids:

Seamus was less adventurous, preferring to strike dramatic poses instead of adventuring:

We got close to the top of the falls and looked down. I suppose that this would be considered by some a rapid instead of a falls, but I'd bet any unfortunate soul who went over it in a canoe would not quibble:

The river quieted down to a calm and peaceful waterway just below the falls:

The views were stunning:

We began climbing back uphill toward our parked car, but Clover and I stopped for one parting shot of lovely Bulkhead Falls before leaving for our next waterfall: