I have recently been extolling the wonders and virtues of fall. Expect more ladies and gentleman, because it’s only just begun!
This week I had a sort of mini-vacation and got the chance to visit a place I have not been to since I was a child – Stony Brook State Park. If you live in western New York or are planning to be in the western New York area any time soon, you must take the time to visit it. As state parks go, Stony Brook is fairly small. What it lacks in size and square acreage it makes up for in natural splendor.
The visit began with a seemingly endless uphill hike along the east rim trail. Every time I was certain we couldn’t climb any higher I ran into more stairs. The height, while proving a challenge to my out of shape self, provided many spectacular views of the gorge down below.
gorge-ous
The hike up the east rim trail held delights other than the view as well. As I mentioned in my last post, fall is the time of berries and there were some beauties waiting on the rim.
Solomon's Seal
This is a flower I have seen often in the woods where I work, but never have I seen the berries in the fall. What a treat!
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
This Jack was layed flat for some reason but proved an excellent subject with its telltale leaves yellowed yet still attached.
As we marched on the trail provided other delights including a hearty harvest of chestnuts, shagbark hickory nuts, basswood seeds, the samaras (you know, the helicopters!) from striped maples, and one of my favorites – the fragrant pignuts. (You can bet we stopped to smell them!)
As we neared the top of the rim a blazing red caught our eye. A single maple, among so many green trees, that seemed to feel the same pull for fall as I do. Every leaf on its slender branches was a brilliant red.
An impatient maple
After our grueling climb we finally made it to the crossing and began the descent down the west rim of the gorge. The trail led us right to the water’s edge where we stepped carefully on the wet slate and stopped repeatedly to gaze and comment on the beauty of the day and the landscape surrounding us.
After a ways we came to a great view of the red maple we had seen from the forested path on the east rim. Now we could take it all in.
A few more steps provided an even better view that well represents the beauty of the park.
Stony Brook
