Hurricane Irene Rip Van Winkle Trail

Kaaterskill Falls

One of many lovely tributaries

Cool spot under bridge

Irene was not all bark

Lower falls

Poor Fawn




As expected, Hurricane Irene did not live up to expectations. How could it? Our politicians were treating it as if it were the end of times. And as what happens to most hurricanes when they head north, their winds die down. As it so happened, the weather cleared as I was leaving work. So I decided to take advantage of this and go back and check out Kaaterskill Falls while it was in a complete rage.

What Irene did do was bring a ton of rain. Of course, as I neared Palenville Irene let me know she wasn’t finished yet. I was confused. The models on the weather channel all showed Irene clear of the area. Damn weather forecasters! Almost ready to leave after waiting an hour for the weather to clear (and pissed at myself for leaving my rain jacket at work), I just said, “Fuck it.” I’d mostly be just walking on road (23A was closed) and the trail was only a half mile. So what if I get a bit wet? Luckily as I opened the back of the car, I spotted a rain jacket and pants my Aunt had given me last year. Perfect.

And the rest of the walk would be perfect, too. Walking out of the car with the rain suit on reminded me of how much I enjoy walking in the rain. Although I’ve had some bad experiences, they mostly have been good. The smell. The sound rain makes as it hits your jacket. The natural coolant rain is as your walking a nice incline. The sound it makes as it hits the trees. The taste. The sound of running water. The way it feels as it touches your body. The wet feet and the dampness you may feel are an afterthought.

It didn’t take long to know why the road was closed. There were two spots where landslides had broken up part of the road. A bridge lost some concrete from a downed tree. There were also countless areas where tributaries had taken over the road. On the way back, there would be a downed tree across the road. Fortunately, nobody stopped me along the way.

The walk on 23A was far more beautiful than I thought. I had been down this road once before on bicycle. But, I was going down and it was almost dark. Otherwise, I had only been by car. Sometimes you just have to go on foot to appreciate how wonderful something is. There were constant views down into the creek from above. There is Fawn’s Leap a potentially very beautiful waterfall. Dozens of minor tributaries made its way to the creek. Crystal clear water sparkled among the very much alive green vegetation, in stark contrast to the brown roaring creek down below.

When I reached the trail to Kaaterskill Falls, I was overwhelmed by the explosiveness of Bastion Falls. It looked pissed. It sounded pissed. The creek at this point rushed with such ferocity it appeared it would pull me in at any moment. All because of Irene! My fears were not unjustified. As I walked towards Kaaterskill Falls parts of the trail were swallowed up by the bulging with anger creek down below. The Falls appeared totally different on this day. A muddy brown. Tumbling down with a rage not seen two days ago. The upper falls were barely in view since the creek swallowed up the great view points or made them inaccessible. It was a sight to see. If only I could remain. If only.