The summer has been quite hot and ripe for a nice swim at one of the Hudson Valley's great swimming holes. The Plattekill doesn't have just one swimming hole, it's blessed with many.
Today I met up with my friend Caroline. We had spoken about going for a hike with a swim option. We finally agreed to meet up today after a few cancelled meetings. Today would reach 90 with humidity so it made for a great destination.
When I reached Manorville Road, I noticed quite a few cars parked. I also noticed a few cops pass by. I wondered if someone got injured. We proceeded up the road and into the woods. It immediately cooled. Despite the rains we've had the creek was still quite low, though I've seen it lower.
After passing the first waterfall, we reached what I call the kiddie pool. Today, there actually were kids swimming there. It finally lived up to its name.
We then reached the next waterfall where I have cliff jumped many times. We watched a few people jump here and also dipped our feet in the water for the first time. It felt good.
We proceeded to what are probably the most popular spot on the Plattekill, and rightfully so. The last time I was here there were people smoking and drinking and probably making a mess of the place. This type of stuff is really starting to piss me off. Today there was nothing new. A group were smoking pot and had a fire going cooking hot dogs. And I'm sure they weren't packing their shit out. We stayed long enough to watch a guy jump here. He even did a flip. It was pretty crazy.
We continued to walk up the Plattekill to what I believe to be the best swimming hole. We ran into a guy fishing. I believe he said he caught a few trout. Caroline jumped in first and then I dipped in. It felt great. We had a race to see who could swim under the falls first. It was quite tiring. As a kid I was a strong swimmer. As an adult, not so much.
As we walked back we met a group of campers. A woman told us how awesome the thunder storm was last night. I don't think I would have thought that at the time.
It started to rain briefly so we chose to walk all the way out instead of going for another swim. Upon exiting, a ranger greeted me. He told me I was trespassing and he'd have to write me up a ticket. I was unaware that the private property extended quite far up the Plattekill. I always assumed it started almost immediately upon entering. It really pissed me off the cops didn't mention any of this before I entered. So until I get permission from the property owners, I won't be returning here again. This is quite disappointing, as the Plattekill is one of the loveliest places in the Hudson Valley. Too bad the scumbags have to fuck everything up for the rest of us.
