At Top of Ithaca Falls

Summers in Ithaca, NY are very rarely beat. There is a relaxed atmosphere, the great outdoors, and an unmatched scenic beauty. As an ode to summer, I just wanted to share another of my hiking adventures. Although it was not as far as my Six Mile Creek adventure, a friend an I returned to Ithaca's Gun Hill for a quick walk around, completing my July 4th hike.

The abandoned site offers many great views of industrial remains, natural beauty, and impressive grafitti. Additionally, it is a technically challenging hike (and slightly illegal) but very rewarding.

You can take a peak into the famous Ithaca Gun Stack...



Or some of the additional abandoned structures...



Overall, a great way to spend a waining summer afternoon.

Ithaca Gun Hill

  

My goal this afternoon was to hike part of Fall Creek here in Ithaca, NY. A good way to spend a hot and humid Fourth of July. It is also part of my overarching goal to hike the four major gorges that are in Ithaca before I relocate to somewhere new. However, today was met with frustration.

Fall Creek is the longer of the creeks that flow that cuts through the Ithaca area.  The watershed cuts through the Fall Creek Neighborhood downtown (aptly named) and continues eastward through Cornell's main campus, Dryden, McClean, and stretches all the way to Cortland, NY.  During heavy rainstorms, the marquee waterfall here, Ithaca Falls, becomes a spectacular to watch.  A great location to view the natural wonder is right across from the local Townie bar the Creeker.


However, Ithaca Falls and the Creeker share an uncharacteristic neighbor, especially for Ithaca.  The noisy neighbor is the old Ithaca Gun Hazardous Waste Site.  I happened to stumble into it while looking for a path to continue my gorge trek and I must say, it is a mess.

  

The empty shells are contributing heavy metal contamination to the local area. So, the next time you are thinking about enjoying a quick stroll or swim through the Fall Creek/Ithaca Falls area, just remember the mess that sits on top of that hill. Maybe one say it will be cleaned...