Yesterday afternoon I took a brief excursion to Robert H. Treman State Park. Just a few miles outside of Ithaca proper, the park is home to Enfield Glen: a deep gorge carved first by ancient glaciers and later refined by a gentle little stream that today cascades over strangely geometric formations of shale. It looks almost as if some "creator" had been practicing basic geometry by manipulating the stream beds...
...experimenting with more and more complex ways to send water flowing between the rock...
...and gradually increasing the number of pixels allowed in each design...
...until he felt ready to tackle the nuances present in his masterpiece: Lucifer Falls...
(For a sense of scale, see if you can find the little people gathered at the lookout above the falls)
A couple trails traverse the gorge on either side of the stream and provide incredible views of the falls from every vantage. The photo below was taken at the base of Lucifer and is a portion of the falls not even visible in the photo above.
I stopped at many points along the trail and found myself completely awed by the beauty around me. These are the kinds of places that I once thought only existed in calendars and books of photography...landscapes sequestered from the rest of the world within hidden valleys and natural chambers that you'd need a fairy guide and some sort of mystical password to enter.
Even the insects--like this iridescent damsel fly with jet-black wings--possess an extra bit of flair...
At the lower entrance to the park--a 2.25 mile hike from Lucifer Falls--is a large camp ground and swimming area...
I'm still trying to figure out whether lifeguarding here would be the the coolest job ever, or the most nerve-rackingly-hellish gig imaginable...
I'd REALLY like to go there someday. It looks just "heavenly" : )
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