Taughannock Falls 1-27-26
14:09 Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 12.9°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 60% Wind: 12.73mphWords: 712
I had to get out of the house today. The sun was shining and it was beautiful around 9:30 when I decided to drive to Taughannock and take some pictures of the frozen falls. It took me 30 minutes to get dressed. Two pairs of long underwear, three pairs of socks, insulated boots, sweatshirt, down vest, and winter parka. Felt like I was wearing a spacesuit once I was finished.
As these things go, the clouds had rolled in by the time I got to the overlook, where this shot was taken. They plow the driveway, but not the parking lot. Fortunately, there was only one other person there when I got there, so I just left the Maverick in the driveway.
You get to the overlook first, before you reach the lower falls entrance, and I wasn't sure the trail was going to be open. You could see footprints down below though, so after I took a few shots at the overlook, I drove on down to the lower park.
The ticket machine was out of order, and a park employee was there working on the bathrooms. He said it was my lucky day, so that saved me about $10.
I parked the Mav and began walking through the snow to the trail. There was about 14"-16" of snow in the field, but the trail itself had been plowed. My lower back was barking at me from yesterday's snow shoveling exercise, but I pressed on.
I only encountered one other hiker on the way to the falls, and he was carrying a tripod on his shoulder, so another photographer, naturally. Took some shots along the way. I'll put some up on Flickr later.
There were a few points where I left the trail and trudged through the snow to get a different composition. The clouds were disappointing, but the ice was amazing. There's a lot more water in the stream bed in winter, and most of it was frozen.
When I got to the falls, the bridge was cleared but the far side wasn't. A lot of folks had been there before, so it wasn't like I was breaking new snow. It was very cold, around 10°F, and the snow crunched underfoot. Other than that, it was silent except for the few places where you could hear running water.
I took several shots, and noticed the battery on the E-M1X was complaining that it was low. I noticed it was only about 60% when I left, and the cold kind of reduces the voltage as well. So I didn't mess around too much at the falls.
For some unknown reason, trudging through the snow near the falls seemed to stretch out the knots in my back. By the time I got back over the bridge, my back felt fine. There was a bench there, so I did a few stretches on it as well. It felt much easier hiking back than it did the other way. Ran into an old man trudging up the trail. Didn't look dressed enough for the cold, and he wasn't carrying a camera. But he said hello and kept on his way. Near the end I ran into a young couple just starting out. Other than that, it was a pretty solitary affair.
I had to do something for my mental health. I think if the sun had stayed out, I'd have enjoyed it more. But it was still good to be outdoors. The snow is still fresh and everything is beautiful. I'd been telling myself that I needed to get out there and get some shots while the falls were frozen before it warmed up again, and I'm glad I did. I'd be kicking myself if I hadn't.
I've got an appointment for a haircut tomorrow before lunch. After the haircut I plan to run over to Montour Falls with the E-M1X and get some shots there. I won't have to hike in a mile either, I could do it from the road, but it's a short walk to the base of the falls from the street. The I think I'll have some lunch at Jerlando's Pizza.
Clouds notwithstanding, it was a beautiful drive and hike. Glad I did it.
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