Watkins Glen: Overrated or Underrated?

Watkins Glen is the next place that I will be writing about.  Most people I meet from Fredonia are originally from either Buffalo, Rochester or the Ithaca area, so most people have probably been to or heard of Watkins Glen in Ithaca.  If you haven't, great-- I recommend a visit!  I loved it when I visited for the first time last May, though some people I know have said it's overrated.  I guess it depends on the person, but I've been on my fair share of hikes and this one is definitely in my top three.  I recommend going in the Summer or Fall (the lower trail is closed in the Winter).  I actually want to go again in the Fall, I hear the colors are fantastic and it might not be so crowded.  When I went in May with my parents, there were hundreds of tourists, so it was pretty congested.  If you don't like crowds, you probably want to go in the Fall.  Especially in the hot weather, the crowds can be pretty stuffy.

Watkins Glen is a two mile trail, consisting of breathtaking waterfalls and stone work.  The trail takes you down into the actual gorge, between 200 foot cliffs.  At one point you actually walk under a waterfall!  The water runs as a stream through the glen that you follow along the trail.  A bridge across the other side gives a great view of the cliffs and the waterfalls.  There is also a trail that runs along the top of the glen, so you get a great arial view of everything below as well.  When we went in May, it was pretty humid and hot.  What was nice about being in the gorges is the waterfalls cool you off from the heat of the day, plus there are tunnels that run through the glen that provide a temperature difference of about 10 degrees.  So if you go in the Summer, being in the glen gives you some nice natural air conditioning!

My interest in Watkins Glen began with my dad, who grew up in New Jersey.  He used to make the trip to Watkins Glen for the Watkins Glen International raceway, which is famous for its track and famous race car drivers.  I had wanted to go to Watkins Glen for some time and I suggested we take the trip the day before my birthday last May and it was such an awesome experience and totally worth the noisy crowds and tourists.  So if you're from near the Ithaca area and are willing to make the trip, I believe Watkins Glen is underrated, not overrated.  Mapquest away for a Summer/Fall trip!

                                       

(pictures from my own Instagram and search of #watkinsglen)

Local Hike: Zoar Valley

Nature provides an escape from the busy world that we live in.  I think most of us can agree that being outdoors away from cities, highways, roads, and technology can be extremely liberating and peaceful.  People go on year long hikes and travel the world to "find themselves," experiencing new things on their own to fulfill some part of them that feels unsatisfied.  Nature is a great outlet for quiet and getting back to our roots and noticing the world we live in and its beauty.

If you're looking for an escape in the upcoming weeks as midterms approach, I have a hike not too far away that is breathtaking.  If anyone has heard of Zoar Valley, they can agree that its a really awesome place to hike and escape to.  If you're like me right now, you're scrambling to apply to internships/jobs, totally immersed in Capstone, and still trying to enjoy your last semester at Fredonia with your friends.  If you're looking for something different to get your mind off graduation and the fact that you haven't heard back from your internship applications, I suggest Zoar Valley!  Take your friends, especially with how the weather has been lately with warm days, its not as unbearable to be outside anymore as Spring approaches!

Zoar Valley was suggested to me by a friend about a year ago.  I'm not from around this area, so I was looking for a good hiking trail to explore and get outdoors.  Since then, I have been back four or five times and the hike never gets old--there's always something new I find or a new area to explore.  Zoar Valley is about 45 minutes away from Fredonia and consists of a hike that leads into a valley with steep walls along the sides with multiple streams and a creek that runs through the middle.  It's about a 3 miles round-trip so its not very far from parking, but the whole valley is about 7 miles long so there is plenty of trails to explore.  In the Spring and Summer, you can wade through the water and swim.  You have to be careful with the current if the water is high though-- it can be pretty strong.  But when it's calm, it's cool to wade and explore the gorge with no shoes in the Spring sunshine.  So if you feel stuffy or restless in the upcoming weeks, mapquest Zoar and go for a hike!  The fresh air is perfect and you can get some exercise-- I suggest bringing sneakers/shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.  It'll be pretty muddy this time of year and the rocks in the valley can be really slippery! 

 

 (Screenshots from my own Instagram as well as a friend's and from under the search "zoar valley")

     

Acadia National Park and Cape Breton

Going along with the places I have visited and my experiences, a trip that really sticks out to me was when my family went to Cape Breton.  Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is in Canada, and the drive was a long one from Albany, New York.  Along the way we stopped and camped in Acadia National Park in Maine, which is an absolutely beautiful park.  Again I don't remember much because I was pretty young at the time, probably 6 or 7, but there are certain things that I remember from this trip which still feel special to me.

On our drive to Cape Breton, I remember we were driving at night and we came across a mother moose and her two calves in the middle of road.  I remember being enraptured by this and also terrified.  My dad said we had to be careful being so close because the father was probably close by.    We had to wait probably half an hour before they moved off the road, but it was so cool to see wild animals like that, especially moose; you don't see those up close that often.  Later down the road we saw one running through the woods, which we assumed was the father.  When we finally arrived at Cape Breton, we set up camp.  Cape Breton is an island in Nova Scotia, known for its cliffs over the ocean.  We actually were camping along the cliffs and had a fantastic view of the Atlantic.  During the day, you could see pods of whales on the horizon.  We had kayaks with us, but my dad was the only one that went kayaking; sea kayaking is extremely hard to navigate and really no place for kids.  I was always jealous though, because my dad got to kayak with seals.  Today, I don't even know if I would want to go sea kayaking, the waves are totally different than a lake, even when it's windy!  But back to cliff camping...

We camped for about a week, and while we were there a family from Germany was camping next to us.  Their son was around my age and our parents encouraged us to play together.  I distinctly remember trying to play Trouble with him and I remember being very frustrated; He knew very little English but eventually we both figured out how to communicate with each other relatively well.  By the next day we were playing hide-and-go-seek with each other and tag.  I always think back to that trip and meeting him (I don't remember his name, unfortunately) and its funny to think that even though we didn't know each other's languages, we were still able to play games together.  That's another aspect of AmeriCorps that I would be really excited for--getting the chance to meet new people, people from different countries and learning about their experiences.  That's definitely the cool thing about traveling to new places like National Parks; everyone is a tourist!  And tourists come from everywhere.

(Screenshots from @acadianps, @piefortheroad, @mistyodellmusic on Instagram)

Winter Camping and Ice Castles

The next step in the AmeriCorps process is getting registered on the website so my application can be looked over as a potential candidate.  The application is quite long and asks for my skills and experiences.  While I'm not an expert camper, I've camped in a lot of places.  These next few posts will be about my camping and outdoor experiences!

Growing up, my parents brought me camping in the Adirondacks at 8 months old.  Since then, we camp in the Adirondacks every year in the summer and in the fall.  We usually camp during Columbus Day weekend in October and this past October it was freezing.  We've camped when it was snowing as well with the temperature being as low as 10 degrees.  It's pretty tough to camp in the cold, I think most people are used to RVs or campers.  Tent camping in snow is a totally different experience.  My dad once brought myself and my brother winter camping with 3 feet of snow on the ground.  We were doing a cross-country ski weekend getaway in Saranac Lake; I was 11 and my brother was 9.  We went cross-country skiing at night when the moon was up and we could hear coyotes howling and running in the woods as we skied.  Needless to say, my brother and I were terrified.  I don't really remember much from that trip except for that detail.  My brother and I thought we were goners for sure while my dad thought it was the coolest thing ever and was totally unconcerned.  We survived the cold and the coyotes didn't bother us!

If anyone has every been to Saranac Lake, I definitely recommend a trip, especially in February!  During the winter months, the Saranac Lake community builds giant ice castles.  Each year is a different theme, from old western to aliens to super heroes and so on.  I used to go every year before I came to Fredonia.  Since being in college, I haven't been able to go, unfortunately.  Saranac Lake is about a 3 hour drive from my house, and Fredonia is a five hour drive--not worth the trip for a weekend.

The ice castle in Saranac Lake go along with a month-long winter festival that takes place in the town each year.  There are all kinds of outdoor activities each weekend, including fireworks at the end of the festival.  It's a great family event and seeing the castle is a really cool experience.  So much time and effort go into the making of the castle, plus it's even harder some years when the weather is too warm.  The ice for the castle comes from the lake, cut up in huge blocks like in the movie Frozen (for reference, yes that's how big those blocks of ice are).  So construction totally depends on whether it's a cold and snowy winter and it's definitely disappointing if the weather is too warm.

If you're looking for a cool and beautiful place to visit, I highly recommend the Adirondacks.  You will get a great outdoor experience and see the wonders of nature!  Plus, there are cute bed-and- breakfasts and inns in the area, so you don't have to camp if you're not into that!

 

(Screenshots from @saranaclake Instagram)

AmeriCorps

                AmeriCorps offers a variety of programs including working with museums, education, environmental work, and construction projects.  These projects send you all over the country for 6 weeks up to a year, depending on the program that you want.  AmeriCorps only offers these programs to young adults 18-24.  These programs are in place for kids that might not have wanted to attend college right away or had no interest.  AmeriCorps offers stipends and living arrangements for the duration of the projects as well as money or education scholarships after the completion of the projects.  I honestly think these programs are really great because they provide leadership qualities as well as teamwork skills.  Most of the programs involve working with 10 to 30 other people as well.  Meeting people from all over the country and working together with them for months on end is also a cool opportunity to seek different experiences.  If I actually get into an environmental program, I'm excited to meet new people and work with them.  The program that I would be interested in is a trail maintenance position, hopefully in California but I'm not particular!  

                 There is actually a program being offered that does upkeep for the Pacific Crest Trail that would start in March.  The Pacific Crest Trail runs from Mexico to Canada and AmeriCorps sends members to work on conservation projects along the trail for 7 months.  Obviously, I would not be able to do this particular program, so I'm looking for a program with a later start date for after graduation.  The description for this type of program was interesting, with a lot of high physical activity requirement and two months of living in a tent.  I have a friend that actually has hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (it took him seven months to complete!) and has encountered grizzly bears, so camping for two months straight for me will be a huge challenge.  It's hard to imagine what this experience is going to be like if I am able to do it, especially if I have to encounter grizzly bears.  Hopefully I won't have to!

                                    (screenshot from @hikingthepct Instagram)

About me

              As a graduating college student like all other college students, I am scared of the prospects after college.  I hope to pursue a career in children's publishing and marketing as a career.  I would love to jump right into a job, but I also have a dream of working with the National Park service.  While I know finding a job is important, I also know that you are only in your 20's once--so make the most of it. Over the last few years, I started following National Parks on social media, especially on Instagram.  I've always been a very outdoor-oriented person, with experience in tent camping, hiking, cross country and downhill skiing, and kayaking.  Nature has always peaked my interests.  I began to think about working for a National Park, specifically in the programs offered by AmeriCorps.  AmeriCorps is a national organization of community service that offers hundreds of programs in Park services, schools, nonprofit groups, and public agencies across the country.
              Recommended by a friend, I have only briefly looked into the programs that AmeriCorps offers, but I hope to blog more about what I find and parks that I want to work with and travel to.  These are the first steps in an idea that I hope I can follow through on.  As Teddy Roosevelt, father of America's National Parks, once said, "It is hard to fail, but it is worse to never have tried to succeed."  If I want to do this, I have to do it now!

(screenshot taken from Yosemite National Park's Instagram)