Your Adirondack Waterfall Guide covers the major waterfalls of the 'Dacks, as well as many others, but certainly not all the park has to offer. With so many waterfalls, how do you decide when enough is enough? What leads you to choose one location over another?
The Adirondack Waterfall Guide was my first book – I have written four more since then. If I could do it all over again, I would include many more waterfalls in the first book than I did, and I would call it “Adirondack Waterfall Guide – Eastern Section.” Then I would write the sequel, “Adirondack Waterfall Guide: Western Section.” (truth be told, I am working on just such a sequel now along with several other projects).

The fact is that I am always finding waterfalls that I didn’t know about, and noting them in my books for future editions. I have done a tremendous amount of field and library research on Waterfalls of Western Connecticut and on Waterfalls of Vermont, and hopefully some day these guidebooks will be published as well. Beyond that I’m not sure if there are any more waterfall guidebooks in me to write.

Your Hudson Valley Waterfall Guide includes a lot of history for each waterfall site. Historical background info, as well as the antique imagery, seems to be an increasing theme in your books. You even co-authored trail guides with historic narratives in the Trails with Tails series. Why so much focus on the history of these locations?
As a youth I was more interested in Anthropology (the broad study of history) than of the history of localities. This has changed somewhat in my later years. I have come to realize that in order to understand something – even seemingly as simple as a waterfall – you need to put it into a historical context. Hence, my zeal for history.

You have authored guides covering the Adirondack, Hudson, Catskill and Mohawk regions, and your new book reaches into western Massachusetts. Do you have any plans for a Finger Lakes or Western NY guide?
The answer is “no.” Rich & Sue Freeman, whom I greatly admire, have written a wonderful guidebook called 200 Waterfalls in Central and Western New York. I wouldn’t try to outdo them (and hopefully they will return the courtesy). On the other hand, it would undoubtedly be fun to write a book called “Waterfalls & Wineries of the Finger Lakes” – I don’t think that has been done yet.

Based on your book sales, do you see an increase in waterfall popularity?
The answer is resoundingly yes. Everybody loves waterfalls. I have tried to write books that will appeal to hard-core hikers, Joe six-pack enthusiasts, couples and families, and even to those with disabilities (hence, the roadside waterfalls).

Increasingly nature preserves are formed around waterfalls which serve as a centerpiece, so I think humans' appreciation of waterfalls will only increase with the passage of time.

On the dark side, waterfalls’ popularity may increase dramatically for utilitarian reasons as we run out of fossil fuels and turn to hydro-power. If this should happen, it’s quite possible that some of the aesthetics of waterfall viewing will be compromised. I am truly in debt to my publisher – Black Dome Press out of Hensonville, New York . They have done a fantastic job of bringing the waterfall series of books to light.

Some feel that certain waterfall locations are better off being unpublicized. The dilemma many of us authors face is that we enjoy and appreciate pristine and peaceful locations and want to share them. But by doing so we risk ruining the very aspects that we enjoy. How do you feel about this trade-off?
I think the concern raised is a valid one. My wife and I were recently in China where they have a lot of people (1.2 billion to be exact, give or take a couple of million). It seemed that everywhere we went – even to temples of solitude – you would find yourself amongst 10,000 other visitors, so there never was a sense of solitude. The sacred places are literally being loved to death. This seems to be particularly true in some sections of the Adirondacks, like the High Peaks for instance, but not so much in the Catskills, Shawangunks, Hudson Valley, and Berkshires (which I have also written about). The irony is that if you love the wilderness to death, all you find in the end is what you left the cities to get away from – namely, more people and all of the noise and clutter they bring with them.

But to answer your question – yes, I would feel badly if some infrequently visited waterfalls began to be over-run (particularly if they became abused) by hoards of visitors or partiers.

You and your wife recently retired and became NYS Licensed Hiking Guides. Are you running any waterfall-focused tours?
Thank you for asking. Every year we host an annual weekend of waterfall hikes at Trails End Inn in the Keene Valley area of the Adirondacks. We have been doing it for 8 years now. Every year we fill up the inn during what typically is the “mud season” – a time of low occupancy -- so the inn comes out ahead, and so do those who participate in the outings, for they get to see waterfalls pumped up to full volume by spring’s snow-melt.

We also lead history-oriented hikes in the Capital Region, be we can only manage so much without it beginning to cut into our time for writing and exploring.

What makes New York Waterfalls so appealing/special/unique?
New York State waterfalls may not be as big or high as some of the waterfalls out west, but what they lack in height they more than make up for in terms of their majesty and variety. In the springtime New York State waterfalls are thunderous and awe-inspiring; in the summer they turn into entities of rock and moss as well as water; in fall they are adorned by the glorious colors of autumn, and in winter they become glacier-like. Where could you find such variety and beauty anywhere else? New York State really delivers the goods.

What waterfall would you say is your favorite and why?
My favorite waterfall is Kaaterskill Falls in the Catskills – a 231-foot, two-tier waterfall that has a fabulous history associated with it. When you stand at the base and look up at it, the fall is absolutely magnificent to behold. Historically speaking, it was one of the few waterfalls that were commercialized instead of industrialized. My favorite Adirondack Waterfall is Rainbow Falls (on a tributary to the East Branch of the Ausable River), although O.K. Slip Falls (very close to the Hudson River) would be a close second.

What should we expect next from you?
Water must be my motif. In 2010 Black Dome Press will publish my Kayaker’s Guide to the Capital District Region but it will be a kayaking guide unlike any other that has been published. The guidebook will not only contain hundreds of river and lake accesses, but will go into tremendous detail about the incredible 400 years of history that accompanies each of the outings. In the end I guess you could say that history is the common denominator for all of the guidebooks I have worked on.

We are looking forward to it. Thank you, Russell!