Plotter Kill Falls

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L_G_D
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I'm back......

Went there yesterday after a night of rain and hit the jackpot with the water level. The usual problem, though, when there's enough water to make it interesting, there's enough water to make navigation difficult. I eventually ended up taking off the boots and rolling up the pants and wading in the stream barefoot, didn't bring the water shoes with me. The trails were very muddy and slippery and I lost it once and almost took a tumble but recovered with just some mud stains here and there.

So, a couple views of the falls on what I guess is called Rynex Creek according to Russell Dunn's book. I still need to get there and hike the lower part of the stream and this time, I'll bring the water shoes.

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The lower falls on the main Plotter Kill, didn't have much luck with the clouds here, and I was waiting for a while, took a couple of shots at various exposures, then packed in for the next fall. Of course, 5 minutes down the trail and the sun goes behind a cloud for great light. Oh well.

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The main falls, captured just when the sun was behind a cloud, otherwise way too much contrast. Plus, the spray was getting on my lens all the time. I had waded out into the middle of the stream for this one. The water was nice on a hot day.

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Last edited by L_G_D on Wed Jun 02, 2010 12:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Matt
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i love how you make the foreground prominent in your shots. A pleasure to view. Thanks for posting.
L_G_D
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Thanks, I like to include as much as possible to give the "feel" of the place.
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BobStone
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There is a 'real' trail to the bottom of the upper falls... follow the north rim trail a fair bit further down stream. It is kinda hidden to the right on a bluff where the trail turns to the left.
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BobStone
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There are 3 nice waterfalls at the Plotterkill Preserve: Upper Falls, Lower Falls and Rynex Falls. Rynex Falls in just a few yards downstream from Lower Falls where Rynex Creek enters the Plotterkill. The north rim trail allows good views of all three. You can get to the bottom of Upper Falls by following the north rim trail about 100 yds further downstream. Keep looking to the right; It is a bit hard to find, but safer! In winter there will be a ice on this trail.

To get to the bottom of Rynex and the Lower Falls, follow the south rim trail untill the two falls are clearly seen. There is a path from the parking area that leads directy to this location. You have to scramble down the slope to the bottom. But the slope on this side is not as steep as the north side and much easier to negotiate.

You really need to emphsize safety when desending into this gorge. You may not be visible to visitors on the rim, and there is no cell phone signal at the bottom! If you need help, extraction will be difficult, no matter where you are! Take a friend with you.

Upper Falls

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Lower Falls

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Rynex Falls

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Matt
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Those are some excellent photos. The exposure is amazing.
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Yes, great shots, this place is one of my new "favorite" spots to go.

Matt, can we combine this post with this one http://www.nyfalls.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1840 to get everything for this place in one post and linked to the main waterfall list?
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L_G_D
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Had a nice hike up the Plotterkill from the lower trail yesterday. Of course, it was a bright sunny day, so some problems with contrast, but I got pictures of the six major waterfalls in the lower section of the preserve. I also took waypoints for them which I will post to my google map of the area once I get on a high speed connection.

So, starting at the bottom, here's Jacob's Ladder and Step Falls, at least that's the way it's named in the Dunn book, I can only guess that the bottom section is the step falls and the upper part is Jacob's Ladder.

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The bottom step close up

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The Jacob's Ladder section

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Going upstream, here's the next major falls

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This next one has a nice pool that it flows into, obviously created by a much larger fall that is long extinct, nice place to have lunch.

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This one is in a nice grotto where the stream takes a 90 degree turn, I was really starting to have problems with the sun at this point

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This one just barely qualifies as a fall, it's only about 4-5 feet high, but with the water level yesterday, there was enough to flow across the large square block in the foreground to make it more interesting.

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Here's the last one in the lower section, above this, the streambed becomes an average rocky burbling brook until just before the main falls upstream

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