Write-up: Mary Pat Connors
Leader: Mary Pat Connors
Co-Leader: Meg Higgerson (the muffin-maker)
Photo Credit: Jim Wasielewski, Dianna Morris, MP Connors

Our area has been getting some good Spring rains, but we were lucky to have clear skies for our hike to PlotterKill Preserve. Located in Rotterdam, Schenectady County, this is a 632-acre nature reserve and hiking area. It contains three 40-60’ waterfalls, which, after the rains were fast and full. The gorge itself was formed at the end of the Ice Age about 10,000 years ago, but the flat rock layers were originally formed about 450 million years ago!!! Now I don’t feel so old.

You are met at the parking lot with a sign warning about steep slopes and unstable soils, and many times along the trail there were additional signs “Stay on Trail!” These should be taken seriously as there have been fatalities and emergency rescues here.

We set out on the “red trail” which under normal circumstances would be a perfect hiking loop, but apparently there is some undergoing construction around power lines that prevented it.

After taking the red down to the banks of the Plotter Kill, where it disappears into the water, we decided we would not like to chance multiple crossings of the creek with the swiftly-moving water. So we back-tracked and took a yellow-marked trail back along the creek and eventually uphill away from it. Taking the “highland” trail we meandered through hard-wood forest, with many Spring flowers dotting the way. Our resident horticulturist, Dianna, pointed out Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Mayapple and baby Poison Ivy.

The goal was to continue on the highland trail until we again reached a creek, this time, the Rynex. We did that but had to trudge through wet-lands and a good deal of MUD! Meg said when she got home each boot weighed around 8 pounds with the filthy layers.

We had a lovely lunch break on the bank of the smaller creek, and then reversed our direction heading back.

At the end of the red trail, we took a blue trail to the waterfall observation deck to view the cascade.

Continuing on that trail we did a small loop back to the parking lot.

By this time the lot was full of cars. However most of those people stayed on easy trails and near the waterfalls. We met very few hikers going the distance that we did.

A wonderful day!