“Over the River and Through the Woods”: Cherry Springs, Ithaca, and Lake Placid

On By mermbaseIn North America

After working remotely for 5 months into the COVID-19 season, I knew I needed a break to get fresh air. Considering that we were still in the pandemic, I was looking forward to being among more nature than people.

Potter County (Cherry Springs State Park), PA

Because of its especially-clear skies, Cherry Springs State Park is famous for being the go-to destination for astronomers to go stargazing. Snuggling in a blanket and laying down on the roof of my car while I watched stars for hours sounded like a summer experience I had deprived of, so I enjoyed being able to finally check that off my list.

It was nerve-wracking to be traveling alone in Potter county, because I had no cell service and there were times I drove for an hour completely surrounded by trees, only passing about 5-6 cars. But the people were friendly and very resilient, teaching me about their current issues related to over-hunting of deer and drought. They told me wild stories about having a fist-fight with a mountain lion, while I told my own stories about battling spotted red lanternflies.

What fascinated me was that groups of families up there buy 1 cow each year to be butchered, then split the meat among each other, and freeze it to use over a whole year! It’s a common thing to ask each other “what are you taking out of the freezer today?”, because they start the day before to thaw the meat they’re going to eat the following dinner.

  • I toured the forest on horseback!
  • The barn at Summit Trail Rides, who offers horserides through the forest.
  • Charming First Fork Lodge B&B where I stayed.
  • Inside of the charming First Fork Lodge B&B.

Ithaca, NY(Finger Lakes)

The main thing to do in Ithaca(if you’re not there to be a student) is to hike to see as many waterfalls as possible. But just like Potter County, the Finger Lakes was going through a drought, so the waterfalls were not as large this year as they usually were. However, I got to have whole parks mostly to myself, so I wasn’t complaining!

This region is famous for its wineries, but I was less focused on wine and more interested in hard cider. I re-lived the previous trip’s memories of having whole meals made up of just goat cheese on crackers.

  • Buttermilk Falls State Park
  • Cascadilla Gorge Trail
  • Cascadilla Gorge Trail
  • Lively Run Goat Farm
  • The only bakery I’ve seen that has a bar with beer on tap and wine!

Lake Placid, NY (Adirondacks)

My heart craved to see mountains, and I satisfied my hunger in Lake Placid. Though the town is most famous from the amazing Winter Olympics it’s hosted, I wasn’t motivated to check out the Olympic sites.

I hiked up White Mountain, the fifth-highest mountain in the Adirondack Mountains. I hiked to an elevation of 4,800 ft, and got a beautiful 360-degree view of the area. I also scaled Cascade Mountain, which has a 4,000ft elevation. If you hike all 46 of the Adirondack’s main mountains, you earn the esteemed title of “46er”, so I’m 4% of the way there!

  • View of Lake Placid from White Mountain.
  • Hiking up White Mountain.
  • Kayaking in Lake Placid.
  • At the top of Cascade Mountain.
  • A geodetic survey marker at the top of Cascade Mountain.
  • A peaceful and serene moment hiking down Cascade Mountain.
  • A traditional cabin setup inside Saranac Sourdough.

Most Memorable Food

I make it a point to seek out the most intriguing food wherever I go, and this trip delivered well! I had good memories around food, which included spending 1.5 hours in an olive oil shop and 40 minutes in line to buy for maple-syrup-flavored soft serve ice cream. Here were my other favorites!

  • Had amazing babyback ribs, cornbread, and brussel sprouts at Smoke Signals, Lake Placid.
  • Peach-stuffed french toast made for me at the First Fork Lodge B&B.
  • I got goat cheese from Lively Run Goat Farm, and I was storing them in the fridge of the Airbnb I was at. I set this alarm to remind myself at 5:45AM to get the cheese before I left early the next morning.
  • Raspberry frangipane tart from Mama Said Hand Pies bakery in Ithaca, NY.
  • Rosemary Salt bagel sandwich with egg and turkey bacon from Itahaca Bakery.
  • Crab & Macadamia dumplings from Mix Kitchen & Bar, Ithaca.
  • Apparently, I’ve been using olive oil and balsamic vinegar all wrong most of my life by never combining them! Lanear at Saratoga Olive Oil Company in Lake Placid concocted some dope oil-vinegar pairings for me to fix this problem.

Most Memorable Plants

“Between every two pines is a doorway to another world.”-John Muir

I felt this John Muir quote was so accurate to describe my wonder as I turned every corner in the forests I visited. My favorite moments were when the aroma of fir trees filled my nostrils and compelled me to stop and be still. Here are the most fascinating plants I encountered in the woods.

  • White baneberry, which is toxic to humans and animals.
  • Common lantana
  • Mycenaceae
  • White meadowsweet
  • Narrowleaf gentian
  • Brown knapweed

Overall, my trip was exactly what I needed to take in order to detox from having to be a perfectionist and living in paranoia of contracting COVID. Considering that I don’t know when I will be able to travel outside of the US again, I wouldn’t mind if I saw these mountains again some time soon.

Until the next non-pandemic vacation,

Mariam

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