Ithaca New York has some of the best natural waterfalls that I’ve experienced. Visiting these waterfalls provides a great opportunity for hiking, swimming, camping, and experiencing nature in general. The first time I visited Ithaca was in the fall of my junior year of college; September 2020. My best friend and I had a convenient day off one Thursday and we decided to get out of town for the day. We got up at dawn and made the three-hour road trip to this place we had only heard about. We spent the day exploring all the different hiking trails and swam in the waterfalls and watering holes despite the chilly temperature due to the fall weather creeping up on us. Ever since we made that trip I had wanted to go back.
I didn’t return to this magical spot until last summer; in July 2023. This time I traveled alone. I camped for one night and spent two days exploring the area. I made the trip during the week when I had three days off of week. I was feeling so restless at home and I spontaneously packed my bags for this trip at a moment’s notice. At the time, I didn’t have many friends and I had just gotten in a fight with my sister so I couldn’t ask her. I convinced myself that going alone was better than not going at all, which turned out to be the case as I had a lot of fun regardless of the slight discomfort caused by camping alone.
This summer I knew I had to go back. This time I had my boyfriend of seven months tag along. We met in the fall and have a bucket list that we want to accomplish together. We are both quite adventurous and are what I’d call ‘yes people’. I was so excited that Alec was coming with me because I wanted to show him this jewel of a place that I had come to love. We’ve been on multiple road trips together prior to this and we always have a lot of fun together.
