After Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene and the better part of last week seeing steady rainfall, I thought Wahconah Falls was worth a visit. The trip out there along Route 9 saw many streams running pretty high. The Mill River in the Northampton/ Haydenville/Williamsburg area had been incredibly high, but was now receded a bit although still running quite strong. We in Western Massachusetts were very fortunate not to see as much devastation as Vermont and Eastern New York, but many areas did see a lot of damage.
Here is a shot from this past May of the falls in low flow.
And this is what is running over Wahconah Falls now.
Last May of 2010, I found low water again a bit upstream in Wahconah Falls Brook.
The water had a bit of a different feel to it on my return visit.
I’ve only seen this much water there during the Spring melt-off, so this was unusual. But a Hurricane through the Northeast as we just experienced is unusual and we hope not to see one again for a long time.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Steve, the small images do not do themselves justice. The bigger images are superb – wonder luminosity to them and the detail is excellent.
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This is a lovely set of images, Steve! I like these quite a lot. As Andrew said, the luminosity really sends these over the top…
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Thank you both, Andrew and Greg. I appreciate your looking and commenting. I think I am going to have to upload larger images. These are too small.
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Stunning set of images Stephen. Also great environmental photojournalism as well. We are very lucky.
On another note. Congratulations. I was looking at my new copy of Northern Woodlands today and admiring the cover. Looked for more info inside and saw that this was your image. Well done!
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Thanks James. I’m sure that spot is one you know well.
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Sometimes on our river here in Northeastern California a rain storm turns the water brown and it seems less photogenic, but you have proven that line of thought completely mistaken with your beautiful brown water images. I like the multicolored effects in the various water falls.
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Thanks David. Some of the coloration is from mud washed into the brook but much of the brown color comes from tannins in the water. While a nice silky white cascade is always lovely, a little added color is a nice change from the expected. Another product of the water’s action is foam and that is something I really don’t care for in my images, whether a large ball or small bubbles, although occasionally the bubbles do lend a nice little trail in the water as in the second image..
Thanks for taking a look and leaving a comment. It’s always appreciated.
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Really great set of images you got! Third one down is the pick of the bunch for me! Regards, Roberto.
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Thanks Roberto. The third is one of my favorites too….I like the green water a lot and am glad it appeals to you as well.
You have quite a nice collection of landscape shots on your site.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Beautiful work. You’ve really nailed this falls. I really like the DOF of number 2, but they are all fantastic. I love the ability to revisit the same place multiple times to take advantage of the changing conditions as well as an opportunity to learn from prior visits. Well done!
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Thanks Frank. I appreciate your kind comments. Thanks for taking a look.
I sometimes chastise myself for not visiting more places rather than the same so often, but they do change each time and, yes, it is very rewarding to see the variations.
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Thanks for the feedback on my blog, yes it is a great location. Yours is not bad aether 😉 The first and the third image are my favorite!
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Thank you Kristel. I too appreciate your feedback. This is one of those places I try to visit a few times each year.
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I would re-visit that place often if it was near me. Of course, we have our own here in IA.
Beautiful photos.
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Thanks, Jim. I visit at least once a tear. Most of the time the flow is a trickle but even then there are images. It makes some cool, literally, ice features in the winter. https://sggphoto.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/02-09-2013-wahconah-falls-cathedral/
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That was impressive. We did some winter hiking for the first time this year. One was in OH on our way back from WV in December. It was really new and beautiful.
We now have snowshoes. They are a lot of work.
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Snowshoes are tough until you get used to them. And they are a lot better and easier than trying to walk in 18″ of snow….especially with a camera backpack weighing you down. I’d also recommend Microspikes for walking on ice. http://kahtoola.com/product/microspikes/ They are not cheap, but they work.
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