Winter at Texas Falls in Hancock Vermont

Tags

Addison County Vermont, Hancock Vermont, New England Waterfalls, Texas Falls, Vermont Waterfalls, Waterfalls In Vermont, Winrer in New England, Winter in Vermont

As Seen From Above

My brother Jon is home for the holidays and that means adventure. The question is not, will there be one or more, but what form will it/they take?

                                          Winter Does Have Teeth!

Texas Falls, a waterfall in Vermont that Jon visited many years before with my mother and grandmother, was our destination. Texas Falls is in Hancock Vermont, Addison County, a two plus hour drive northwest from home base in New Hampshire. It is maintained by the National Forest Service. The falls sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Irene but is once again open and awesome.

                                             Looking Into the Abyss

We waited for a day with fresh snow as we’d hoped for a bit of a pretty hike but our priority was to capture some interesting winter water photos.

The Stone Fence Posts were an Interesting Contrast in Snow and Lichen

Temperatures hovered in the 30s all day but fortunately the wind did not torment us or blow the soft new snow off the trees. Our ride over was very scenic and a bit adrenaline-raising on certain Vermont ice-covered back roads in the mountains. We passed a lot of small hill farms straight out of Currier and Ives, old New England homes with multiple barns, snuggled up in blankets of fresh snow.

                                        It was a Very Scenic Drive

The sky was a glorious blue with changing clouds. The air was clear and the sun traveled in and out. Nice. This all worked to reinforce my motto about the journey being as important as the destination.

               An Old Hay Barn Beside One of the Back Roads We Traveled

We traversed from small sleepy village to small sleepy village, connected by stretches of rural roads.  Finally we reached Hancock where the road to Texas Falls was well-marked. We were fortunate that the parking space was plowed out and we were the first ones there so no footprints marred the pristine snow at the waterfalls and surrounding area.

                                           The Gap Below the Falls

The snow was just enough to delineate the shapes and textures in abundance at the falls. There wasn’t too much snow to hide the beauty below. The contrast made everything there more interesting.

                         Looking Down, Down, Down, Into the Icy Water

That snow also covered a lot of thick ice that coated the stone steps and ground all around the falls. Jon got pretty close to take some of his technical photographs. I played it a bit more cautious when taking mine, happy with the bigger aspect and not needing to actually feel the spray of the falls on my face to enjoy the experience. I did not want to become a casualty at this beautiful natural site.

                        Jon Crossing the Foot Bridge Above the Chasm

We spent about an hour there capturing many angles and perspectives. Since every step was a potential hazard on the snow-coated ice, we did well to complete our mission without a major incident of that sort. Our trip home included a stop at an interesting old hotel in Hancock, now a country store, café and used book shop where we had lunch and perused some fun books.

                                    Life Prevails in the Grip of Winter

Another adventure with great memories and some photos too!

                                     Crazy Frozen Us at Texas Falls

Happy Winter !