Water Falls on West Branch of the Sacandaga River

Yesterday my husband and I joined the Schenectady ADK group for a hike to a waterfall on the West Branch of the Sacandaga River. We met at the Northville - Lake Placid trail head at Whitehouse. The herd path to the falls is just up the trail (northbound) and turns off the cross the Hamilton Lake Stream. Even tho the morning began with rain, 14 of us showed up for the hike. By the time we got to Hamilton Lake Stream, the rain had stopped and everyone peeled off thier rain gear. The rest of the day was warm and sunny. After the Stream, the trail followed the West Branch of the Scanadaga. From the trailhead to the end of the part of the river called the Big Eddy, the trail was level and easy hiking. A little poison ivy was spotted along the Big Eddy. Then we crossed Cold Brook, a little stream gone large and noisy from Saturday's 4+ inches of rain. After that, the trail was steep and rocky. The last quarter mile or so was very tricky and the descent from the side of the gorge to the river at the base of the falls was treacherous. The hike leader, Norm, had the bank give way under him and he fell 10 or so feet to the rocks in the river, just missing my husband. Seeing the difficulty they were having, a handfull of us decided to go down at another spot. Two men made it down OK but when it was my turn, the soil gave way under my feet and I slid down about 12 feet, stopping just above the river rocks. My hiking poles helped slow my slide but one pole didn't survive. I hope Gossamer Gear will let me replace it at reduced cost. Anyway, just as I landed, a woman following me and 10 feet away also had the dirt give way. She slid about 20 feet, coming up against a tree. Fortunately, none of us was hurt more than some scrapes and bruises. We all got down finally and 1/10 mile more were at the 1st falls. The clamber to the 2nd falls, 1/10 mile more was more than some of us wanted to do. About 1/2 the group went on to the 2nd falls. The rest of us picked a nice rock and ate our lunch and got to know each other. We spent about an hour at the falls. The hike back was a little easier as we followed the river over very slippery rocks past the point we descended earlier to a spot a little easier to climb. The hike back was uneventful and at the trail register, we turned off to follow the NPT about 300 yards to the old chimney and the suspension bridge over the West Branch of the Sacandaga River. Randy took a few pictures of the river from the bridge and of the chimney, all that remains of the girls school long gone. Total trip about 5.6 miles.