Buttermilk falls proved to be a great hike, and worthy of it's billing as a top NJ trail. There were, of course, the falls themselves which pictures cannot do justice too, and we also enjoyed one of the few remaining northeast Hemlock groves, a majestic Blue Heron, and some lovely sections of the AT. Crater Lake was arguably better than the falls and was one of the most peaceful places in the area. Overall we logged about 7.8 miles, a little more length than predicted due to a few side trail excursions and *cough* a few misreads on trail direction; the elevation gain was 1770 feet - nice job everyone! The highlight though, was catching up with Hani who was late arriving for the start, but braved the trail by his lonesome for several hours until he ran into our main group in the Hemlock Pond area. He joined the rest of the excursion with us, great stuff. Also a special thanks to Mike who scouted ahead and located a few snakes for the group. Our route and s...
