Eternal Flame Falls, USA

_{I enjoy taking my insatiable curiosity on an adventure from time to time. Adventures, big and tiny, are what color one’s life, lift one’s spirit, and breathe the light back into it! You too can be the wanderer wandering the wonders out there if you set your mind to it!}

One such adventure was visiting the Eternal Flame Falls in Chestnut Ridge Park, located in the USA. The weather window was not ideal, as it was late autumn and quite wet/cold, but luckily, the trail leading to the falls was not closed at the time. Before even heading out in these conditions, I made sure we had a clear plan and appropriate clothing. In hindsight, it probably was one of the riskier adventures I have done.

_{How so? Follow me on a muddy stroll through the forest, and let's find out!}

_{The trail leading to the falls is not long and not even that challenging by itself. It is well marked with bright markers or paint on the trees. Some spots are riddled with tree roots, so watching your step is a must! At the time, it had rained on and off for days, and thus the muddy stroll it was indeed! And a slippery one! However,that was not the most iffy portion of this adventure.}

_{The path winds through the forest to a spot where you need to traverse downward over the ladder of tree roots towards the Shale Creek at the bottom. In the muddy mess we were experiencing, this required a careful and slow descent. One must exercise caution and alertness here since every misstep can lead to a misfortune!}

_{Once we slowly made it down to the creek, it was apparent there was no clear path on either of the banks leading to the falls. As you can imagine, if you did not have waterproof footwear, you were toast here! Even if you managed to walk on one or the other bank, everything was soaked and muddy to the point where your boots got stuck in places. However, the creek is very shallow, and the creek bed is of solid stone. It was almost easier to walk in the creek itself than to try to navigate the banks. Still, very slippery though!}

_{There were fallen trees all over the creek. This area was not very well maintained at the time. The fallen trees and branches created yet another layer of difficulty and obstacles to navigate. It was here that I began to think about how safe it actually was for us to be there with potential mudslides and falling trees looming over us. So we perked up our ears and tuned our senses to be even more alert and aware of our unkept, more wild surroundings as we moved on.}

_{It was an especially uneasy feeling since we had not met anyone else on the trail up to this point either!}

_{Luckily, the messy obstacle course of a section of the trail was brief, and we were happy to see the first side waterfall! I say side waterfall, because it came down the bank on my right. It gave us the encouragement to keep going!}

_{That’s pretty neat! ^^}

_{But then we turned in the direction we were supposed to keep going and were greeted by this enormous pile of fallen trees and branches! Holy! Can we even get through there safely?}

_{We managed and, there, we caught the first glimpse of the Eternal Flame Falls! I burst out into laughter once I spotted the little flame peering at us like an amber eye of some ancient creature! I cannot explain it, but it immediately made me feel like it is alive!}

_{Almost there! A few more tree trunks in the way! We were being as careful as possible, getting past these while excited about what we could already perceive in the distance ahead of us. Especially, since there were some trunks hanging over our heads as well.}

_{With all the mess and worry behind us, we finally stood in complete awe at the Eternal Flame Falls! I have seen some cool places in my life, and I can say with full confidence that this instantly became one of my favorites of all time! This tiny yet mighty waterfall embodies the word whimsy! It is powerfully enchanting while not threatening at all. From the information available, I gather it stands only a little over nine meters or thirty feet tall.}

_{While the water cascading down the stone wall appears to do so with great force, in these photos, I am standing right at the basin of the falls, with water not even reaching over the soles of my hiking boots.}

_{It is absolutely striking! Straight out of fairytales!}

_{I wish to point out an aspect of witnessing the falls in the glory we were blessed with. Similarly, as I mentioned in my post about Watkins Glen, the water levels in the creek vary. Upon further research, I can confirm that during summer and times when there is less rain, the creek barely runs. Therefore, I would argue our timing to see this place was near perfection despite the other risks involved!}

_{Right! There is one thing we have not fully addressed yet! The flame! Fire and water are the two elements that are the opposites of each other. But here we are, we have both in the same spot! Is it not magical?! Oldenday folklore would have a field day with this place!}

_{There is a scientific explanation as to why this is possible, of course!}

_{Something something natural gas something something created by rocks something something seeping through small openings something something…I still prefer to believe we encountered an ancient waterfall spirit, and it gazed into our souls through the embers of our Earth!}

_{Is the flame truly burning eternally as the name of the falls suggests? Well. It can be snuffed by water or wind, or both. So if you visit and do not see the flame, you can reignite it if you carry matches or a torch with you and find the correct spot in the falls. The fuel for the flame might last a small eternity, though!}

_{We spent a good while by the falls to fully take it in and admire the power of nature and its creations. Only when we heard another group of cheerful hikers in the distance making their way over the obstacle course did we reluctantly steal our last glimpses of this place before turning back to where we came from, giving them the opportunity to have one-on-one with this peaceful giant.}

_{Goodbye, ancient! I hope to see you again someday!}

_{There are people who wonder, well, I have seen all there is to see, why would I need to leave the house now? It is like watching a review of a movie before watching the movie. To them I say, you have not experienced it! Your experiences are yours, and there lies the true value. All the senses, missing in these images I presented here, make up the true experience! I encourage you to get out there and feel, hear, smell, and taste the world like only you can!}

_{Since our visit, there have been some changes and improvements made to the trail that leads to the Eternal Flame Falls. Especially, for the part where you need to climb down one of the banks to reach the creek, so if you find yourself heading there, it might be slightly easier and much safer now. I hope you are not discouraged to see this place due to risks, because it is worth it!}