Waterfalls and Hikes and Gorges Oh My

Waterfalls and Hikes and Gorges Oh My

Buttermilk Falls, Ithaca, NY


                                               
                                                 Pinnacle Rock in Buttermilk Falls



When I was in college at SUNY Cortland in Central Upstate New York, I used to go to a town called Ithaca, NY almost every weekend I had available. Ithaca is known for their beautiful waterfalls and gorges. You can hike on trails right next to these waterfalls and gorges. My friends and I would hike these trails and be amazed by how beautiful nature is. My favorite waterfall to hike is called Buttermilk Falls. It has clear, sparkling water cascading down layers of rock composed of shale and limestone. There is one point on the trail where hikers can see a rock structure called the Pinnacle Rock. This rock structure had been eroded and shaped by the running water and weather over thousands of years.

Vocabulary:

1. Waterfall (noun): water falling from a steep height that usually starts at a river

2. Gorge (noun): a narrow opening in layers of rock where a stream of water will flow through

3. Nature (noun): elements on Earth that live or exist outside like trees and rocks 

4. Cascading (verb): to fall down a steep cliff 

                                                   

5. Composed (verb) : to make up or form something

6. Shale (noun): a type of rock made of layers of hard clay

                                                      

7. Limestone (noun): a rock made of calcium and skeletons of marin coral 

                                                     

8. Structure (noun): something that is built 

9. Eroded (verb): to destroy something slowly 

Vocabulary Exercise:

Grammar Point: 

If there is more than one of an object, an -s is added to the end of the object's name. For example, if I have more than one book, I would say I have some books to return to the library. An -s was added to the ending of book to show I have more than one book. 

In this blog, an - s was added to the end of waterfall to show there is more than one waterfall in Ithaca. 

Grammar Activity: 

Use plurals to write 7 sentences about the area you live in. Talk about objects where there is more than one object in the area you live. Underline the words where you added an -s.  

For example, there one many trees outside of house with many leaves.