Shawnee Hills Outdoors

The concept is simple enough. A resistant rock lip is the main ingredient followed by a layer of weaker rock below. Lastly add water and you have the basic components of a waterfall. Many would argue that the waterfall is more than the statement above and I would be one of them.

I have often thought of myself as a “waterfall chaser”. Why? It is because of there fleeting nature. Our waterfalls are only intermittent here in Southern Illinois. Their scarcity demands that one always be on the lookout. When they do flow it may only be for mere days or sometimes they can disappear in a few short hours. Our falls are not a patient bunch, but if we become patient ourselves our efforts will be worth the experience.

If one has only seen the main Ferne Clyffe waterfall in a single season they are only reading one chapter of its entire book. Spring can bring an abundance of  waterfalls, but soon gives way to  humid summers. Fall rainstorms bring a clash of color and movement. Winter, which is slowly becoming one of my favorite times to explore, requires patience and extreme cold to bring out the elusive icefalls. To experience Bork’s Fall freeze completely into two separate columns is a sight to behold.

As the spring rains come this year, I will once again be patient and continue to chase the falls.