The Tiyulim Times
How exciting is it to finally update on the first adventure of Tiyulim? Extremely exciting! The first Tiyulim outdoor-trip started on Thursday morning, July 5th after breakfast, where M1, M2, and M3 bunks met with their counselors at the Tiyulim Gear Shed (also known as the "T-spot") to board the bus to Taughannock State Park.
Once we arrived at the park, we hopped on the North Rim Trail (1.5 mi), which explores the perimeter of the falls. We stopped at several scenic overlooks with Cayuga Lake in view. Jordan Gross, one of the five leaders of the Tiyulim program, explained the context of the watershed of the fingers lakes and the origin of the falls. We continued our journey around the top portion of the falls, a whopping 425 ft above sea level, to the South Rim Trail (1.13 mi). Campers were able to enjoy the beautiful overlook of the falls as well as the natural beauty of the Ithaca region. Campers were able to learn a lot about the environment from Stephanie Donato, another Tiyulim leader.
After stopping for a short break under a sugar-maple tree, we hiked into the gorge of Taughannock Falls following the Gorge Trail (1.5 mi). Everyone, including myself, indulged in the refreshing feel of the water flowing across the Limestone beds as we traveled through the gorge. We ended the hike at the campsite where each bunk set up their own tents and learned how to create a shelter from just a tarp and some parachord (rope). Once camp was set up, each camper was split into three different crews: Cook Crew, Fire/Journal Crew, and Clean Crew. Meals were prepared and served by the campers. The Clean Crew learned how to use nature to wash and sanitize dishes by "duffing" each bowl. Some of you might be wondering what "duffing" is. Well, it is simply using nature, such as dirt and dry leaves to remove food particles from the dish. Yes, it actually works! After eating a scrumptious meal, everyone gathered around the fire with s'mores in hand, and shared a "high" and "low" of the day. Journal crew recorded their thoughts of the day along with a summary of what they learned.
These are some of Etan's wise words (M3) that he came up with while in the Journal Crew.
"We learned many intriguing things about the environment around us. Like a tree called Black Birch. It is great for firewood even after being soaked in water. We were also shown how the cliffs are made primarily of a rock called shale, which crumbles under your fingers tips." - Etan Ginsberg
Tiyulim Specialist
