I highly recommend piña coladas, and getting caught in the rain. But mostly getting caught in the rain. I enjoyed the last mile of today’s run during a torrential downpour on the Black Diamond Trail and upper North Rim. And I wouldn’t have had it any other way!
Post-run, post-rain
I started at the overlook and ran up the North Rim to the start of Black Diamond. It was overcast yet extremely humid. I half-hoped to get my workout in before the rain, and half-hoped I'd get soaked. On my return trip, lightning flashed in the distance and I knew I'd be in for some refreshing rain. A mile from the car, the lightning intensified and thunder rolled so hard I felt it in my chest. I hollered "yeah!" to nobody in particular, since the only companions I had today were a pair of wild turkeys and a few chipmunks traversing the Black Diamond.
The skies let loose as I started descending the rim trail. As I ran, the hard-packed dirt trail yielded to semi-flooded mud, yet still with sure footing. I hollered again as another intrepid runner passed me going the opposite direction on the rim trail. Wild turkeys, chipmunks and runners, indeed!
As I returned to my car, the sound of the retreating storm and the constant din of the falls called me to take a video. So I did. Here's a brief clip of Taughannock Falls after the thunderstorm quickly rolled through. Not a soul in sight, and rather magical to hear the rolls of thunder retreating eastward over Cayuga Lake.