Waterfall Season

Rob Perez wants to know, when isn’t it Waterfall Season on the North Shore? Staff photo by Rob Perez

It was yet another successful Waterfall Season. Wait, what the heck is Waterfall Season, some of you may ask? Well, let me tell you.

Sometime in late March or early April on the North Shore the snow starts to melt. Land is not so much terra firma but more terra sotto (thus bringing me to the beginning and end of my Latin). This time of year was once lovingly referred to as Spring. “Spring has sprung!” They would say. And it literally did spring. Right into the dirt that became mud.

Then someone cleverly dubbed it Mud Season. Fair enough. The months were indeed wet and muddy. Soon after, the hospitality business jumped onboard with terms like “Shoulder Season,” to highlight the lull between the winter ski season and the summer rush.

But no one likes a lull. And when Instagram was born a decade ago, we started rebranding everything. Your slightly out-of-shape husband now had a “Dad Bod.” Middle class women everywhere became “Karens.” Someone didn’t just send you a message, they “Slipped into your DMs.”

And that’s how, I suppose (I have no evidence to support this), Mud Season, also known as the Shoulder Season evolved into Waterfall Season. The one problem I have with this is: IT’S ALWAYS WATERFALL SEASON?! These aren’t rainbows or nocturnal orchids or leap years. They’re waterfalls for crying out loud. They’re always there. Sure, we can argue when waterfalls are at their best.

Is it the height of summer, framed by vibrant green? Or perhaps with the backdrop of the fall foliage? Or is it winter, the falls frozen mid-descent, perfectly still, mostly quiet, a snapshot in real life? Or is it in the Spring, when the absent leaves allow for unfettered views, the melting snow pushing the water to the limit?

I’m not here to pick a side. I like them all. I just want to acknowledge this “Waterfall Season!” sleight of hand and admit what we’re truly asking of people: lift you gaze from the brown, sticky mud underfoot to the glorious, powerful, kinetic, selfie in-waiting waterfall! And perhaps, henceforth, we can call it Waterfall Season! with a twinkle in our eye, aware of the small contrivance.

Don’t miss this fleeting season next year. Download and save the North Shore Waterfall Guide at visitcookcounty.com.