by Cameron Graves
Staff Reporter
How well do you know the natural wonders in your back-yard? In the same vein as guide books for hikers and outdoors-people, New England Cartographics of North Amherst has published a book of interest to West County locals. The book, Waterfalls of Massachusetts, An Explorers Guide to 55 Natural Scenic Wonders, gives the location of and trail notes for five local waterfalls, among others throughout the state.
Three Rivers resident Joseph Bushee Jr. describes and provides photographs of each of the waterfalls explored in the 168-page book. The main text includes road directions and trail notes. Valerie Vaughan of New England Cartographics did the editing, typesetting and layout, and wrote additional text pertaining to waterfalls.
“I’m not an expert [on waterfalls],” explained Ms. Vaughan. “I just did some research, because we [at New England Cartographics] thought it would enhance the book.” The added text covers the geology, history and mythology of waterfalls, as well as the lyrics of the 1910 song, “Down By The Old Mill Stream,” by Tell Taylor.
Mr. Bushee described what prompted him to write the book. “I started hiking some years ago,” he said, “[and] found you could buy travel books. Around the same time, I developed an interest in photography, and I took a camera with me on my hikes.” Mr. Bushee noted that he saw a lot of waterfalls on his hikes, and took pictures of each of them.
According to Mr. Bushee, his original plan was to submit the manuscript to back Country Publications, a division of the Vermont-based Countryman Press which produces a series of 50 Hikes In… guide books. As originally conceived, Mr. Bushee’s book would have had maps and trail notes of fifty waterfalls located in central and western Massachusetts only, but for the final version, he said, “I got a few [from eastern Massachusetts]. Those were long trips. You need high elevations [for waterfalls], and the Berkshires have it.”
Mr. Bushee pointed out that the idea for a waterfall guide book came to him four or five years ago, but “I believed I didn’t have the writing skills.” In the meantime, he set up the first of his waterfall websites, which evolved into the current site, massfalls.com. Mr. Bushee credits Stan Freeman of The Sunday Republican, who wrote an article about his website last summer, for encouraging him to move forward to have his waterfalls guide published.
Last September Mr. Bushee met the publisher of New England Cartographics, Chris Ryan, who showed interest in the book. Mr. Bushee recalled that after months of back-and-forth emails to refine site location directions and other details in the book, Waterfalls of Massachusetts was finally sent to the printers in April. The book is available at Boswell’s Books in Shelburne, or can be orderes by phone, fax, email or mail through New England Cartographics.
“I’m getting a lot of positive feedback from website visitors and book readers,” said Mr. Bushee. While the book was coming to fruition, Mr. Bushee noted that he kept adding waterfall pictures to his website. By the time the book came out, he had pictures of seventy-five Massachusetts waterfalls, leading to the possibility of a second edition of his book.
“It’s something that I talked [about] with the publisher,” said Mr. Bushee, “but we haven’t made any firm decision yet.” Mr. Bushee also mentioned that getting rich from the book was never a motive of his to write the book.
“I’m just trying to make something back to cover expenses, and really, it’s just cool to see my name on the cover of a book,” explained Mr. Bushee.