Adventure: Turkey Run Falls

Rainy days. For many, they're the epitome of a lazy day, an excuse to stay inside. Those that know me well may expect that to be true for me since I loathe getting wet-- water is like my Kryptonite. But au contraire mon ami: lots of rain means that rivers and streams pick up. And if I don't pick up a paddle, I run out to some waterfalls.

To wit: Turkey Run Falls. After one initial attempt to locate this plunge near the Lower Clarion River on the outskirts of the Pa Wilds, I decided to save it for a rainy day... quite literally. The normal shallow depths of the stream didn't lend itself to picturesque water features (see the really dry creek bed in the summer to the right.) Glad I did. Several hours of a downpour allowed this riffle to swell into a some fine scenery.

Surprisingly, I even managed to coax Lavaricky, Soco, and Nelly all to don their rain coats and slosh along with me. Starting at the bridge over Turkey Run, Nelly and myself made our way down the Eastern bank while the ladies rebelled against us on the opposing side. Neither took pictures so all I have is my view. It's not much but a nice showing for a spontaneous trip on a rainy day.

So the lesson is: don't shy away from a rainy day! Instead, just use it as your advantage... an adventurer can benefit from the rain for some wicked paddling, deeper swimming holes, and-- obviously-- better looking waterfalls. Turkey Run Falls isn't much... but it's even less if the water drops to its normal levels. Good adventure to me!

Tally-ho!
-Captain Crash

Adventure: Whittimore Hill

If you're adventuring into good ol' Cameron County or Potter County, you don't have a lot of options for resupplying yourself. The heart of the Pa Wilds is pretty desolate, with entire lumber towns deserted and long stretches of nothingness. So when Lavaricky and I spent a few days exploring what the locals call God's Country with Soco at her cabin, we were forced to make use of one of the only actual town's around, Emporium, mostly because we wanted somewhere to catch the Pens game.

But without much outside of the town itself, there were even some adventures to be had nearby. Proof of this: Whittimore Hill. Just up the plateau from this quaint village was a great view that brought the whole settlement into view, along with the surrounding valleys and forests. It was a quick stop at a snowy overlook, a perfect pit stop in my books.

Stunning view of a really friendly town... maybe too friendly as we learned at a nearby restaurant. But the pizza was good and we did talk them into putting the hockey game on TV. Great way to end an adventure within an adventure.

Tally-ho!
-Crash

Adventure: Mary's Rock

Not only am I going out of my jurisdiction here, this is probably the largest assembly of Team Crash that will ever appear here!

Not too far from the metro area of Washington DC are the famous Shenandoah Mountains. Protected by a National Park, this scenic ridge offers some of the East Coast's best vistas; from simple pull-offs on paved roads to long distance boot-killers like Old Rag Mountain. On more of a middle-of-the-road kind of journey is the hike to Mary's Rock, a mountain peak with a stone precipice offering great views of the beautiful valleys below. The hike has a lot of elevation gain over two miles, so its no particularly long but it is a bit strenuous. But any challenge is worth it for those lofty views.

The medium challenge, high reward combination of Mary's Rock lured me in while I was spending my spring break in Virginia. After a weekend of Penguins hockey in the Capitol with Bilo, Monty, and Scooter, the boys dropped me off in Front Royal where I rendezvoused with a massive contingent of the ROC (Recreational Outdoor Club) from Clarion University. It was a well-choreographed-- albeit somewhat complicated-- plan, allowing me to meet up with long time Team Crash sidekicks like Ox, Mary, and Ber-Ber, who even brought my Jeep, Roxie, with them. Hell, even Sandy the Dog was there. They were counting on me to guide them to a hike or two, so after converging on their camp and many long rounds of Uno around the campfire, I obliged.

And with that, we were off to Mary's Rock!

After the jump, many pictures of the platoon I guided up the mountain, my buggered up eyeball, and, of course, fantastic mountain-top views from Mary's Rock...

Adventure: Overholt Distillery

It's my own personal Whiskey Rebellion, appropriately right here in Southwestern Pa.

I know what you're thinking. If Captain Crash went to a distillery it must have been to get drunk. Wrong! Its time for a little urban ex.... well not really 'urban' since it's in the middle of nowhere... so we'll just call it abandonment exploration.... or guerrilla tourism... whatever, just read on for a sweet adventure!

If you're coming down the Bottom Yough by canoe or kayak or the Great Allegheny Passage by bike or on foot, you may have seen the large old structures rising, very much out of character, above the tree tops on the northern banks of the Youghiogheny River. And if you don't just pass on by like most do, you'd get to see the historic site of the A. Overholt & Co. Distillery.

It was here that the rather famous Old Overholt Whiskey was made. The extensive facility built in the 1850's covered several acres in the small town of Broad Ford, not far from Connellsville. Despite the age of the facility, it operated for multiple generations and even more surprisingly most of the structures still remain. Obviously the disrepair is overwhelming-- roofs fallen off, holes in floors, smashed out windows, entire stairwells collapsed-- but that just makes exploring all the more fun. You can even still see the remains of a swinging cable bridge that crossed the Yough for workers to have quick access from the village of Adelaide.

Sparky, Gunz, and myself made a wintry trip to the old Overholt Distillery, accessing the facility on snow covered trails via Sparky's Jeep. The multiple buildings left us with several hours of exploration, climbing onto the roof tops and ducking down into tunnels below.

After the jump, a crap load of sweet pictures from Team Crash's trip into the Overholt Distillery. Grab a drink and click "Read More" 

Adventure: Tytoona Cave

Most valleys in Pennsylvania have names. Many bear the namesakes of early settlers; others just seem arbitrary altogether. But the Sinking Valley in the Central Mountains of the state might be the most appropriately named of them all. This rural stretch between Altoona and Tyrone quietly sits just like any other, but below the forests, meadows and streams is an intricate network of underground passages. So much so that one just might think the valley will soon sink into the earth. Sinkholes, springs, and even arches abound, but best of all, the valley presents an adventurer with a collection of caves for some spelunking.

Of all of these subterranean wonders, Tytoona Cave is the crown jewel of the Sinking Valley. The name is combination of the two closest towns, Altoona and Tyrone, and once actually offered tours of its flooded passages. Today it remains open to experienced cavers in a nature preserve, with some of the 'trail' from its commercialized days still remaining in the interior to keep feet dry.

When Lavaricky and Scooby finally coaxed me into coming to camp at their beloved hometown park at Prince Gallitzin, I knew that a caving trip into the Sinking Valley was a must do. And it was too tough to convince those two girls to follow me into the depths of Tytoona Cave.

After the Jump, pics from our trip into the cave plus a stop at the Arch Spring. Click Read More!!

Adventure: Prayer Rock

Reposted from the Archives...

Crash's Introduction:

"Ohhh-oh! We're halfway there, ohh-OH! Livin' on a prayer. Ok, I couldn't resist the obvious Jovi reference. This one is short and sweet though so there will be little opportunity for lyrical quotation. I was on my way to Carlisle after camping near State College for the night to meet up with Spess. Actually, I was on my way to Thousand Steps while on my way to Carlisle using a map of overlooks in Central Pa as a guide when I relaized I would just a few miles from Prayer Rock. I had never heard of it before, but it appeared to be right along a road that passed over the mighty Jacks Mountain in the Appalacians. So why not one more stop on the chain? I traversed away from the beautiful farmland to head right up the mountain to see the view from a narrow ridge. We'll make it, I swear."

Please 'Read More' to see the pictures and commentary after the Jump.

2011

Let you good folks down. Busy finals lead into busy holidays which lead into lots and lots of Pittsburgh hockey. Let's all just blame Kirby just cuz. Gonna get this year for the blog back on track. Expect some adventures added ASAP. For realzies this time.

Also, go Pens.