Mertz Perch
Some times I just need to get away for a night and do a little solo camping, and I had been keeping Mertz Perch in the back of my mind for just such an occasion. The day finally came just as the leaves started to turn colors in the fall. The Perch is actually an old slag mine high above the Allegheny River slowly recovered by the forests of the towering banks between Emlenton and Foxburg. What remains are unmatched vistas of the river in both directions and just enough space for a small tent or two if you don't mind sleeping a few feet from a 100 foot drop.
I arrived at the cliff top and was greeted with clear views of the river, the fall leaves, the town of Emlenton, and some small camps below. I spent quite awhile enjoying the view with Monty, who joined me for part of the trip just for the promise of a great photo op.
I tried to scout out the cliffs for the possibility of setting some ropes for rappels or rock climbs but the rock was way too loose... the strip mining left everything completely unstable when they just stopped years and years before.
With the autumn sun waning in the sky I finally set up my small one-man camp. Pretty cozy aside from the inches from a death-drop thing. But alas, what a view from the tent, eh?
Ah, what a campsite. The lack of rock climbing and rappelling was a bit of a disappointment but oh fucking well.... I was supposed to be there to relax anyway. As incredible as this view is-- honestly it may be the best of the Allegheny River-- it's incredibly obscure. But that's just the way I like it.
Tally-ho!
-Crash
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