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

Outfitter of the Week: Love's Canoes

Team Crash cannot always be self-sustaining; the Captain and his faithful sidekicks often rely on businesses and various outfitters to obtain gear, services, expertise, and even food. Once a week-- usually on Wednesdays-- Crash or another member of the team will give a shout-out to an outfitter of some sort who has helped us out in the past and deserves a little free advertising here. Help support them because if they're on here, you know they're top-notch!

Love's Canoes
I decided to throw out a little lovin' for Loves because they allowed me to use their canoe launch when I made my solo journey from Ridgway to Cook Forest. Love's is obviously located in Ridgway and its more or less the only canoe livery operating that far upstream on the Clarion River, which is actually the best part of the river for whitewater and camping. But they're no slouches; they have a decent fleet and are a fully functional livery that will shuttle your ass to make your trip easy. Add to that bike and ski rentals and a store with some hunting and fishing shit and you have yourself a pretty useful stop if you're adventuring around the Pa Wilds and Allegheny National Forest. Check 'em out at http://www.ncentral.com/~dlove/

Tally-ho!

-Crash

Adventure: Mertz Perch

The first adventure posted in the website's new "blog" format! w00t! The new version of the website makes it really easy for me to add new adventures with pictures etc so hopefully it will now be more commonplace once things get going. While we are still adapting the old shit over to the new format, I figured I'd go ahead and throw up something new. Nothing too over the top but pretty sweet if I do say so myself.

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

Outfitter of the Week: Clarion River Rambler

Team Crash cannot always be self-sustaining; the Captain and his faithful sidekicks often rely on businesses and various outfitters to obtain gear, services, expertise, and even food. Once a week-- usually on Wednesdays-- Crash or another member of the team will give a shout-out to an outfitter of some sort who has helped us out in the past and deserves a little free advertising here. Help support them because if they're on here, you know they're top-notch!

Clarion River Rambler

The Clarion River Rambler is an upstart company that shows some promise in the Pa Wilds region of the state. Operating on the Clarion River, the "Rambler" provides tours of the reservoir segment of this beautiful waterway aboard a trusty pontoon boat with a very friendly staff. They can accommodate up to 12 passengers at a time with low pricing making it a great choice for a group outing. No, it is not an outrageously adventurous activity but they can provide you with a terrific relaxing afternoon. They anxiously hosted me and the Outdoor Club from Clarion University and showed us a ton of hospitality, even allowing use of their dock area for a picnic. Highly recommended, so check out their website at www.clarionriverrambler.com

Tally-ho!
-Crash