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: Picnic Point

Ah, snowy Wisconsin. A flat state full of badgers and cheese. But it was somehow so alluring to explore as I was making my way through its frozen plains on my way to Minnesota's Twin Cities. As plans were set to spend a night in the capitol city of Madison, I immediately investigated what sort of short adventures I squeeze into the afternoon. All sources pointed the same way: Picnic Point.

Dubbed one of the 10 best places to kiss in the world, this small nature preserve hiding in an urban area is managed by the University of Wisconsin. The shape is incredible as the wooded strip of land extends out into the massive Lake Mendota, looking like the campus's own wang on display to the rest of the city on the adjacent shore. Indians originally held the site sacred, creating mounds that are typical of the natives of that region. Later, settlers used the fertile soils of the peninsula for farming. 

Today, the trails and forest make a popular summertime picnic destination to enjoy views of the old glacial waters and the skyline of Madison across University Bay. Of course, I instead led Bilo, Mary and Liz across the slender shorelines in the dead of winter in horribly freezing cold temperatures and a shit-ton of snow.

You know the drill, click Read More to see the pictures n'at after the jump.

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