Feb 12, 2010

Snow and Cold Weather Boycott

Fuck snow.

I'm so sick of the White Hell that's been created by Snowmageddon that I'm officially boycotting anything that has to do with snow or cold weather*. Until I lift my boycott, I will post only adventures that occur in warm weather or climates because it helps me pretend that winter is not dominating my soul (though it is.) So sit back and enjoy the next few adventures that are sunny and warm and  maybe it will distract us all.
The WJ offroading on "The Hook" of Assateague Island, Spring 2008
Tall-ho!
-Crash



*Except hockey...  Nothing can trump hockey...

Feb 11, 2010

Twitter, bitches!

Trying to further improve on the Adventures of Captain Crash I've decided to link the blog in with a Twitter account. If you don't know about Twitter... well then you suck. But if you do then you know how well it works to keep everyone and everything connected. So follow Crash and you will be able to see my Tweets to announce website updates and plans, as well as other adventure related commentary. Not to mention I will be Tweeting on the go so you can see real-time updates from my travels n'at. Oh, and Tweeting at our account is always a great way to see the opinions of the fans! Get there!

So find us on Twitter under the account CaptainCrash95 and be sure to say hello!
Follow CaptainCrash95 on Twitter 
I'm also tossing around the idea of creating a Page on Facebook as well. Let me know what you think either by commenting on this post or by sending a Tweet my way!

Tally-ho!
-Crash

Feb 10, 2010

Adventure: Clarion River, Toby Cove to Piney Dam

I'm boycotting winter. Fuck snow. So I'm going with a warm weather post today.

Working for various canoe outfitters in the Pa Wilds afforded me a lot of solo time on the Clarion River. Not to mention it was a stone throw from my apartment at my alma mater. So bit by bit, I paddled the stretches of the 100 mile waterway, which has been designated a National Wild and Scenic River. While most paddlers hit the banks in Cook Forest, boaters prefer a swath of reservoir waters upstream of the Piney Dam. But in the final 4 miles of the river as it heads toward the dam, the river, which is in a slender lake form, becomes isolated. There are no access points, not even a portage from Toby Cove on. This allowed me a chance for flatwater paddling without any real boat traffic to worry about. Get there.

Click Read More to see a picture by picture recap of the solo paddle after the jump!

 

Feb 8, 2010

I survived!

Snowmaggedon has hit Pittsburgh and I lacked power for days! In 2 feet of snow I spent more time than I care to admit navigating nearly impassable city and suburban roads on snowshoes and in the Jeep.
Craziest adventure ever and it was right here at home of all places.

I'm still regrouping. Hope to be posting a real post tomorrow.

If you're from one of the areas that got hit by these monster storms and have any cool pictures of your adventures from it send them to CaptainCrash95@gmail.com and I'll make a special post later this week!



Tally-ho!
-Crash

Feb 4, 2010

Logos and Fans!

CitySlicker of Pgh Offroad made these sweet logos for the website quite some time ago and I totally forgot to post them. They're pretty damn cool and very much appreciated so I'm posting them here. Thanks a ton!



It's always nice to have a little fan appreciation! If you're a fan, let it be known! Feel free to comment on any of the blog posts or email me at CaptainCrash95@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CaptainCrash95

Thanks to All!
-Crash

Feb 3, 2010

Adventure: Rochester Subway

Sparky had business up in Rochester NY back in the summer and with free time up there to kill, he asked me to join and maybe stumble into an urban adventure or two. Mind you, I really like Rochester;  there's some really cool old-school architecture in an urban area atop a pretty big waterfall. So I was in. This time, Sparky led the charge and I was just the sidekick along for the ride. And what a ride as Sparky came across a pretty sweet find.

http://www.vintageviews.org/vv-tl/maps/maps/Subway%20Map.JPGRochester is a city typical of those in the Great Lakes Region: after decades of sprawling manufacturing dominance, its been devastated and practically abandoned after economic collapse.That means the city has to scale back in those tough times. In the case of Rochester, their subway transit was scrapped when there wasn't even a high enough population to justify it any more. And though the cars and rails are long since gone, the tunnels are still very much in place... if you know where to look.

And so it set. Urban caverns that traversed the entire underside of a city was the destination. With a little luck in navigation and stealthiness, we would be walking the tunnels of a subway system left to die decades ago, that actually passed through some of the original traces of the Erie Canal. History, adventure, and a little riskiness too... how hard could it be? Find out after the jump!
Crowds board commuter trains at City Hall station during WWII (circa 1944)

Jan 30, 2010

Adventure: Picnic Point



Picnic Point aerial viewAh, 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.

Edward Young farmDubbed 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. 

Plat map of Picnic PointToday, 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.

Jan 28, 2010

Adventure: Presque Isle

The endless expanse of Lake Erie can make one quickly forget that it's not really the ocean. Erie is so much like a seaside port in an otherwise landlocked Pennsylvania that it has become something of a destination for weekend warriors. Of particular intrigue: the soft sands of Presque Isle. As an early nation, the American militias including General Mad Anthony used the coves as a staging ground for naval battles. Before that, French explorers dubbed it with its current moniker, which translated from French means "Almost an Island" (completely appropriate as a slender sand bar keeps this lengthy peninsula anchored to the mainland.) Even earlier than that, and Native American legend explains its very existence.

http://www.virginiaplaces.org/classschedule/graphics/7canoe.gifAccording to the old tales of the Erie tribe, for generations the people of the Erie nation lived along the fertile banks peacefully, never journeying into its waters. They were protected by their savior, the Great Spirit. But one fateful evening the most adventurous men in the tribe took to lake in wooden canoes to find the place where the Sun sunk into the lake at sunset. The lake spirits were angered by their arrogance and set forth a great storm to dump them into turbulent waters, but the Great Spirit was still watching over his chosen people, throwing his massive arm into the water from the shore to shelter the wayward paddlers. When he lifted his arm from the waves, a great sand bar remained in the shape of his appendage, forever sheltering his fledglings of the Erie tribe. Even today, maps and aerial images show the eerie shape of the peninsula of lore.

Today, Presque Isle is an incredibly popular tourist destination as an inland beach. Its overwhelming usage (and my own dislike of beaches) had prevented me from visiting since I was young, but when my old pal Ber-Ber asked me to join her there for camping I couldn't let her down. We were joined by our friends Buddy and Jas for a few days of shorefront camping and casual hiking. This isn't really adventurous, but I like the old legend and everything is just so photogenic.

See just how nice the pictures look after the jump!

Jan 27, 2010

Adventure: Bogus Rocks

http://www.valuable-coin-stories.com/images/old-paper-money.jpgAnyone who has spent extensive time exploring the wilderness of Pennsylvania has come across the occasional rock outcropping that secretly dot the landscape. When you explore them enough, every grouping of these blocks of sandstone begins to seem as ordinary as the last. Yet occasionally, one of them retains some sort of old legend or story to give it a little bit of character. An outcropping near Knox in the Pa Wilds just off an abandoned railroad would be nothing truly special if it weren't for a tale of gunfighters, outlaws, and one unlucky traveling salesman. Shortly after the Civil War, Levi Epstein was bringing his wares to a strange Ohio family camped out in the crevices of the large rocks back in the forest. Levi thought i awfully suspicious to be making a delivery to such a remote location and to be paid in such a large amount of fresh cash from a family that seemed so poor they were using the natural overhangs for shelters... or were they hide-outs? Before Mr. Epstein could make his return journey, government agents surrounded the stone fortress. The haggard old woman that was in charge of the group, known to everyone as simply "Maw," ordered her boys to take up arms. The entire family bunkered down in the outcrop and a huge battle of rifles ensued until the men sent in by the Department of Revenue prevailed. As they raided the possessions of Maw's gang they began to confiscate overwhelming amounts of counterfeit money and the plates and presses they had been using to print it amongst the mossy cliffs. Levi had narrowly survived by hiding between the cracks of the boulders, returning to civilization to propagate his crazy tale. The outcrop appropriately gained the moniker "Bogus Rocks" and some still claim that some of the bogus bucks and printing plates are still there, carefully hidden by Maw.


After hearing this story, I obviously just had to check it out. But I could never pinpoint the location. Turns out, a friend from Clarion had passed right through it while interning with the Forest Service, though she was unaware of its historical significance. So we combined our knowledge and sought out Bogus Rocks, and I spent a fine afternoon with my friends Joe and Danielle hiking to the rocks that hid so many criminals.

Pictures and description of our journey is right after the jump!

Jan 26, 2010

Adventure: Doe Run

There are thousands of small streams gushing through the steep hollows of the Pa Wilds, yet true waterfalls are still uncommon. Doe Run, just north of Clarion before it flows into the Clarion River Lake, is no exception. It is in every way standard; no unique water features, no geological abnormalities, no unique history, nothing. It's something that would never make the cut for this website, yet I'm making an exception. When I decided to hike through it in late December, there was just something about the setting that just seemed so picturesque that I had to snap a few shots and post them here. That's the only reasoning for these pictures being here. Enjoy, or not. I don't care.

Gotta love having the Jeep around when the snow makes the backroads shitty. Now to head out on foot, just meandering along Doe Run...

 
Finally after descending down the steeper and steeper banks and slopes I came out to a beautifully frozen Clarion River... breathtaking view...



Tally-ho!
-Crash

Fleet: Potomac 100 ES

After borrowing an Old Town Otter from Kovachu practically every week in Clarion over the summer, I decided it might be time to invest in a kayak. But I didn't have to. I found a brand new red one in my garage one day as an early graduation gift. Thanks to Mama and Papa Crash. It isn't my ideal kayak but dammit its free.

Make: Potomac
Model: 100 ES
Name: To be determined...

Here's how she looked as I brought her up to my old apartment...




And of course ol' Crash just had to customize his toy a bit...

 

Dec 16, 2009

Patience, my friends!

orry for the disappearing act everyone. The combination of a quickly dieing computer and graduating college has this blog looking as dismal as the Steelers O-Line. Sue me. I'll be moving back to Pittsburgh over the holidays... give me some time and we will all be rocking again!

All we need is just a little patience... (cue whistling)


Tally-ho!
-Captain Crash, [almost] Bachelor of Science

Welcome!

This blog focuses on the travels of Captain Crash, a Pittsburgh native and outdoor guide with a knack for adventure. With a few sidekicks and two great Jeeps, Crash finds incredibly unique and scenic areas throughout Western Pa, WV, NY, OH, MD, and beyond. The adventures are typically off the beaten path to places almost completely unheard of today and often involve camping, offroading, ATVing, paddling, biking, hiking, backpacking, climbing, urban exploring, rappelling, cliff jumping, ghost hunting, urban legends and more.
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