![[This Trip]](../back.gif){kind=small} |
|
|
Saturday, 10 Aug.
We all arose before 5am this morning and head for the Allegheny River. Rich met Ray at Emlenton take-out at 11:30 (Ray arrived at 11:15) and awaited Pat's arrival at 3:10. Rich & Ray bought lunch at an Emlenton restaurant and ate it at the takeout. Ray and Pat parked their vans and rode with Rich to Kinzua Dam put-in. Pat had dropped Jean, Terry & Clem there earlier. We launched just before 6:00 pm, 3 canoes, and started our 107 mile trip downstream. After a few hundred yards, just past the beginning of the first island, which had foot high grass everywhere, we camped on the opposite (right) shore. This river has so many switchbacks that compass directions can be confusing, I will be using right bank and left bank for descriptions (heading downstream). Terry made dinner: Uncle Ben's Black Bean & Rice Soup, Wegmans Vermont Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, Fresh Broccoli and Cheddarwurst. Clem did the dishes. Rich started the 'bear bag' routine and asked Clem to throw the line over the branch, he did it perfect in the first throw - the branch was 50 feet overhead (measured with the 100 ft rope holding the pulleys). He holds the undisputed record. We went to bed before 10pm, probably another record.
Day one - Sunday, 11 Aug.
Pancakes for breakfast, Ray & Jean cooking. On the water at 11:15 - talk about another record! Shortly we saw a rope hanging from a tree into the water - FUN TIME! A nice sloped, stepped rock to climb and swing from. Large oil refinery coming into Warren. Lunch at an island (not on maps) with a small lagoon and a rope swing. This one had a tree with wood rungs for launching from. We stopped at Hickory St. Bridge and shopped for beer and OJ. Continuing past the town and the biggest island a few miles to Leek Island before 6pm. Dinner by Pat: Beef Goulash with fresh carrots & string beans and LOTS of rice. Rich built a small fire and all to bed about 11pm.
Day two - Monday, 12 Aug.
Up after 7am. Oatmeal breakfast. On the water by 9:45. Lunch at noon. 3pm at Tidioute - rest and buy beer. A campsite at 4:15 a mile or so below Tidioute on an Island. Decided to put up a tarp, we started to and felt a high wind and heard thunder in the distance. Slight rain during dinner only. Jean made dinner: Quinoa, peppers, onions, sun dried tomatoes, kielbasa. Rich baked a cake - came out good. Rich and Clem got a campfire going.
Day Three - Tuesday, 13 Aug.
It must be pancakes. Keeping with tradition, we alternate breakfast every day. Eagle sightings today - quite a few! Saw one dive and catch a fish and then he sat in a low tree at the river's edge and let us watch him eat it. All but the head, which he dropped on shore. When he left he swooped right over our heads. Also seeing Ducks, Geese, Swan, Muskrat, Turtles, Heron and squirrels on this trip. Ray cooked dinner: New Orleans Rice with yellow and green squash, cabbage, green and hot peppers and the rest of Jean's kielbasa. Ray had stopped to buy fresh vegetables at a stop in town while we had lunch at a riverside picnic table and watched a carnival being set up. Camped on the right bank of Henry's Bend, a few miles up river of Oil City. Another cake tonight along with a campfire.
Day Four - Wednesday, 14 Aug.
Oatmeal with raisins. Camped in Franklin below the bridge on the left bank. A public area too use before starting hikes of a local trail (we didn't take). We walked across the bridge and about a mile through town to the business center for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Good exercise and good food. It started raining as we entered the restaurant and was light rain on the walk back to camp.
Day Five - Thursday, 15 Aug.
It was raining on and off all through the night. We took the bear bag down and raised the tarp for breakfast preparation - Pancakes. Rich and Clem had some of the left over Stromboli (cold) while waiting for the pancakes. Rain started again as we got on the water - but not for long. The sun finally came out for the rest of the day. We toured the beginning of the first (Kennerdell) abandoned railroad tunnel - very dark and cool just a little way in. We were hit with hot and humid as we exited the tunnel (came back out the end we entered). Campsite between 3 & 4 at Danners Rest - a string of campsites maintained by the forest service. These were on a steep rise (had a wooden 12 step stair case which we repaired) and had picnic tables, fire rings and common toilet building. This was on the right bank around the bend after the upstream end of the 1st RR tunnel. Clem & Jean did dinner: Spaghetti Pesto, (leftover Cheddarwurst), sun dried tomatoes, fresh broccoli and turkey lunch meat. Cake and campfire tonight also. A group of 13 teenage boys and a man & woman leader camped just down from us. They were on day nine of their trip, slower than us. This group is a year round program for delinquent kids, they live outdoors for over a year in the program. Interesting discussions with them, ask our liaison, Terry for details.
Day Six - Friday, 16 Aug.
Oatmeal with raisins. On the river before 10 am, the group was just a few minutes before us. Shortly we passed them. This happened several times because we stopped to explore the 2nd tunnel and furnace site (and lunch) then stopped to play in the strong current. The furnace had a 20 to 39 foot waterfall with a pool at the bottom. The local kids were enjoying jumping from the falls into the pool. The furnace site was almost a mile up a stream from the rivers edge (lunch spot). An interesting venture: walking up a very shallow stream, under a arch bridge with waist deep water, then out to a road before the next arch bridge (RR crossing) and checkout the 2nd tunnel, same as first. Asked a local at his yard for info on furnace then up a dirt road (that's UPHILL) along a nice ravine to the path leading DOWN to the waterfall pool and furnace site. Probably could have followed the stream, which bordered some private property. We played a little on a rope swing just up stream of Emlenton and passed the group for the last time, they continued on as we reached the takeout where Pat & Ray's vans were parked. We had searched for a suitable campsite before Emlenton but finding none we ended our trip around 5 pm. Ray was packed up to leave for home by 6 and the rest of us headed toward Kinzua Dam. We stopped for dinner at a Sportsman's Restaurant since there were no nearby campsites and we decided not to camp with the outlook for rain and late setup time, just head home. The restaurant had a great buffet with salad/dessert bar. A little rain while we ate. Rich was dropped off at his van in Kinzua lot at 9:30 and Pat, Jean, Terry & Clem headed for Ithaca as Rich bedded down in the van. Rich was awakened by a thunderstorm at midnight (had to close the angle windows) and again by State Troopers at 2 AM who were "just checking". It was the end of another great canoe trip!! Rich awoke before 8 AM, made use of the facilities (which were open 24 hours) and toured around the dam before leaving for Warren to have breakfast then on towards Pittsburgh. He made a business stop in Latrobe (just southeast of Pittsburgh) and headed home. Arriving home at 9 PM after spending 23 continuous hours in his van, another record.
We expect to have Scott with us next year when we continue on the Rideau Canal, Canada.
|
|
|
Copyright © 2002 Rich Curran
![[HOME]](../home.gif){kind=small}