We had a planning meeting and meet-and-greet prior to the trip, which was a huge help in getting comfortable with the group, setting expectations, and determining what and how much to pack. Even in this brief session, I learned a great deal and felt very good about our group.

Ben DeRubertis and John Lowstetter, our group leaders, also conducted a canoe refresher on Hinckley Lake prior to the trip. This session focused on entering/exiting the canoe, paddling technique, packing suggestions, and included more planning.

Friday 10/4 finally came and we headed out to Buckaloons Recreation Area, not far from Warren, PA. The caravan ride out seemed quick and was uneventful, and we arrived after 6PM. Of course, the remains of a hurricane were forecasted to blow through the area, and after a dinner of Randy's "After eating this, Castaneda gave up peyote" Chili and Mike's hamburger buffet, we did get high winds and rain. Fortunately it wasn't that bad, especially when one doses up on Tylenol PM (only per John's suggestion lol!).

We trimmed the canoes Saturday morning under overcast skies. The day started out with some sprinkles, gray skies, and light winds as we made our way down the Allegheny.

(Click on any picture to view the full-size image!)

L-R: The canoe Pat and I shared; the group getting ready to pack the canoes; Wendlyn getting situated.

This stretch of the Allegheny offers a nice mix of undeveloped forested hills rolling down to the river, houses of all scale, and what I affectionately refer to as Upper Appalachia. Over the course of our trip, we must have encountered 20 islands in the river as well. With Liz's expert guidance, we also spotted numerous eagles, hawks, osprey, and on Sunday we drifted past a Great Blue Heron who seemed to be hunting on the shore of an island.

L-R: Typical of the many islands we encountered; the group enjoys lunch on the shore of an island; typical scenery for the trip; Mike paddling solo.

The weather steadily improved Saturday and offered us a warm sun as we set up camp and prepared for dinner on one of the islands. Saturday's 12+ mile journey was very smooth and required almost no canoe-hiking (for most of us, anyway). The river was calm and water level varied from 8" to maybe 4-5', so we made great progress in a relatively short period. For me, the length and time worked out perfectly - no rushes, now worries, yet plenty of progress.

Robin treated us to dinner of salad and couscous with feta, and we also enjoyed bread and pumpkin squares. Saturday night around the fire, we made a few s'mores, burnt some marshmallows, and watched Colleen masterfully melt Hershey bars while enlightening us on the virtues of chocolate and keeping us laughing uproarisouly with her stories and wisdom.

Saturday night was the highlight of the trip for me as the whole group dynamic came together. For someone new to this and just having met everyone, it seemed as if we were old friends. No discussion was taboo and everyone enthusiastically participated. It was a great night of talking, laughing, and enjoying the perfectly clear sky from our island campsite.

L-R: Mist over the river; sun begins to burn mist away; the breakfast scene; Robin longing for Randy's leftover oatmeal!

Sunday turned out to be a spectacular day! The sun was shining, not a cloud to be seen, but we paddled into a strong headwind all day. We had another 9+ miles to cover and while it was some work with the wind, the additional clarity brought out by the sun enlivened the scenery and early fall colors. This was an ideal day as we worked down to West Hickory, PA and our waiting van.

L-R: Getting ready to pack up and take off; a primer for the rest of the day; working our way down the river; the kind of scenery that gets etched in your memory.