🏷️ hiking

We went down to East Aurora and Hunter's creek to snowshoe with Mark, @paul's uncle and @czarkasm's dad. All of the little valleys, creeks and cliffs were completely filled with snow, and we would only about a foot in.
I wonder what Little Rock City is like now - i bet you can fall right off some of the rocks without breaking your arm.

It was tons of fun. Despite the fact the snowshoes have spikes climbing the hill was mostly scrambling on hands and knees. Going down hills I had to just sort of run and home I didn't slide down on my ass.

I definitely want to go again - if we ever try again I'd like to try bigger shoes since I was using Erica's mother's old pair.

Afterwards we ate amazing homemade bread, veggie chili, and brownies from Erica's mom. It was the perfect way to fill up after.

The hike down at Hunter's Creek was awesome and a perfectly warm fall day.
We saw the craziest dead tree that was bored by some bug - not an emerald ash though.

On the way home, we stopped at a fancy Ethiopian restaurant in East Aurora. It was way too expensive for what the food was - and not spicy enough. I'd rather go to Lucy's or Gartur's even if they aren't as polished.




Fall color mode. The mountain bike club was clearing the trails that day









My favorite part of exposed shale beds like this is the laser straight lines the fractures in them make. Engineer's dream I guess.













Woof! Someone's got a bone

@YesThatCasey joined us for a hike in the falls. I know it still might be warm for a while but with leaves changing, it felt like the beginning of fall.

We say these jet skiers on the rapids. I couldn't believe they just flew over them like the jetboat but they did.

Almost made to the to the ol' Devil's Hole, but it stank a little too much that day.






Someone was camping out by the river



Fall color mode

King of the Niagara

On Sunday we were going to go to hiking at Zoar, but we switched it up and went to Little Rock City. I had never been there before.The rocks were ridiculous to climb. I only fell once. I should have known better when @terry wasn't able to climb it.

Finding a way up was always easier than finding a way down. Sometimes we had to jump like flying squirrels to the next rock and hope we could get down there.

At the end of the day, we drove over to the loop at the end of Little Rock City Road. Here there were even bigger rocks, and these gaping chasms in the ground you could walk through. It was practically speulunking at this point. Unfortunately my phone died - but @paul got some pics.

Verruckte jung

Cute little mushrooms

Butt rocks
Climbing between these two was the most terrifying I think. It was the only time I think I felt dizzy looking down.
This tree was huge, and had remnants of a ladder. Was it the world's best tree house at some point?
Another little red eff - we almost stepped on him

Beast mode

Afterwards, we headed out to Taj Grill to belatedly celebrate Terry's birthday with my parents.

Well climbing a small part. We got up most of the way by driving up the windiest and steepest road I've been on.








You drive through a small castle to get to the lot. In that lot there is a bike rack. I think I'd die on this kind of hill. But I want to meet the guy who could.




Then there is an elevator and a rocky trail up to the peak. Its another kind of view to enjoy.
















The top of the mountain was absolutely insane. I've never been so high up. You could see from Vermont all the way to Lake Placid.

One set of parents let their kids play over a shear cliff.











There was a weather station running Linux in the castle on top.


The cute boys had something to do with exploring the mountain. I can't remember what though.

On the way down we took an elevator through the mountain, and a long tunnel out to the lot. The fact they built this in 1920s is pretty impressive but weird. Why an elevator?

We headed up to hike at Zoar Valley with @YesThatCasey. At first it looked like it was going to pour, but it turned to a sprinkle in no time. The temperature was perfect. The water was low, and the flooding made the landscape pretty much unrecognizable compared last year. Paul and I engineered die Neue Transe Insel/Canal, a land where irradiated frogs can be comfortable in their own bodies.

I can't wait to back down and swim, maybe on a sunnier day.

Going home from Jones Pond, we stopped at Letchworth for a short hike - @flacidness had never been there before. It was a beautiful day. I wanted to just fall asleep laying in the sun for the rest of the day.


@terry caught a snake







Not impressed.





Foto machen

We went up today to wandern up at the gorge. It was a perfect temperature, so good to be outside more now.

The water and rapids were crazy high today. Most of the low rocks were submurged. @terry and I went spelunking in holes and almost a sewer overflow.

Yesterday it was so nice out, @paul, @terry and I headed out to Letchworth with @libertad. It was an amazing day for it. Spring finally feels like it's here.
On the way home we ate at Medici House in East Aurora. I didn't have battery to take pictures, but they had a black bean enchilada ravioli that was so good.

@paul and I came up with a great idea for a weather related app. I'm really excited about it.














Double rainbow





We really wanted these crazy ice sheets to fall. Dynamite maybe?



Treehugger

Starting to walk across the bridge... Dave actually made it pretty far out





Terry leaning on the rickety railing


A long way down



Surfbort

Buff enough to hold up the whole bridge



Mary Jamison statue - she was captured by the Seneca's and seduced the chief



A monument to the dragon slayers of New York

On Sunday we went for a walk out on the ice. Well, we were going to, but as soon as we got out on the ice at Times Beach we heard cracking and booked it back to land.

Tifft was a much better and less windy option anyway.


We found this shell of a water tank along the rail tracks. I think it was a water tank, there were four old piles in the ground on the inside. They took off the roof at some point so all that was left was the concrete shell.


A diode on the train track, for switching maybe? Paul said it looked like an explosive

We were werewolf tracking.

Terry's got a big bushy stalk.

Paul tried to make a flute.

What are these metal baskets hanging in the trees? Artificial nests?
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