Despite a poor weather forecast this trip went as planned. Since there were only three of us, and the backpack was a loop, we rode together in a single car to the trailhead. We arrived at the trailhead at around 7 p.m. and hiked through a light drizzle for about forty-five minutes to a hemlock knoll overlooking the Baldwin Branch where we made our first night's camp. This spot overlooks the ruins of an old pump house. The rain stopped after we set up our shelters, and we enjoyed our supper under a clearing evening sky. With no time for collecting firewood, a tea candle was substituted for a fire.

Saturday proved to be a mostly sunny with occasional clouds. We followed the Black Forest Trail to Hemlock Mountain; eating lunch along the way at the waterfalls on Callahan Run. Hemlock Mountain offers a great vista view of Pine Creek and Bald Eagle Mountain (part of the Appalachian Ridge). Here we surprised a porcupine; he raced (more like waddled) ahead of us on the trail for about 20 or 30 feet before disappearing into the mountain laurel. The trail continues over Hemlock Mountain down into Naval Run where we made our second night's camp.

After setting up camp and eating our supper the rain visited us again but only briefly. Though all was pretty wet; with a group effort we managed to make a nice fire and enjoyed a pleasant evening under a clearing sky.

Sunday we crossed Naval Run and hiked out via the old C&BF RR Switchbacks. Once again we came across a porcupine. This one had the courtesy to pose for quite a while and Jerry took some photos. Hopefully these turned out and we'll have them to share with you.

Along the way we saw some stately white pines and hemlocks; many wildflowers including painted and red trilliums, and a nice display of flowering dogwood.

All and all - a very pleasant trip. I hope to see you there next time.

The weather report was for a 90% chance of rain and high winds. We decided to skip the biking and to drive directly to the Victor Fitchlee – Royalton Ravines Park, just south of Gasport in Niagara County. We didn’t encounter any rain, but the forest sheltered us from the winds. The trail passes the homestead of Belva Lockwood, an early women’s rights advocate. It is hard to tell what her living conditions were like, just from viewing the remnants of the house, but certainly they were cramped compared to today’s houses. A waterfalls exists where a creek goes over the section of the Niagara Escarpment that goes through the park. There also is a swinging suspension bridge the crosses the same stream. Having entered the back entrance of the park, the main entrance, shelter and restrooms were half way through the hike. The washroom was locked up, but county workers who were preparing for the opening of the park on May 19th (Victoria Day) opened it up and told us that the shelters were available to rent for $20.00 a day. That would be a nice spot for a family or club picnic, being handy to hiking in the park, biking on county roads and paddling on the nearby Barge Canal. We finished the 2 ˝ mile hike early with having deleted the biking part and decided to go out for lunch. The Basket Factory in Middleport was handy. It was a very satisfying outing with a hike, a drive in the country and a nice lunch. Next time, hopefully we can do the bike ride as well.

We had a good turnout of riders from ADK and Big Wheels Bike Club caused in part by the good weather forecast. We rode a 23 mile loop around the area. From the first overlook we saw (with the aid of binoculars) a bald eagle nest. The spring migration season was over, so the ponds didn’t have the thousands of geese that can be seen in early spring and fall. It became a “bike & hike” when we took a walk on the boardwalk at Swallow Hollow. We were serenaded by the many bird calls and toad croaks. When we got back to the parking lot the sounds became more ominous as the buzz of bees became increasingly evident. A look up into the trees showed a large mass of bees coming down to the lot. We beat a hasty retreat. Big Wheels has been doing this ride for years in April and it has always been cold. Moving the date to May this year, paid off in a more comfortable ride.

Six of us launched Monday morning from the Ohio Street ramp at Father Conway Park in Buffalo’s Old First Ward. Manon, Josie, Patti, Jinny, Rich, and myself headed upriver in sometimes very windy conditions. We began with some industrial sight seeing, paddling by old and new industry, grassy fields and tall grain elevators, under railroad bridges and past ducks & geese. After nearly an hour, we turned around to head back toward downtown Buffalo. As we paddled back out to our put-in, a few of us stopped for a brief stretch on land. After slipping back into our boats, we continued the short distance toward Lake Erie and the mouth of the Buffalo River. The fireboat Edward M. Cotter was still at its dock, preparing to cast off in order to participate in the festivities.

"The festivities" was an official sendoff for the 60-foot trimaran, Earth Voyager, which was the first boat to dock at Buffalo’s newly dedicated 1825 Erie Canal Commercial Slip this past weekend. As we paddled below the towering Skyway bridge, the retired Naval Cruiser USS Little Rock dominated the riverfront. Just to the right, and immediately behind the big ship, is the Commercial Slip. The Earth Voyager filled much of that relatively small canal, and we all resisted the temptation to paddle between the gleaming white hulls of the big trimaran. A waterfall stretched across the end wall of the slip, just below a bridge with large fluorescent green letters telling everyone exactly where they are.

As we waited, more people arrived dockside, as well as 2 canoes and at least one small kayak representing the Buffalo-Niagara Riverkeepers. Our six kayaks comprised most of the small flotilla of paddle craft that waited to follow the earth Voyager out of the river and into the harbor as it set out on its tour of the Great Lakes. After the politicians had spoken, we finally moved out and away from the slip; two Coast Guard vessels accompanied the larger boats out toward the harbor. The big red fireboat Cotter had all of its hoses spraying water as the trimaran motored out with sails still stowed. The waves and chop of the harbor made paddling a bit more interesting for a while, then we turned back to return to our cars. What I didn’t know was that all of that was merely a ceremony - the Earth Voyager also turned around and returned to the dock! But it was a glorious day on the Buffalo River, and it sure beats working!