Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Winter Hikes - Completing the WNY Winter Hiking Challenge

When I first started this challenge, I was wondering if it was possible to complete the 9 trails for the WNY Winter Hiking Challenge and a bonus trail in a single day.  Three weekends later and I am finally on target to complete the challenge.

Trail #8 of 9 - Eighteen Mile Creek County Park


For this hike, I reached out on social media looking for others to join me.  Hiking alone in the quiet is extremely relaxing an fun, but I also love sharing the outdoors with others.  My friend Daviyion decided to join me for a morning hike back to the waterfalls along Eighteen Mile Creek. 


The landmark that we are looking for is the second large waterfall at the end of the blue trail.  In total, this is a hike of 3-4 miles out and back.

If you are looking for the fastest route to see all of the waterfalls, follow the blue trail from the parking lot to the waterfalls at the end and then turn around and come back.  However, since I only have two hikes planned today, we are going to take our time and explore as many of the trails as possible.

Starting at the parking lot, the trail is paved and well kept.  After a short walk. the asphalt gives way to nature and dirt, mud and leaves replace the paved trail.

As we continue down the path, I'm amazed at just how close to the gorge the trail is. 



Along the trail, there are two primary sets of waterfalls, but keep your eyes open.  Depending on the day, you may see many more falls.  Thanks to a large amount of rain in the last 36 hours, there are a number of bonus points of interest today.


We passed the time catching up on things and admiring everything that nature offered.  While following the blue trail, you will come to a split in the path.  If you are looking for the speedy route, stay to the left.  Since we are exploring today, we followed the path to the right and walked down into the gorge.  A series of impromptu lean-to's have been constructed at the bottom of the trail.  Turn around and back up the gorge to follow the remainder of the blue trail.


We eventually came to the first waterfall on the trail.  Be careful walking trough the section immediately after this as you will need to cross the stream.

At this point, we decided to follow the red trail through the woods and look for a better crossing on the river (on the way back we realized that sticking to the blue trail would have been easiest).  

A short time later and we are once again descending into the gorge.  This time to find the landmark for this hike. 


The path to the river had a small tree blocking the path about chest height, but we were able to easily walk around and duck under the tree to get to the riverbed.

Time to pack up and head back to the parking lot.   Daviyion and I part ways at this point and I'm heading to the final trail for the challenge.

Trail #9 of 9 - Chestnut Ridge - Eternal Flame

This is it, the last trail of the challenge.  The hike that has been laughing at me for the last few weekends.  When I pull into the parking lot, I realize that I will not be alone on this hike, in fact, I will be far from alone.  Despite the warnings for this weekend to be careful outdoors due to the rainfall, there are a large number of cars in the parking lot.


This hike is one of the shortest hikes on the challenge, but do not mistake the short path for an easy hike.  For the second half of the trail, hikers must navigate the riverbed and any obstacles along the way.  

Don't forget to bring a lighter along, just in case the flame is out when you get there. The path from the parking lot is well maintained and offers benches and tables for picnics.


When you reach the treeline, the trail morphs into a more rustic feel going from stone to dirt.  The trail markers for the Eternal Flame are by far the easiest to read of all of the challenge trails (and maybe anywhere in WNY). 


Stay on the trail, watch your step especially when descending to the stream and please follow the warnings along the trail.


It's about 1/4 mile from the trail head to the stream.  Once you get here, the technical part of the hike begins.


There are trails on each side of the stream, but be wary of wet rocks and take your time.  As you get further along the trail, the obstacles show up.


The most difficult part for me to navigate was the log jam near the falls.  As always, take you time, watch your footing and ask for help if needed. 


The Eternal Flame Falls are a short walk from here and my guess was correct.  There is a line waiting to take that picture of the flame.


I patiently wait my turn and finally get the shot that I have been waiting for.

Eternal Flame Falls
And there it is, I have completed all 9 trails on the challenge.

When I started looking at this challenge, I always knew that I wanted this to either be the first or the last trail I would do.  Just like the Olympics, the torch signifies the start and the end of the journey.  

For me, it is the end of this journey, but the flame is also fueling my desire for the next journey.

I'd like to take a minute to thank Mike at Outside Chronicles for creating the challenge and giving myself and others something to do on what could be a boring winter weekend spent at home.  Instead I've gotten a change to see a different side of winter and I hope that if you are reading this, you will be encouraged to do the same.  

It doesn't have to be hiking, but find something that looks fun, or something new, anything to get out and be active and enjoy all that the world has to offer.

Keep an eye out for my next adventure...

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