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COOL STUFF
Free to roam in Buffalo and beyond
By Leah Rankin
This past summer Pixar released the movie UP, the story of a man who thirsted for adventure but life kept getting in the way. While many of us might feel that same sense of longing, the members of Roaming Buffaloes likely tsk-tsked at the screen. After all, they take part in exhilarating escapades with regularity, and without thousands of balloons.
The Roaming Buffaloes Adventure Club, founded by Jeff Empric in March, is a social networking club that plans regular outdoor activities like hiking, rock climbing, and white water rafting. For a man who has “done this stuff for years,” Empric says he’s surprised that the biggest reaction to the club is generally a “I didn’t know you could do that in WNY!” Yes, you can—RBAC allows its members a chance to explore the greater Buffalo area without straining their hamstrings or their wallets. It’s intended for adults of any age and athletic ability, and singles and couples are welcome; married couples even get a seventy-percent membership discount. Members also receive discounts at a number of local retailers. And although the RBAC is a social networking club, it is not a dating network. It is, however, a great way to make new friends while roaming the less-frequented jungles of WNY.
Empric says that when it comes to planning an activity like white water rafting, it’s much easier to go with a group, making this a clear benefit of membership. For one thing, groups get greater discounts, and with RBAC, you’ll be sharing the adventure with friends—each trip averages about thirty people—without the pressures of organizing such an undertaking yourself. The club also provides transportation and rental equipment. “It’s adventure made easy,” says member Julie Winkelman. “The trips are planned, and all I have to do is register to have an awesome experience.” And just because it’s an outdoors club doesn’t mean that you’ll be tossed into an abandoned speck of forest and be expected to eat bugs and build shelters out of sticks while a crew films you from a distance and laughs. (This is most definitely not I’m a Buffalonian Get Me Out of Here, and there’s nary a Speidi in sight.) Empric says going on the nature hikes as a group provides an incredible amount of safety; just knowing that you are in the company of professionals that can handle emergencies will allow you to enjoy your surroundings all the more.
Member Tim Ace has experienced the benefits of group safety firsthand. “During one of the biking trips across Buffalo, we had just gotten started when my bicycle wheel locked up, and I was thrown head first from the bike,” he says. “One of the members was an EMT and tended to my wounds. Some of the other members followed me to the hospital, while others took care of my bicycle and other equipment I had left behind. I’m not sure what I would have done without the other Roaming Buffaloes there.”
Hosting numerous outings every week, the RBAC’s repertoire includes everything from evening runs to sailing. There is even a dinner club for people who prefer to treat their taste buds to an adventure. But after being given exclusive dining rights to some of Buffalo’s best restaurants, those evening runs start to look pretty appetizing, too. For those who are less athletically inclined, the RBAC offers wine tasting as a way to mingle and plan future events. There are also opportunities to explore the concrete jungle, should you cringe at the possibility of losing cell phone service. Most of the club’s events take place outdoors, but in a city where winter lasts for most of the year, there are plenty of ski trips—and indoor activities as well.
“For me,” says Ace, “the most memorable adventure was the white water rafting trip in West Virginia. Not only was the rafting and the camping fun, but it provided a unique bonding experience that has really changed the Roaming Buffaloes from an adventure group into a family.” Back in WNY, the RBAC encourages its members to explore their own backyards as a means of promoting an adventurous and healthy lifestyle. “Roaming Buffaloes hasn’t fulfilled my thirst for adventure so much as it has fueled it even more,” says Ace. “As long as I know I have a good group of friends around me, I’m willing to try most anything.”
Visit www.roamingbuffaloes.com for details.
Spree editorial intern Leah Rankin is a senior at the University at Rochester.
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