I can't think of a better way to experience the amazing spectacle of fall foliage than from the two wheels of a bicycle.  This time of year it is highly likely to see folks clad in spandex and bike helmets meandering through the Wilderness Voyageurs outfitter store.  These people are out on the bike trails while the weather is crisp and cool, rather than hot and humid, to experience one of the most beautiful times of year.

Our online shop, Gearfetch.com, also has seen a significant increase in demand for the 2008 Trailbook.  This publication highlights the Great Allegheny Passage, a bike trail that extends from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C., wandering through the hills and valleys of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. 



This extensive guide book highlights local attractions, hotels, campgrounds, restaurants and much more located near the trail.  It is a must-have if you plan to take on the challenge of the trail in style and comfort. 

A great compliment to the Trailbook is "Linking Up."  This publication assists you in avoiding traffic and planning a smooth and exciting adventure. 

Be sure to take advantage of all there is to offer for these, and many more, outdoor activities near Washington DC and Pittsburgh.  Biking is fun for all ages, so dust off that cruiser and hit the trail!

This season's kayak instructions were a huge success.  More people than ever took on the challenge of whitewater kayaking with more enthusiasm and determination than I could have ever expected.  Whether it be improving on their whitewater roll or heading down Class II for the very first time, everyone put forth their best effort and many are hooked for life! 

This summer was the first for our Begginer Weekend Specials. The first weekend of every month saw brave adventurer-seekers dawn these crazy skirts, sit in these surprisingly unstable boats and learn how to float down the river with style and grace. 

While not everyone was filled with style and grace immediately, most everyone picked up on it by the end of the 2 day clinic.  We met for breakfast each morning to discuss the day's activities and talk about yesterday.  This time was great to mesh as a group as well as present questions to the instructors and other students. 

It was great to have so many people stay for 2 days.  I think they would all agree that this isn't the kind of sport many people pick-up in one day.  But if you take the time to learn the basic skills, the rewards are endless.  With a group lesson perfect strangers were able to help each other and learn from each other as they both experienced new and sometimes unfortable and frustrating moments as well as sharing in the joy of mastering new skills.  It also looks like many of them will be back for more lessons later this fall and next season.

Look forward to more beginner weekends as well as intermediate weekend dates next season!

You had a great trip down the river, in fact it was one of the funnest and action-packed days of the whole year.  Don't let that memory fade away as the leaves begin to fall and the blustery weather rolls into town.  Just think of how your co-workers will be so envious of you when they see your wallpaper computer screen with a shot of the massive splashes and big smiles of you in your raft during your day on the water with Wilderness Voyageurs on the Youghiogheny River.

Pictures can be viewed using our Shutteryfly account.  Click here for the link to our website and simply scroll down to find the link, separated by month, at the bottom of the main page. 






Order multiple sized prints, t-shirts, mugs, postcards, and so much more.  Makes a great gift.  There is nothing better to remind you of next season's adventure possibilities for some of the best east coast rafting and high adventure trips, all closer to home than you think!

We had an awesome trip on the Lower Yough. Here are my pictures. The water level was almost 4'. So it was one fast wild trip.


Windows Live Spaces

Even before moving to Ohiopyle in April, I decided one of my goals for the summer was to learn whitewater kayaking. How fortunate I was to pick Wilderness Voyageurs as my choice of employment. Since then I am 100% convinced that Wilderness Voyageurs in the Laurel Highlands is THE place to learn whitewater paddling. Several places to practice your skills are all within walking distance of our base on Garrett Street. We have a fleet of fabulous new demo boats from Liquid Logic, Pyranha, and Wavesport to suit any paddler of any ability. And best of all, we have some multi-talented river guides and store staff who excel at the fine art of kayak instruction. On that note, I want to thank those who have graciously spent their free time showing me the ropes: John, Josh, Brian, Astrid, Susan, and others on staff have given me invaluable help and encouragement.

When I think about what I love about kayaking and why I still return to the river after a particularly frustating swim through Entrance rapid (three times so far...), so many things come to mind. I love experiencing the subtleties of water that one doesn't notice in a raft, and the many ways a rapid can be picked apart into eddies, holes, waves, pourovers, etc. Being on a beautiful river and seeing nature from a new perspective doesn't hurt either. The rush I get after a successful run on the loop, knowing that I am overcoming my initial fear and getting stronger each day. It reminds me of skiing through the trees on a powder day.

So if you've ever had a desire to learn whitewater kayaking, consider Wilderness Voyageurs for an instruction tailored to your ability. If you are already a class II/III paddler with a roll, join us for our Friday night loop runs at 6:30 - meet us in front of the store. Or stop by and demo one of our boats. Hope to see you on the river!

Andrea

Are you looking for some Class 5 White Water Rafting but think you'd have to travel too far or devote too much time? Well, the Upper Yough in Maryland is the adrenaline fix for you!

About 90 seconds off of I-68 in Friendsville, MD, this East Coast Rafting destination makes a nice day trip, especially from the DC area. Going to Deep Creek for some vacationing fun? No problem, the Upper Yough is on the way there, and only about 25 minutes distant. Better still: recent rainfall has made this already awesome river even meatier and more fun. Check out these pictures of our latest trip:





Bottom line: for High Adventure fun in Maryland, especially when it comes to outdoor activities near Washington DC, you need look no further than Upper Yough river rafting. This river runs into September, so there is still time! Call 800 272 4141 today to reserve your spot on one of our trip because seats fill up fast.

--Lou

Did you know that you can request specific Wilderness Voyageurs staff members on your trips? It's true. If you have a friend who works for us, or you had a really good experience with a particular guide in the past, you can ask for them on your next trip. Whether it's class 5 rafting mania, a gentle float down the East Coast's beautiful Middle Yough, or an adrenaline-pumping day of Mountain Bike instruction, odds are your favorite guide will be able to accompany you.



For more info about our guides, check out our staff page (under construction). Or you can read this post or this other post by Susan to learn even more about the new guides.

How do you do it? Simple: mention the guide's name when you make your reservation and we'll do our absolute best to get that person on your trip. Already have a reservation? Give us a call (800 272 4141) to add that favorite staff member to your adventure.

Cheers
Lou

We all love our Nalgene bottles and Camelbak BetterBottles, but the latest media frenzy about BPA has caused a lot of concern over the plastic in these products. Let's face it: original Nalgenes were too good to be true. More indestructible than Superman, more everlasting than a Willy Wonka gobstopper, more loyal than a golden retriever, plus convenient and simple, these outdoor activity companions are always at our side. And the Camelbak bottles fit in our bikes' bottle cages, and have perfect little bite valve sippy straws that secure away.



The latest research showing that leaving one of these in your car in the sun in July for a week and then chugging the contents may possibly, in some way, lead to the potential causation of a situation leading perhaps to some form of harmfulness worried a few of us (enough that Camelbak recalled their bottles, even though discounted original Nalgenes continued to fly off shelves).

Well, worry no longer, because now both Nalgene and Camelbak have introduced BPA free bottles with the same quality standards as their original counterparts. See the pictures above and cruise over to our online store for more info.

Hydrate carefree,
Lou

Every July in western Maryland a different breed of Upper Yough paddlers begins to emerge.  You first notice while hanging out at National to watch carnage when a long boat appears at the crest of triple drop, passes 2 raft trips and continues through National and Tommy's Hole without stopping for a moment.  You then notice more and more of these long boats mixed in with groups of Burns, Jefes, Rockers and other creek boats.  Passing their friends, only to wait in an eddy down below to do it again through the next rapid.  This all means one thing.  The 28th Annual Upper Yough Race.

Switching from a small 8ft creek boat to a nearly 12ft-long race boat is like reading your favorite book with someone else's prescription eyeglasses.  Suddenly those letters you are so familiar with are blurring together in weird ways, forming foreign words.  But eventually things come together bit by bit.  I found myself gaining confidence in a piecemeal fashion.  First it came with the lines through Charlie's Choice and Heinzerling.  Slowly rapids like Triple Drop and Lost Paddle were added into the mix with the race line at National still remaining difficult for me, even during the race.  I came to realize that 2 or 3 practice runs just can't prepare you for connecting these moves together and maintaining enough energy to make it through the flatter stretches to the finish line.  In addition I found that more time is lost in smaller class II/III rapids than the bigger ones, making it even more important to pay attention to the best lines everywhere on the river. 

Race day went smooth for this first-time racer, managing to keep the nerves at bay until just before launch time.  As the first racer sprinted their way toward Gap Falls, it became real.  I realize that will be me momentarily as adrenaline begins to surge through my veins.  The race was mostly a blur.  During the warm-ups I almost couldn't believe that it was finally here and that it would be over before I noticed.  Personally, I had a great run, hitting some lines better than ever before and preventing spinning out too badly throughout the entire run.  But nothing is more satisfying the final 10 seconds of every race followed by the refreshing beverage received upon completion.  At the finish line we talk about our runs, watch other racers come in and just enjoy not using every bit of power to move a kayak forward. 


This year 32 races took on the challenge of descending this class IV/V, 5+ mile creek on Saturday July 28th, 2008.  Boats ranged from small creek boats to sleek and light fiberglass Wildwater kayaks.  For many of the races this year's event was added to decades of previous Upper Yough races, while others were attempting some race lines for the very first time.  Such a variance of experience leads to some amazingly smooth lines and some awesome carnage!  Geoff Calhoun took first overall in his Wildwater boat with a time of 28.52 min.  Peter Lutter came in a close second in his Wavehopper at 29.58 min.  With the ladies, Chara Whittamore held her title with a strong time of 33.55 min using her Wavehopper placing an amazing 10th overall.  WV's own Susan Hollingsworth (yours truly) came in just behind Chara in the Green Boat with a time of 34.23 for second place in the Women's Division.  Check out the race results for other times.  For pictures of racers check out the Private Boater link on playtheriver.com.

Next year should be just as much fun, if not more.  Hopefully Wilderness Voyageurs Purple Pride team can represent!  See you then!

-Zan

 Hi there and thanks for checking out our blog! This page is hosted by Wilderness Voyageurs, the oldest whitewater rafting outfitter east of the Mississippi and an outdoor fixture since 1964.

Our home page (see link above) has tons of information about the various activities we offer, while this blog is an organized "compended" list of articles written by our staff and customers. Feel free to browse the various categories, post comments, or even write your own blog entry.

What's that you ask? How do I write my own blog entry? Well, that's really rather simple. First, click here (opens new window). Type in...
Username: raft
password: paddle
Go ahead and compose your blog entry. When you're done, click submit. Once an administrator approves your post, it will be up on the blog!

To get the most out of your blogging experience, try incorporating one or more of the following keywords/phrases: East Coast White Water Rafting, West Virginia Adventures, Kayak Lessons, Laurel Highlands,Outdoor Activities, Fishing, Mountain Biking, Yough River

Thanks for reading and especially for blogging. Have fun!
Lou

This past Saturday, July 26, the town of Friendsville, MD hosted the annual Upper Yough Festival at the community park. The Fest was held in conjunction with the Annual Upper Yough Race and drew a crowd of families and expert boaters alike.

I was working the Wilderness Voyageurs outdoor gear booth on the festival grounds for most of the day; I got to listen to live blue grass music, eat some awesome food from the local vendors, check out a climbing wall, and talk to a lot of cool people. Volunteers ran kayak instruction clinics, white water rafting demos, and even fly fishing lessons.

Here's to the town of Friendsville for putting on a great festival. For those who missed it, come in 2009, the fourth Saturday in July. And for more information on the Upper Yough, our store in Friendsville, climbing, kayaking, rafting, fishing, or what have you, go to www.wilderness-voyageurs.com

See you on the river,
Lou

Yough River Rafting - is there a better way to build camaraderie in within a company? After this weekend of East Coast Rafting, I don't think so.

And this past weekend the Compendium Blogware team gave the Lower Youghiogheny a try. The team building began on the 6 1/2 hour ride from Indianapolis to Ohiopyle; we traveled in-style aboard a 40 ft Entertaining RV. Saturday morning Wilderness Voyageurs set up a breakfast buffet and then we embarked on a day of high adventure. Team work on the river is a must - too many chiefs and no Indians will always fail - but without any trouble, we divided up into teams and successfully navigated through the rapids. Beyond just rafting - we stopped at dimple rock rapid to watch the excitement of rafts maneuvering through the rocks, swam through Swimmers Rapid and jumped off of Jump Rock. Although all but two people fell out and a raft completely flipped over in Double Hydraulics - EVERYONE had a great time.
After the trip we reminisced about the day over a great meal catered by The Firefly Grill and a few beers. Finally,  we made our way to the Falls City Pub to listen to the musical delights of Wizdom, a reggae band from Pittsburgh.

Needless-to-say, our team is buzzing today with excitement of the weekend - telling and retelling stories of their experiences. You can feel a rejuvenated vibe in our office and a real sense of team. Everyone is already planning the next company outting - maybe we can include some kayak instruction next time?       
                                 

Nothing beats a day of Upper Yough River Rafting!!  …well, almost nothing, but for the purposes of this discussion at least, we will leave it as nothing. 

 

Yesterday, I was able to experience one of the great joys of being a river guide in the Laurel Highlands, and I S1-ed (pronounced “esse-whund”) the Upper Yough.  On top of this simply being a brilliant way to spend a Monday, it happened to be the first time I have had the chance to do such!  Now I know what some fellow whitewater junkies may be thinking; “Fuzzy, you’re telling me you’ve spent almost four seasons out here boating, and you are just now S1-ing the Upper..?!?”  To this I can only answer, “Yes.  …but not four full seasons…”

 

The day began with a slight miscalculation on my part, when it was pointed out that I had grabbed a 4-man Shredder instead of the typical 2-man variety, but I continued undaunted.  The doubters may not have been considering how much easier those 4-man Shredders ferry across current~  Luckily for me, the skills I’ve learned at Wilderness Voyageurs over the years paid off, and thank the Downer I survived!  It is of course much easier to make it down such a river knowing that Kirby, JRod, Brian, Rich, and Mizzle are there to pull out my mangled body to deliver home to mom in the event I mess up…

 

The Upper Yough is an adventure not suggested for the faint of heart, but for those whom have seen it in all its glory and devastation, not many east coast rafting trips can compare.  All in all, it was certainly the best “sick day” I’ve taken to date!!

 

~Fuzzy

 ... and there's times like these.


Okay, so I've been playboating for a while now, and I'm finally starting to get good at some of the tricks: cartwheeling and wave wheeling, stern squirts, rock splats, and the like. But I've been in a big slump as far as adding a new trick to my repertoire is concerned. Well yesterday at Valley Falls, West Virginia I broke the cold streak when I free wheeled off a 9-ft waterfall.

My first attempt was, I'll admit, pretty darn sloppy, but the two after that felt great. It was an awesome feeling spinning through the air and slamming into the water facing backwards, basically having done an off-axis 180. Check out the spray in the picture above to get an idea of the stern's trajectory.

For any kayakers who have a double pump, I highly recommend going to Valley Falls and giving it a shot. Just pump as you go over the lip and eventually you will get it.

Happy playboating
Lou

Yesterday 25 staff members from Wilderness Voyageurs went to Valley Falls State Park on the Tygart River in Northern West Virginia. Valley Falls is a beautiful spot of river with 2 excellent waterfalls for beginner and intermediate paddlers to hone their waterfall technique.

Many of us took creek and river-running kayaks, a few of us were in playboats, and some of us even took inflatable kayaks (duckies). Everyone had a blast, although not everyone stayed in their kayak (the park rangers, who don't allow swimming or wading, were not exactly happy about this!). Check out these photos for a taste of the action:

(Above) A wide shot of the bottom drop. Left to right: Brian & Andrea, Rob, Brandon, Beau

Jared Callahan in mid air perfectly on line. Go Jared!

Rich showing perfect position and posture as he is about to "huck" the falls.

Susan, WV's lead kayak instructor, is planning a waterall clinic to Valley Falls later this summer. For more info, check here.

Happy boofing
Lou

k    There is almost no reason for anyone to be scared on one of our white water rafting trips on the Youghiogheny river.  With one of the best guide training programs in the area and a large senior guide staff, our river guides are trained and well-practiced to keep you safe and having fun on the water. 

    For example, Amanda Love has been a guide with Wilderness Voyageurs for the past 6 years and continues to provide smooth and safe river trips for all her guests.  While only an official river guide since 2002, Amanda has grown up on the water and brings many more years of experience to the table.  She is well-known for her superior sweep rafting skills and is often providing support and guidance to new staff who wish to one day be as good as Amanda. 

    Just look at her rescue that swimmer!  She'll do whatever it takes to get you back in that raft!
   
    Stop on by Wilderness Voyageurs to meet Amanda and the rest of our excellent guide staff!

    So maybe you've tried white water rafting, maybe you've even done it here in Ohiopyle on the Lower Youghiogheny, however, you haven't fully experienced the river until you've tried a ducky or a shredder.  These whitewater crafts are designed to give you a different and incredibly exciting experience on the water. 

    A shredder is a type of inflatable raft that is designed to be more maneuverable in the white water.  This means sharper turns, bigger hits and one wild ride.  You'll find this boat to be much more responsive to few paddle strokes, allowing you to move it where you want it so you can hit all those waves and avoid all those rocks.  These boats have exploded in popularity since local Ohiopylian Tom Love, the creator, made the first one back in the late 80's.  Now you can spot thse crafts on some of the toughest whitewater rivers all across the states and even abroad. 


   
    If the shredder doesn't do it for you, there is always the ducky!  This inflatable kayak is meant for one or two people (double duck) and puts you even closer to the action.  Using a double bladed paddle you are faced with maneuvering the rapids all on your own.  This experience is often more intense (which really means more exciting) than being in a raft with 5 other people.  And if it tips over...no big deal!  You can just crawl right back on top, even in the middle of a rapid. 





    So remember there is always a new adventure for you here at Wilderness Voyageurs.  Just when you think you've done it all, we've got plenty more action-packed high adventure trips for you and the family! 

    Wilderness Voyageur's Beer and Gear Fest gets better every year.  This summer's gathering included the first annual 5K Vasque Trail Run to kick off the festivities.  About 20 runners came out for the event, all excited to see the course and get over the finish line.  After receiving race numbers the group headed over to the Ferncliff Peninsula, an area of land surrounded by the Loop section of the Lower Youghiogheny and well known for being an ecological hotspot of the area.  The course included two laps on Ferncliff and Oakwoods trail with several tight turns, large mud pits, gradual inclines and lots of roots, stumps, rocks and dirt! 

    Racers included local Ohiopylians, visiting kayakers, gear reps and running fanatics.  Everyone finished and recieved a pair of Darn Tough socks for entering.  The winners received a free pair of Vasque Trail Running shoes...over $100 value!!!  Everyone had a great time, especially knowing that the physical exertion was over and the beer drinking just beginning! 









Come out next year where we hope to have more participants which means more prizes from our awesome reps! 

So I finally had the chance to paddle the Fuse from Wavesport. I am 5'11" and weigh around 160, so I set out in the Fuse 56 (on the Loop section of the Lower Yough).



Now, I paddle an EZG 50 for my playboat. It's a slicy boat so I am able to do all the slicy boat tricks: stern squirts, cartwheels, wave wheels, and so forth. These tricks were still, by and large, possible in the Fuse, albeit a bit harder. But when I buried the bow in a hole, the pop back up out of the water was huge. A skilled boater could throw some serious loops and other aerial maneuvres in this machine.

Since I've been paddling the Loop regularly for several years now, I've developed a sequence of funky lines that I like to run. I found that the Fuse held a line and made all my usual funky downriver moves with grace and ease. So I think it would make a great boat for beginner entry-level kayakers as well.

Wilderness Voyageurs has a full selection of Fuses for demo (sizes 35, 48, 56 or 64). Surf over to the Wilderness Voyageurs Outfitters store page for more info.

See you on the river,
Lou

Kayaking for beginners can be pretty overwhelming at times..spinning out when paddling forward, catching an edge when crossing the current, lifting your head at the end of the roll, and so much more.  Luckily, with more time on the water and proper instruction these frustrations begin to fade allowing confidence to increase each day on the river. 

During a beginner lesson one of the most important concepts I like to teach is catching eddies.  Understanding how to enter and exit an eddy allows a beginner kayaker to break apart a rapid in order to better plan out the next move.  Hopping from one eddy to another also allows a kayaker to better ferry across currents, perhaps to avoid an obstruction downstream.  Eddy lines are also great tools when learning to bury the bow and stern for various playboating moves.

When entering an eddy I think of three things: Speed, Angle and Lean (S.A.L.)

SPEED:
    Having momentum when entering an eddy is key.  Speed will carry your entire boat over the unstable eddyline, rather than just your body.  Not having speed will allow the stern to be swept right on top of the eddy line, often ending in a flip.

ANGLE:
    Entering the eddy perpendicularly will allow the boat to cross the eddyline smoother and faster.  This means turning the boat from facing downstream, using a downstream sweep stroke for instance, to square up to the eddy line. 

LEAN:
    When turning into an eddy a kayaker will lean into the turn, similar to leaning into a turn on skis or a snowboard.  This means leaning upstream while crossing over the eddy line to "hook" into the top of the eddy.  Remember to continue to paddle all the way into the eddy as to not get stuck on the eddy line!  Also, you'll want to aim to enter the eddy just behind the obstruction, or at the top of the eddy.  Here, the eddy line is most defined and narrow and where the current is the calmest in the eddy. 

Good luck and keep eddy hopping to improve those whitewater kayaking skills! 

Be sure to check out Wilderness Voyageurs Kayak Instruction where we can personally tailor a day of instruction to meet your needs and improve your kayaking technique whether it be on the Middle Youghiogheny, Lower Youghiogheny or even the excitin Class 5 white water Upper Youghiogheny River!