The 2008 rafting season is shaping up to be one of high adventure!  Wilderness Voyageurs is proud to have recruited some of the company's strongest, friendliest, most knowledgable and experienced "rookies" ever.  Some came with years of experience on rivers all over the country, some came with class V kayaking skills while others just came with the determination and eagerness to learn as much as possible.
    Training began back in April when the water was colder and so was the air.  Returning every weekend to learn such skills as raft handling, trip management and first aid, these fresh river guides were put to the test both physically and mentally.  After 5 intense weekends and at least 20 training runs down the Lower Youghiogheny only the best were invited back to become full time river guides for the 2008 summer season. 

Here is Callie from California (yes, it is just a coincidence).  Callie is new to rivers but comes with experience in other adventure sports such as skiing and snowboarding.  She was one of the first to check out on the river, getting her training trips in as quick as possible while also taking every opportunity to explore other rivers, building upon her experience even more. 





Next we have Nick, or "Darkness."  Here nick shows off his quick reflexes and big guns by getting his crew back in the raft faster than you can say paddle!
Brian comes to Wilderness Voyageurs with raft guiding experience on rivers such as the New and Upper Gauley.  His strong work ethic and commitment have allowed him to jump right into the trip leader position.  He has also been able to work on his kayaking skills by getting on many local creeks and rivers during our spring high water season.







Here is Kent.  He means business.


    These, and all of our other new river guides, have allowed us to start off the season with a bang.  Their hard work and dedication to improving their skills and having a great time mean that your day on the river will be the best ever.  Come out to Wilderness Voyageurs in the Laurel Highlands for Yough River Rafting at its greatest!

Rain, rain, don't go away. We love it. If there was to be a time for a trip to visit the yough river in Ohiopyle this would be it. Water levels are outstanding providing high adventure and excitement. Big water rafting cannot be beat and with water levels matching that of the Gauley and New rivers action with much less of a drive. Guest numbers are still low so trips are small and personable. Guides are trying to make the most of the time knowing all too well that low water will be here soon. Kayaking action is at its hight as temperatures rise and the winter rust is shaken off, folks are going big with every opportunity that presents itself. If you are looking for a new run and need someone to boat with the wilderness voyageurs staff have the runs down. The Cheat river continues to hold strong providing huge water action in one of the most beautiful canyons in all of the East Coast. If you are looking for high adventure regarless of what the pesimistic forcaster might say ohiopyle is your place to be to enjoy the liquid sunshine. See you out there. Josh

I just wanted to write and thank Josh and Kaila for guiding me down the Upper Yough. (yes, this is the before picture)  I'd had some Kayak Instruction from Josh in the past and was pretty comfortable paddeling the lower Yough in Ohiopyle.  What wasn't sure of was my ability to do a high adventure run on Class 5 white water.

Well I'm happy to report that the Kayak Instruction and the great Wilderness Voyageurs guides made it a very fun (I didn't say relaxing) day.    Kayak Lessons aren't just for beginners I guess :-)

Lou?  Will you take me to the Top Yough this summer?

Duh??   I know silly question.   Kayaking is a blast!  We are blessed in Pennsylvania to have a terrific resource in the Yough river.  Unlike a lot of rivers where the water dries up in the Summer, the Youghiogheny in Ohiopyle is dam controlled and therefore has great water all summer long.

Kayaking is a great sport and accessible to anyone who is able to swim.  Wilderness Voyageurs offers instruction in all forms of white water as well as flat water paddling. We offer multi day lessons as well as one or two hour introduction sessions.  Come on down for some High Adventure and take some Kayak Lessons.  For more information please send us an email....  :-)

Fun group high adventure trips are what summer on the Youghiogheny are all about. If you are looking for similar Pennsylvania fun or are considering River Rafting in West Virginia join us for the best of East Coast Rafting.   For more information, send us an email: rafting@wilderness-voyageurs.com and we will be glad to help make this the best summer ever.

Outdoor Activities Near Washington DC

Why wait for summer camp when looking for High Adventure Tirps or Weekends with your family.  The Laurel Highlands offer great Outdoor Activities for all ages.   Ohiopyle has some great fun climbing to go along with yough river rafting.   One of our expert (and friendly) guides Josh is shown here checking knots on a young climber from the Indianapolis area.   Wilderness Voyagers is only 6 hours from Indianapolis and makes for a great family weekend escape.

For more information just send us an email:  rafting@wilderness-voyageurs.com

I wanted to share this great picture of our Wilderness Voyagers guide Jared on a wild ride through Hienzerling Rapid on the mighty Upper Youghiogheny.   If you are looking for Class 5 White Water Rafting and some real High Adventure Trips, Jared and the rest of our expert guide staff are ready to rock!

Last year the Upper began running on Saturdays too so you don't need to miss work.  If you want to go, book early.  All you have to do is send us an email rafting@wilderness-voyageurs.com

Matt here is 5 years old and just coming off a great day on the Middle Yough.   What many people don't know  is that the River in and around Ohiopyle  is broken into sections.   Most people run the Lower Yough...this is one of the most popular east coast rafting  rivers.   It's great because there are lot's of fun rapids and a real sense of a high adventure trip.   The age limit on the Lower Yough is 12.   If Your Pennsylvania Family Trips include members younger than 12 you might want to consider the Middle Yough.  Wilderness Voyagers take rafters as young as 5 on the Middle.  It's a fun day that included a great shore lunch, terrific guides and if you like we can even throw on some inflatable kayaks.

The Middle Yough is a great trip thats one of the great family outdoor activities near Washington DC or Columbus Ohio or Cincinnati....we even get families from Indiana that come in for the weekend.

So you might be inclined to think that Kayak Instruction is just for the hard core adventurer.  The reality is that White Water Kayaking is a great family activity.  If you are looking for great Pennsylvania Family Trips, consider kayak lessons in the Laurel Highlands.  

Jimmy here was just 12 years old and was able to paddle the Loop in Ohiopyle pretty quickly.  In his mind, this was a High Adventure Trip....something he never felt in a Disney park. 



If you are getting tired of the same old family activities...dare to be different.  Come to the Yough River for some family kayak instruction.

Rock climbing is one of Wilderness Voyageurs' primary outdoor activities, and several members of our staff are truly devoted to the sport. I was lucky enough to get a week's vacation to Red River Gorge in eastern Kentucky, where the climbing is just fabulous. Dozens of crags dot the landscape, all containing classic routes on mostly overhung, pocketed faces. Here is a picture of me belaying my friend Ned on a 5.10b sport climb. Truth be told, most of us, including Ned, were climbing strong in the super-human 5.12 range. I was able to toprope a 5.12a with a single rest (which surprised the heck out of me!); the rest of the week I stayed in the 5.8 to 5.11 range and had a blast.

Our finest moment of high adventure involved a Tyrolean traverse across a river. Someone had to wade to the other side and fix a rope so the rest of us could zip-line across. Stetson volunteered and immediately started undoing his pants. Some witty fellow remarked, "Hey, Stetson, why do all your plans start by taking your pants off?" Well, the traverse was brilliant fun. Here's a photo for your enjoyment:


Now, don't think you have to go all the way to Kentucky to enjoy excellent rock climbing. There's plenty of it right here in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern PA. Wilderness Voyageurs boasts the best rock climbing instructors in the state; we make a perfect outfitter for Pennsylvania family trips to the crag! Already a climber? The Wilderness Voyageurs outfitter store carries a selection of basic outdoor climbing gear and is currently expanding its offerings in that category.

Bottom line? If you want to climb in a place as awesome as this:Southwestern PA is a great place to start!

Lou

I finally found a chance to go play with our new staff toy - the waterproof video camera. Wilderness Voyageurs staff members Max, Cory, Ben and I hit up the Top Yough yesterday at around 450cfs for some high adventure thrills (especially in Cory's case). Anyway, I cut the raw footage into a pretty decent video. Check 'er out:



For those who don't know, the Top Yough is a section of the Youghiogheny near Sang Run, Maryland, right at Swallow Falls state park and only 1 hour from Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. It's a class IV or V kayak run (depends who you ask and how much water there is) that has lots of excellent boofs and one really amazing slide.

By the way, the staff video camera is up for grabs for any responsible staff member who wants to shoot some video. We can even hook you up with editing software.

Lou

Hi Kids, First, congrats to Kaila for nabbing the First Blog Post. She even included an instructional YouTube video starring herself. That's usually the kind of egomaniacal narcissism only I can manage. Anyhoo, we recently had a streak of warm weather. Rather than lament the snowmelt, we decided to embrace it and took to the creeks. Drew and I ran the Big Sandy one morning. We were expecting mid sixes on the gauge, so we were susprised to find that the creek was running at a juicy 7 feet. As it turned out, there was nothing so scary about 7 feet. We did read'n'run and standard lines in all the rapids except Zoom Flume and First Island; those two we scouted. The line for ZF was the same, just way punchier and a lot more fun. First Island was a good choice to scout too: there was a sweet variation down the left side that avoided the mayhem. Sure, there was the occassional nasty pour-over, and Big Splat looked munchy enough to eat a bus, or even Kirstie Alley, but from now on I'll get excited, not intimidated, when I see the Sandy at 7ft. That afternoon Seth and I did Meadow. That was also a lot higher than we expected, which led to us running the Cascades about 6 inches apart. At 7-foot-falls, we got out on the left and scouted. We decided the only good line was a sneak far right, and there was wood in the only viable ferry move. So we made the ballsy decision to walk around. On the portage I found a Teva sandal I had lost during the '05 training season. Lesson learned: at high water, scout from the right bank. The next morning Scoville, BT, Seth, and I fired up Fikes. I had an awesome run, which is how I describe any Fikes run where I make it through the Room of Doom upright (no matter how much bracing I end up doing). I have the next two days off and I really want to shoot some video for my next post. Let's hope weather, water levels, and boating partners cooperate. Lou

Since 1977 about 3,000,000 people have run the Lower Yough. Which is a class 3 section of whitewater located in the Laurel Highlands of Southwestern Pennsylvania. And most of those adventurous folks took on the infamous Dimple Rapid! So what is the big deal about Dimple Rapid? And is it REALLY that hard to run?




Simply put: NO! Dimple Rock is actually one of the easier rapids on the Lower Yough to run as long as you can follow a few simple tips here. First off - if this is your first time rafting you may want to have a guide in your raft to help navigate you through the rapids, teach you about white water and hopefully keep most of you in the raft!! However, if you are up for the high adventure trips and want to take on the rapids yourselves - try these tips to make it through this rapid upright!

1.)  PATIENCE! This rapid is not about having the strongest people paddling full force and punching through a hole - it is about finesse. Start by lining up your raft about 10 feet off the left hand shore line. (note: the lower the water - the farther left you need to be.

2.) ITS ALL ABOUT THE ANGLE. Having the right angle on this rapid is a must! Have your raft pointed to the right at about a 2 o'clock angle (thinking of Dimple Rock at 12 o'clock)

3.) PATEINCE!! Once you a lined up correctly - just relax

4.) MISS PINBALL! The nature of the rapid is for all the water to run right into dimple rock - your job is to split the gap between dimple and pinball rock. However, Pinball Rock gets its name for a reason: Hit Pinball - Bounce off - Hit Dimple - and BAM your in the drink!!

5.) ok now... PADDLE!! Once you are almost lined up with pinball start paddling! and Paddle Hard!!

6.) Celebrate! You have made it through Dimple Rapid!! (note: stop celebrating before you hit "wash over rock".

The Lower Yough is a great river - and Dimple Rock is probably one of the best rapids on the East Coast. Although it is notorious for flipping rafts completely over - you can make it through upright pretty easily too!