Rolling on the River

OAC Goes White-Water Rafting

On Saturday Oct. 25th, I joined the outdoor activities club (OAC) for a white-water rafting trip at the Ohiopyle trading post and river tours on the lower Youghiogheny River. For only $10, you could sign up and get a $95 value with equipment and a wetsuit provided. 

The weather that day was nice at first glance: it was a chilly autumn day, but the sun was out and made it bearable. That was until we actually got onto the rafts and the sun receded behind the clouds. For the rest of the rafting trip, it was overcast, and the cold was more intense than usual because we were partially wet for the whole trip. 

We carpooled there. My friend, Naomi Forsyth, freshman education major, was the one to bring us. We had each packed a bag with a change of clothes, shoes, and other necessities for the trip.

Initially, we arrived at the Ohiopyle trading post and river tours rental building at 11 a.m. like planned, but some of the people who had signed up were late, so we did not start the rafting trip until 11:30 a.m. The rafting took place on the lower Youghiogheny River, where you could find only lower-level three and four rapids made for beginners and intermediate rafters. 

Ohiopyle is known for its beautiful hikes and trails along the Youghiogheny River, such as the Cucumber Trail. In addition, the town of Ohiopyle offers different places to stay, eat, or rent bikes. Everything is very near and close to each other, making it easy for tourists and hikers to navigate the area and enjoy their trips. 

Once we got there, we met our guides at the rental shop: three different guides for three different rafts, and they provided us with wetsuits and instructions. They separated us into three groups: two groups of five and one group of four. I was a part of a group of four along with my two friends. Our guide was named Jack. He had been rafting for the whole season and told us that we were his last group of rafters of the season. 

We started our journey at the bottom of Ohiopyle Falls, located right next to the town. Our guide briefly explained the different safety rules and the proper ways to sit on the raft: which is to sit on the edge of it, not on the actual seat, because it could propel you out of the raft if the rapids are too bumpy. 

Three different commands: The first was “all forward,” meaning all of us had to paddle forward at once. The second command was “backpaddle,” meaning we had to simultaneously paddle backwards. Finally, there was a command about paddling forward but only for those on the left side and paddling backwards for those on the right side, though I don’t remember the exact name of that command. Our guide had us practice these commands a few times before starting our journey down the river. That day, we travelled 7.5 miles downstream.

We felt the chill of the weather as soon as we set off for our first rapid, a level-three rapid named the Entrance Rapid. One of the other rafts got stuck in the first rapid, and they had a hard time paddling rhythmically. Most of the rapids were part of Category Three, which is on the lower, less dangerous side, but we had three that were level four, which is the second-highest and most dangerous level: Dimple Rock, Double Hydraulic, and Bottle Of Wine. Each of the rapids is usually named after a specific rock with a unique shape, such as Dimple Rock because of a big rock that juts out of the water like a dimple. My favorite rapid had to be Bottle of Wine because it was a very splashy, swirly, and fun rapid. 

Our guide was experienced, and we rarely got stuck during our trip. Often, he was the one to help the other rafters who got stuck. Once, he even ended up swimming to his colleagues’ raft to unstick them, and our raft started drifting away, so we had to paddle back to the second raft where our guide was waiting. 

However, the poor weather we had during our rafting trip made the experience very cold and a little difficult. I was not too cold at first because I had layers and a wetsuit, but my shoes were very wet and by the end of the trip, my toes were numb. 

Halfway through the trip, we stopped by a small camping/rest area where a large picnic table was placed, and our guides provided us with some snacks (granola bars, chips, fruit snacks) and water. It was a nice moment to rest and relax our aching muscles. 

By then, we only had an hour left in our trip. Right next to us was a very large rock people could jump from, usually when it’s warmer outside. The river in that particular area was about 15 feet deep with one small section that had a hole that went up to 18 feet deep. 

Two of the outdoor club members were brave enough to jump from the rock despite the cold water and happily continued the rafting trip. 

At the end, we had to carry the rafts up a small hill and to the cars and put our paddles in the designated trunk. We all hopped into the minivan and the heater was on full blast. It was a 15-minute drive from the original starting point.

In the end, it was a successful trip where no one fell into the water (unwillingly) or got hurt. Our guide was very kind and taught us a couple of new things about the area and rafting in general (for example: there is a biking trail that connects Pittsburgh to Washington). 

The experience overall was very rewarding, and I’m glad that I got to experience it despite the cold weather.  

For more information about the next OAC adventure or to join the club, contact Brian Root, club adviser, at bkr5@pitt.edu.