Lower Yough and Cincy Paddlers

Had a great trip to the Lower Yough this past weekend….15 brave souls showed up for an awesome weekend in PA. I ran the lower section just below the falls on Saturday with Cincy Paddlers, one of the largest paddling groups in the country. We camped at Tall Oaks Campgrounds and despite our rather loud neighbors with their 2 am firework show it was the perfect campground.

With the heavy rains the level on Friday was at 3.6 feet compared to normal levels of 1.8 for this time of year. 9 boaters out of our group arrived on Friday in time to run the loop section of the lower and had a blast! The rest of us ran the entire lower section on Saturday with levels dropping to 2.5 from Friday’s 3.6. This was my first time on the Lower Yough and I have to say, the group that I ran with was nothing short of amazing. We broke into two groups to make things more manageable and our trip leaders were great. Very knowledgeable of the river and every rapid we ran. Scott Puthoff did an in- creditable job in organizing this trip from planning times to run to setting everything up at the camp ground and everything in-between. Bud Chavez was the trip leader for my group and knows just about every inch of that river!

Both groups met up at Swimmers Rapid for surfing and lunch as well as some comical video commentary. Saturday night we had a pot luck feast that was big enough for an army. Anything from burgers and dogs to pasta salad, chips, desert, corn on the cob, and so much more….a feast for a king! With bellies full and muscles tired from the days paddle we laughed as we watched some of the GoPro Video we shot….good times.

I paddled my Super Hero while others paddled similar sized boats. I have to say, with having lower back surgery last November, over all my back held out pretty well. I did have some stiffness and pain but nothing a few beers couldn’t fix. I did want to point out that the back band in the Super Hero was a key factor in providing the lumbar support I needed to make this paddle as comfortable as possible….thanks JK for an awesome boat!

Some people stayed on Sunday to run either the loop or the entire lower section again but I had to take off early due to family commitments back in Ohio. All in all an awesome weekend…I can’t wait to go back!