Upper Yough and Cheat Rivers in the Nirvana

I hadn’t been to the Upper Yough in…well…I don’t really want to say how many years. Let’s just say it’s been a very long time. I was not surprised when it proved to be as incredible as I remembered.

The weekend started at Fascination Alley on the Cheat, which is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go and now I just want to live there. Despite a leaky skirt it was an amazing sink session with some exceptional (literally world class) squirt boaters. The level was perfect and we sank for hours. I paddled my Whirld (Murky Water Kayaks) which always proves to be a good time.

Then it was off to Friendsville after spending the night in Morgantown. The put-in for the Upper Yough is an event in and of itself. It felt like there were hundreds of paddlers and just a great, relaxed vibe. I took my favorite boat, the Nirvana, and had an absolute blast paddling with friends from Richmond. After running the Upper a few of us ran the Top Yough. Incredible. I blew my line at Swallow Tail Falls, so I can’t wait to go back and redeem myself. The Nirvana is the best creek boat I’ve ever paddled. I’m 200+ pounds and do well in both the medium and large.

If you haven’t been, the Upper Yough and Cheat are worth the trip. Not only are the rivers amazing, the mountains are beautiful and the people friendly. There are also a lot of other places in the area to paddle if you have the time. Can’t wait to put my Nirvana on the truck and go back!