View Single Post
Old 01-09-2023, 09:02 PM   #3
Ambridger
Senior Member
 
Ambridger's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Ambridge, PA
Posts: 250
Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts
TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0
Default

So, here we go … another year in review … I really do enjoy doing these, as it gives me a chance to look back on the fun we had, and start to look forward to the coming year.

Late in 2021 I saw advertisement for a race on the Red Moshannon Creek. Now I had never heard of the Red Moshannon, and really had no idea where it was or what it was like. I figured some of our more die-hard kayakers or canoers might be up for a challenge, so I shared the advertisement on the internet. By the time the Procrastinators Party rolled around, folks had been researching the event on the internet, and there was a good bit of chatter about it at the party. One night, as I sat on the couch watching YouTube videos of the race, Jodi looked over at the screen to see what I was watching. I explained it was this race out in central Pennsylvania. After watching a few minutes of video, Jodi said, “You’re not doing that?” … I told her I was thinking about it, and she explained she wasn’t asking me a question with that statement. What she meant was, “You’re not doing that.” Well, the more I watched, the more I convinced myself that I could probably handle the “Red Mo”. Well, skip ahead a couple months into late March, and Jodi and I, Mike and Jess, and Jim Keenan were all headed east into the mountains of Pennsylvania. On race day, the temperature hovered near the freezing mark, and racers built fires in the woods, surrounding the starting point. I believe there were over 100 participants gathered enjoying the brisk mountain air. Soon after getting on the water, the action began, and was near continuous for the 7.5 mile length of the race; there were plenty of class ones, and a handful of somewhat technical class 2s … maybe approaching class 3. Any way ya looked at it, I was on water that was pushing the limits of my skill level. And I guess you don’t really know your limits until you push them. During the race, it rained, it sleeted, it snowed a near white-out, and the sun even came out briefly; then it repeated that cycle a few times. I managed to stay upright through the length of the race, and avoided a cold swim. The worst part of it all was the take-out. After an intense 7.5 miles, we had to drag boats up a long, steep hillside to the road above. I will say, I enjoyed the experience, but I don’t need to repeat that one any time too soon.

My positive outcome (not swimming) on the Red Mo buoyed my confidence into my next trip, Pine Creek in the “Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania”. Burt Martin from the Allegheny Canoe Club has been doing this trip for years, and I signed-on at our planning meeting. Admittedly, I was nervous about the challenge of Pine Creek, and its notorious Owassee and Split Rock rapids. Again I turned to YouTube and studied videos and read all I could find about floating Pine Creek. The outfitter up there even provided a crib sheet for negotiating the rapids. The weather for late April was fine enough to not need multiple layers, and there were plenty of folks hitting the water, both in private groups and via the outfitter. Owassee lived up to the hype; as I turned the bend and entered the wash, the kayak bucked up and down. Right at Owassee, there were a set of hay-stack waves that had to be four feet tall when you were in the trough. There was a crowd gathered on the rocks cheering folks on (and surely waiting for carnage) like it was a high school football game. I made it through, with waves crashing over me, but the yak filled with enough water to necessitate a stop to pump out the boat. This was the first time I had ever used a splash deck cover, and I’m certain it was helpful in keeping out water and keeping in warmth. Pine Creek lived up to my expectations and was a fun run, and provided spectacular scenery.

In mid May, Jodi and I took the nephews to the lake at Raccoon Creek State Park to get them some experience soloing in their own kayaks, preparing for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. They did great, and the weather was nice enough for a dip at the swim beach, even though the swimming area had not yet officially opened for the season.

The weekend of Memorial Day took us to both Tionesta Creek and the Clarion River. Being the holiday weekend, there were plenty of folks out enjoying the streams. The campground at Cook Forest was full, which made camping a little less pleasant, but it was still “the great outdoors”. Both trips were enjoyable, and my nephews did well on moving waters.

Somehow we failed to paddle in June, but we made up for it in July. A trip that we were able to scratch off the bucket list was the XYZ rapids of the Clarion. Despite the low water of mid-summer, the Clarion was great. Another bucket lister was scratched with a stop at the famous Halton Hilton. A week later Jodi and her dad joined Dustin and the gang from the Allegheny Canoe Club on the Allegheny between Tionesta and President. This was a stretch of the river that we had not yet explored. And then a week later, we were back at President for another new-to-us section of the Allegheny, going down to Oil City. The much chronicled rapids at Oil City lived up to their hype. I think the water trail map suggests that less experienced adventurers portage the rapids, and that is probably sound advice, but our experienced crew made it through. The hiccup on this trip was the parade through town that delayed our drive back to President … but who doesn’t love a parade (besides tired kayakers). A stop at Mac’s Snax for food and ice cream was a perfect ending to another great trip. Jodi and I didn’t even get our boats wet at the club picnic, but it was a great way to wrap-up the busy month of July. If we head back to Pymatuning again this year, I hope we can stay and spend more time.

With all the activity of July, the trip that I was to lead in August snuck-up on me. We had four boats and six adventurous souls on the water out of Freeport (PA). We ventured up river and through lock #5 on the Allegheny. Locking-through was a first for all in attendance, but was not complicated, and was a smooth process. Studying videos on YouTube again was helpful. It was a hot day, and once we were far enough above the dam, we pulled into a shaded eddy and spent some time swimming. The skies were threatening as we neared our turn-around, but aside from a little drizzle, the trip was a success.

The Foxburg run is always a crowd pleaser, and this year was no different. This trip gave me the opportunity to introduce my father’s cousin, Don, to kayaking. He, not unlike myself, is a non-swimmer. The calm water between Emlenton and Parker is a great stretch for beginners, and the stop at Foxburg breaks up the trip with a pleasant stop for lunch. While Don enjoyed the adventure, his wife confirmed that she did not have the kayaking bug.

September brought our annual pilgrimage to the Buckaloons, up in the “big woods” of the Allegheny National Forest. We always have a great time up there, and this year was no exception. We were able to get my brother and his gang to come up and join us. This was his first time camping outside his back yard, and his first time kayaking. My nephews and sister-in-law were encouraging my brother, after they had enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend adventures on the Tionesta and Clarion. We had one carnage at the Refinery Rapid, but it wasn’t a rooky, but one of our more experience paddlers. The gang got to use some of the skills they acquired at the Pymatuning safety training to assist the swimmer. We did break camp early again this year, as rain threatened to spoil the trip, however, all considered, it was another great trip up north.

When the Mentor Lagoons trip was cancelled, we did a spur-of-the-moment run on the Youghiogheny from Cedar Creek Park down to Sutersville. This trip is similar to the Foxburg run, in that the Yough is class 1 in this stretch, and that you can pull ashore in West Newton for lunch. My father-in-law, Dave, and his friend joined us, as did Jeff and Judy; who live out in that neck-of-the-woods. I think this could be a nice club trip in the future.

In October, we got to utilize the new launch at Lowellville for the first time. Lowellville put a lot of time and effort into the new launch, and it is a great asset to paddlers and the community. The trip down the mighty Mahoning and through the rapids was a fun fall trip.

We had never paddled in Mill Creek Park, so when the Newport trip came about, we broke-out the cold water gear and headed west. It was a blustery day with low temps and brisk winds, however it was still great to be out on the water. Jim Keenan lead the trip with JP, Jodi, and myself in attendance.

And finally, I opted to man the fire at Canoe City for the Chilly Chili Paddle. Jodi had flown the coup for the week to visit Texas, so I rode solo in the camp chair next to the fire, shooting the bull with the gang, while the other adventure seekers hit the water. A picnic at 30 degrees is still great fun, and a fine way to end the year.

We're looking forward to getting on some more new water this year, hitting some of the old favorites, helping some more new-bees find joy on the water, and hopefully getting out on the bicycles a little more. We’ve been lucky enough to stay “on” the water, and not “in” the water for a good while now (knocking on wood). We have expanded our fleet of boats. And we have enjoyed the friendship that many of you have extended to us during good times and bad. After I proof read this, I realized how long winded I was, but as I pointed out to Jodi, it was a busy year. Sorry for the length, but not for the great adventures that made this a busy year.
__________________
Properly worn life jackets save lives. Wear and fasten your PFD!

Last edited by Ambridger; 01-09-2023 at 09:35 PM.
Ambridger is offline   Reply With Quote