Taking the Plunge: Kayakers on the Yough Deserve More Freedom
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
25 August 2010
In a world where litigation and controversy stalk every potentially
dangerous situation, officials of all sorts naturally tend to take the
safe and timid course in deciding what to allow. That may seem
sensible, but it doesn't do anything for the spirit of adventure.
The good news is that the spirit of adventure lives. It has found an
official sponsor at Ohiopyle State Park, where the timid way had long
prevailed.
Just once a year, the bravest and most skilled kayakers have been
allowed to plunge over the 18-foot Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny
River in an annual festival, which was held this past weekend. Now,
thanks to a recent ruling by the state Bureau of Parks, every day will
be a festival of sorts for the intrepid paddlers through Sept. 12.
Congratulations to all concerned. The concession to the daredevil
paddlers is only a pilot program, but it is what American Whitewater, a
nonprofit group, has long sought. If all goes well, it will make the
argument that adventure and thrills are compatible with public use of
the river.
Sensible restrictions will be in place. Kayakers are not allowed to run
the falls solo; they must be accompanied by two others who can stand
watch in the water or land in case assistance is needed. Runs are
permitted from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, but not if the water
becomes dangerously high. No rental boats are allowed; officials don't
want paddlers who just decide to run the river on the spur of the
moment.
If experience shows that this is a bad idea, then the pilot program can
be discontinued. The white water of the Youghiogheny deserves respect,
but the falls can be navigated by people who know what they are doing.
They deserve a chance to prove it -- and officials are right to give
them that chance.