7 August 2022
Middle Yough 3.0 dropping to 2.86
Four of us, Lisa L, Rich C, Alan G, and John S. ran the middle Youghiogheny from the Ramcat access point to Ohiopyle PA. We were two K1s and 2 OC1s. We had lots of water. All paddled elegantly.
We arrived after driving through driving rain, real tropical stuff, and set up camp on wet ground while dodging raindrops. Saturday night we dined at River’s Edge Café in Confluence, also a mellow looking B&B, easily accessible from the GAP Trail. We had stuffed rainbow trout, grilled chicken with roasted peppers, spinach, and artichoke hearts, and the special, Delmonico steak with sauteed mushrooms. My chopped beet and mixed greens salad was exceptional. All dishes were reported as excellent. We were seated in a corner of the front porch and lingered long after supper to enjoy the evening as it got dark. Borrowing Mac Thornton’s convention, three paddles. Reservations are a good idea.
We camped at Youghiogheny Outflow campground in Confluence, a functional but compact and crowded campground. Their trees need 20 more years. It was hot and stuffy for the Laurel Highlands and the noise of the dam outflow was noticeable through the night. Bring a thick pad or a cot for your sleeping bag and note that Sunday through Thursday will be more pleasant than Friday and Saturday. This morning we came on a familiar looking green and orange Hahn C1 tied to a roof rack near the entrance kiosk but its owner was not to be seen.
The riverbank flowers showed the progress of summer. The late season tall yellow composites were out, lance-leaf rudbeckia, wingstem, and a woodland sunflower. Dusty purple Joe Pye weed was the dominant flower and was visited by two different types of swallowtail butterflies. It was a relief to see so many butterflies after the poor season last year. Jolting red cardinal flower was common with a few spots of a blue species (siphilitica?) and I spotted a few patches of bright purple ironweed on islands. Royal ferns dominated stretches of the bank with their coarse pale green fronds.
From Lisa L: It's a beginner river, often the first one people run when they're learning to paddle. Because we had a lot of water, there was less maneuvering, a lot fewer eddies, and some bigger waves than at 2'. There were some good surfing waves in the first 1/3 but we didn't play, and there weren't a lot of service eddies for the waves. We saw ducklings playing in the water, butterflies on the wildflowers, and a bald eagle flew over so low we could practically feel the wings flap. You're paddling through big mountains, so the views ahead and behind as the river turns are great.
The 2nd to the last rapid, Elephant Rock, is easy and open on the right but has a choice of narrow twisty chutes on the left which are more Class 3. The last rapid after the official takeout, Z Turn, splits around an island. The left side is wide and open but can range from too scrapey to run at low water pretty to kinda big and bouncy at 3'. On the right you need to make a sharp right turn behind an upstream rock in front of a large boulder with a lot of current pillowing up on it, then come down a little and make a sharp left turn toward the center to avoid rocks and holes. I'd call it a solid Class 3 at 3'. Since I'd never run it this high, I swung the boat into a ferry and ferried across the waves so I wouldn't get blown downstream into the rock. All of that happens much slower with less push at 2', and there's more of a smooth path for the right-hand turn.
After paddling, we returned to camp, walked across the bridge to Lucky Dog, and dined on two different half-pound hamburgers and a wrap. All excellent. A single order of hand-cut French fries was shared and more than enough for the table. We abused the drink refill policy to rehydrate after a hot day on the water. Again, we lingered after eating to enjoy the cool air conditioning. Next visit, tacos.
The Middle Yough is not a challenging run, no more difficult really than the Violettes Lock loop. But it remains beautiful and unpopulated. There is a big different between fitting in two hours of paddling on a Sunday morning before getting on with the day and having most of a weekend dedicated to being out in the woods paddling. Many of us have significant history at the Youghiogheny dating back decades. Visiting it again this weekend was a pleasant reminder of the joys of a favorite place since 1980.
John Snitzer