Whitewater rafting on the Lower Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania.

Crashing through the rapids, I spun my kayak around and waited for Hawk to follow. I saw him through the spray just as he slammed into the rock fully broadside and rolled. By the time the hydraulic had spit out his kayak and paddle, he had managed to climb up on the rock where he sat, looking very much like a drowned rat. Now I understood why he had been so uneasy about running the river.

We had only intended to spend the weekend scouting out the area around Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, but our little camping trip turned out to be quite an experience. It all started when I missed our exit off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. After getting off at the next exit, we looked at the map and discovered that with a minor detour we could bag Mt. Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania. We made a few wrong turns, but eventually we reached our goal. Actually, we almost missed it! Mt. Davis turned out to be barely discernable from the other rolling hills, and if it hadn't been for the prominent signs, we would have driven right past it.

Driving on, we were surprised to pass a large cave right by the side of the road. Quickly coming to a stop along the road, we excitedly investigated as far as we could until our way was blocked by a sturdy steel bar gate. The cave was about twenty feet wide by fifteen feet high, and because it ran straight into the hillside, we decided that it must have been part of an old mining operation. Leaving the damp, chilly cave behind, we finally arrived at the busy little town of Ohiopyle, located along the banks of the Youghioheny River and headquarters for a number of whitewater rafting companies. The lower Youghioheny (pronounced "yok-a-hay-nee") is class III to IV overall and can be run by intermediate-level boaters.

Before investigating town, we drove on to the State Campground and were lucky enough to get the very last campsite, along with a stern lecture about making reservations the next time. Not that it would have made any difference. There are plenty of other campgrounds in the area, and I'm sure we could have found a place to stay for the night. We quickly set up our tent and then set out for the cave that Hawk remembered visiting years ago. A few miles down the road, we did indeed pass signs directing us to Laurel Caverns, but first we made a quick stop at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, a restored fort dating from the French and Indian War era. It was fairly interesting, but a bit too low key for us, so we didn't spend much time there. Besides, the hot sun was about to bake our brains, so off to the cave we went.

We checked out the Laurel Caverns visitor center, intending only to get information for a return trip, but after discovering that we could explore part of the cave by ourselves, I convinced Hawk to give it a shot. After grabbing our flashlights from the car, we entered the bowels of the cave. We followed the suggested route on our maps but became lost in short order. I was having a great time squeezing through tiny passages and doing belly crawls face down in the small streams, the roofs of the passages only about eighteen inches high. By sheer blind luck, we ended up near the entrance and, after a short break, we headed back down, only this time I led Hawk down an extremely steep, tight passage that led back into the main passage. Or so I thought. While we did indeed come out into a large passage, it was not the one I was aiming for. We looked at the map, turned it around, looked again, decided the way out was to the right, and off we went. Of course, the passage quickly narrowed and eventually pinched out. No problem; now we knew exactly where we were. So back we went, only this time we climbed over a large breakdown and started down an almost vertical passage. I didn't have much trouble negotiating the climb down, but Hawk couldn't find a single handhold and retreated to the safety of the upper passage. I had discovered a small arrow pointing the way out, but since Hawk couldn't climb down, I had to climb back up. We retraced our footsteps back to where the map indicated a passage into the main passage, but we couldn't spot it. Back and forth we went, searching for a way out. I was getting rather thirsty and frustrated, primarily since I didn't want to have to be rescued like a common touron. Hawk had become so worried he could only stare at me in fear when I asked his opinion about a likely route out of the cave. After several nerve-wracking hours of investigating every dead-end passage in the cave, we finally stumbled upon the passage we were seeking, right beneath our noses. A minor squeeze and there we were, right at the bottom of the main entrance. It was getting fairly late in the afternoon, and we had enough caving for one day, so we made our way to the visitor center, turned in our helmets, and headed back to the campground for a well-deserved shower and dinner.

Our route back to the campground went right past the offices of the rafting outfitters, so we stopped to pick up a few brochures. I was surprised to see that most of the outfitters offered trips in one-man kayaks in addition to the standard four-man rafts. Since Hawk had already run the river in a raft, I convinced him that we could do it in the kayaks. After our adventure in the cave I was surprised he would even talk to me, much less agree to another of my "good ideas". With a little social engineering, I managed to get us in with a party of eight that was launching at eight o'clock the next morning. We would be the first group out on the river, and I was eagerly looking forward to a great experience. On the way back to camp, Hawk didn't say very much, but I figured he was just tired from the long drive and the adventure in the cave.

Back at camp, we took long hot showers and managed to scrub off all the cave dirt. While we made dinner, Hawk started telling me about his previous experience rafting the Youghioheny and before too long he had me convinced that I wouldn't survive our trip the next day. Although I have plenty of experience canoeing, I have also experienced the terrible power of water. Many years ago, my brother-in-law and I nearly met our Maker on an ill fated canoe trip. After safely negotiating a long rapids, we came around a sharp bend in the river, straight into a huge river-spanning pile of logs and brush. Frantically paddling for shore, we were within a paddle stroke of safety when the canoe was caught in the powerful grip of the river. The canoe was immediately spun broadside into the logjam and tipped, almost filling with water. I had leaned upstream in an attempt to prevent the canoe from going under, but the impact with the logjam had flung my brother-in-law out the downstream side. The water was moving so fast that he was nearly swept under, but fortunately he managed to grab on to the logs. As I turned to pull him to safety, the canoe rolled and immediately filled with water. Within seconds, the enormous water pressure had pushed the canoe against the logjam so hard that the logs had punched holes through the fiberglass canoe. Somehow, we managed to free the canoe and drag it into the shallows. Badly shaken by our close call, we hauled the damaged canoe several miles back upstream to our truck. We were later able to repair the canoe, but it was quite a while before either one of us ventured out on the river again. And now here I was, actually paying for the privilege of facing an even nastier river!

The campground was rather noisy, but somehow we managed to get to sleep. More importantly, we managed to get up in time to break down camp and get to the outfitters on time. Hawk and I waited while the other folks received instructions, and then it was off to the river. Since Hawk and I were in much more maneuverable kayaks, we were instructed to be the first ones through most of the rapids on the trip. The first rapids were fun and we all made it, except for one person who fell out of his raft in the calm water. Having experience at reading a river, I was able to negotiate the rapids with little difficulty. Hawk, on the otherhand, was having nothing but trouble.

I was usually the first one through, so I would shoot through, spin around, and watch the others as they came through. Hawk made the first few rapids by the skin of his teeth but finally lost it and got dumped. He managed to stay with his kayak, and was able to get back in without too much difficulty, but he had lost his nerve. There was no turning back at this point, and it was with a great deal of luck that he managed to make it through the following rapids. With one more nasty rapids to go before our lunch stop, the guide had the rafts go first. After they had all more-or-less successfully run the rapids, it was my turn. While this rapids did require a little more finesse, it wasn't much more difficult than any of the previous ones we had run. Unfortunately, Hawk got a little out of position and the river didn't hesitate to slam him up against the huge rock in the middle. The impact threw him part-way out of the kayak and, losing his paddle, he somehow managed to scramble out of the fiercely rushing river and onto the rock. The guide was waiting and caught the kayak and paddle as they went by, then shouted for Hawk to jump in. Hawk didn't move. I could tell exactly what he was thinking - "Jump in?! You must be crazy!" After some hesitation, and having no other choice, he did as instructed and was shortly reunited with his kayak. Fortunately, lunch was quick in coming, and he had a chance to calm down.

The remaining rapids were of little consequence, and before we knew it, we were at the end of our trip. Although the river was only running at a class III level, we still had a great time. After hauling our kayaks up the steep trail and loading them on the truck, we rode in exhausted silence back to our car. We changed out of our wet clothing, chatted with a couple of babes, and finally hopped in the car and took off for home.

Mount Davis Natural Area - At 3,213 feet, Mt. Davis is the lowest of the closely-bunched state highpoints that dot the Appalachians and is the summit of 30-mile-long Negro Mountain (which has been P.C.'d from its earlier name). According to legend, the name reflects a resident who was slain by Indians while attempting to rescue a white party. Mt. Davis itself is named for the man who surveyed it. The summit is punctuated by frost-heave rock formations, in which rock is thrust upward at the center of concentric circles.

Fort Necessity National Battlefield - Colonial troops, commanded by Colonel George Washington, then 22 years old, were defeated here in the opening battle of the French and Indian War on July 3, 1754. This battle began a seven year struggle between Great Britain and France for control of North America and helped pave the way for the American Revolution. Fort Necessity National Battlefield is located in southwestern Pennsylvania about 11 miles east of Uniontown. The park comprises approximately 900 acres in three separate sites. The main unit contains the visitor center, the reconstructed Fort Necessity and the Mount Washington Tavern. The Braddock Grave unit is approximately 1.5 miles west of the main unit, and the Jumonville Glen unit is approximately seven miles northwest of the main unit.

Laurel Caverns - Laurel Caverns contains almost three miles of passageways and is unique in that it is a true catacomb cavern -- carved by streams, it has no traditional cave formations. It’s the only Pennsylvania show cave to offer wild cave tours and, while you need the stamina and strength to shimmy up rock chimneys and pull yourself through low, muddy passages, you don’t need to be a card-carrying spelunker.

Services at Ohiopyle - The Lower Youghiogheny River is a fantastic whitewater trip for the adventurous and experienced river runner. The river twists and turns for seven miles through numerous challenging Class III-IV rapids such as Cucumber Falls, Dimple Rock, and River's End. A launch permit is required on weekends and holidays, but walk-ins are always welcome. See the hawks soar overhead and enjoy the beauty of the most popular whitewater river in the East.