Ohiopyle guide Josh in New Zealand!
How to be an whitewater raft guide… in 2 countries?!
Photo credit: Nicky Kovach
Take a stroll down Garrett Street in Ohiopyle, PA or take a whitewater rafting trip in Ohiopyle, and you’ll meet a Wilderness Voyageurs raft guide or two. They’re smiley, they’re friendly and they’re probably downright interesting!
To be a raft guide in Ohiopyle is physically demanding and requires a keen sense of river safety and people skills. For most guides, the end of the rafting season is a time to recoup and relax before going back to work or back to school for the remaining year.
Meet one of Wilderness Voyageurs’ trip leaders and kayak instructors, Mr. Josh Dickey. When September rolls around, Josh says good-bye to the Yough, Ohiopyle and the United States and hello to the Kaituna River on North Island, New Zealand!
Whitewater rafting on the world’s flipside
Photo credit: Nicky Kovach
Josh has given a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘chasing summer.’ Because New Zealand is located in the globe’s Southern Hemisphere, as Ohiopyle’s fall transitions to winter, NZ’s spring is fast turning into summer. This convenient contradiction in seasons means Josh has currently not seen a winter in five full years!
Over those five years, Josh has amassed unforgettable memories but one sticks out above the rest. “The first time I guided a raft over Tutea Falls on the Kaituna was a moment I’ll never forget. It’s 21 feet tall and it was the first time I was completely vertical in a raft. When I came over, I totally forgot what I was supposed to do and got ripped out the back of the boat!” #amazingpeopleproblems
An apple in the Kiwi bowl
‘Getting down’ at Tutea Falls in NZ!
While guides often choose a second location for the other half of the seasonal work year, Josh said NZ offers such a different landscape both on off the water. “Everything is pretty dynamic here… deep green vegetation, narrow gorges with severely boxed in walls, pristine blue water. The Appalachians have their own beauty and it’s very different.”
Living, guiding and kayaking in NZ and has been an eye-opening cultural experience for Josh. He talks about how Kiwis put far less emphasis on material possessions than in American culture. “People have a lot less here so there’s a huge focus on community here. There’s only one bar and one store here, period… so living near people and with people means being really close both in proximity and friendship.”
Besides wearing his “100% American” hat while guiding his guests down the Class IV rapids of the Kaituna, Josh also enjoys incorporating American pastimes into his kayaking! #smallthingsBIGWATER
Video Credit: Bram Peeters
Despite living half the year in what many visitors have called paradise, Josh says he appreciates the beauty of Appalachians, the diversity in its river runs and the Wilderness Voyageurs family more and more as the years pass. “Wilderness Voyageurs and Ohiopyle is its own paradise. It’s hard to beat having the loop right there in Ohiopyle and it’s so much fun hanging out with the WV crew, who are always up to shenanigans!”
Photo credit: Nicky Kovach
Though Josh started guiding in the Southeast, on the Ocoee, and has now lived and worked in other countries, he says Ohiopyle has the total package to make a summer “I think WV is one of the best places to work in the world. You get to work on many different rivers in many different capacities: the Lower, the Cheat, the Upper, the Savage, raft guiding, kayak instruction… It’s just nice to switch it up frequently!”
Want to catch footballs while paddling awesome whitewater? Learn to kayak in Ohiopyle with Josh for guaranteed laughs while you learn new skills and gain confidence in your boat!
Want to hear more about Josh’s crazy year? Request him as your guide this summer in Ohiopyle or for a raft trip down the Upper Yough, Class V whitewater in Maryland!
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Blog content was written by Tara Nathan.
If in Ohiopyle, stop in and see us at Wilderness Voyageurs, 103 Garrett Street, Ohiopyle, PA 15470
Or give us a call at 1-800-272-4141
#ohiopyle