Whitewater Merit Badge… Ohiopyle is the perfect location
Ohiopyle has long been a scouters high adventure destination. In fact, it was through scouting that our founders, Lance and Lee Martin came to Ohiopyle and founded Wilderness Voyageurs. Today, we are the largest provider of scout high adventure programs in the mid-atlantic. One of the most popular programs that we offer for Boy Scouts in Ohiopyle is the Whitewater Merit Badge. It involves two days of in depth instruction, utilizing three different whitewater crafts, and three different sections of the Youghiogheny River.
You will need a prerequisite merit badge in the form of a Canoeing Merit Badge. Even though you can have either a Kayaking Merit Badge or a Canoeing Merit Badge to qualify for the program, we ask that you have the Canoeing Merit Badge due to the demands of the first day on the river.
Finding the Clean Line!
Meet at Wilderness Voyageurs main campus, get issued your safety equipment, enjoy a safety briefing and hop on the bus to the Middle Yough put-in. Day one of the program is in two person canoes. The group will be paddling down the Middle Yough. Once there, you will grab your paddles and canoes and hit the water. Down stream you will find class I and II rapids where you will practice paddle strokes, rescues, reading rapids, and, most importantly, have fun.
Day two will be spent in and around Ohiopyle. The first part of the day will be spent in the wonderful whitewater class room that is Z rapid. A class II-III rapid with multiple chutes and a big gentle pool at the bottom, it provides a wide variation of challenge and opportunity for the novice and intermediate paddler. Get ready to wet exit, eddy turn, attain, and paddle hard!
Boy Scouts Learning to Kayak
Ducking it Up!
After lunch it will be time to hop on a duckie, an inflatable sit on top kayak, and paddle the Loop. For a complete overview of the duckie, check out our duckie video.
The Loop is the first mile and half of the Lower Yough, and consists of seven class II-III rapids. Starting just below Ohiopyle Falls and ending just before the high bridge, this section is a wonderful way to finish off an amazing two day adventure.
In addition to the scouts earning a truly unique merit badge, we hope to turn them into whitewater enthusiasts and maybe even a few will become river guides.
Looking forward to having your troop down to Ohiopyle and on the river with us!
Stop in and chat with us if you are in the area and want to know more about this really great program.
Read about other Merit badges in Ohiopyle..
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Benjamin Scoville