To: bovik@CS.CMU.EDU, houghton@CS.CMU.EDU, hickman@CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: Whitewater rafting info
Reply-to: anurag.acharya@CS.CMU.EDU
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 92 15:36:25 -0400
Message-ID: <17324.708896185@DRAVIDO.SOAR.CS.CMU.EDU>
From: Anurag_Acharya@DRAVIDO.SOAR.CS.CMU.EDU


		Phone numbers and other info.
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Commercial outfitters:
1. Laurel Highlands River tours           (800) 472-3846
2. Mountain Streams and Trails outfitters (800) 245-4090
3. Whitewater Adventurers 		  (800) 992-7238
4. Wilderness Voyageurs                   (800) 272-4141

Non-commercial:
American Youth Hostels organizes day long rafting trips which provide 
equipment and car pooling from and to Pittsburgh. The rates are much
lower than those offered  by the commercial outfitters.

address:
Pittsburgh Council
American Youth Hostels
6300 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15232
phone: 362-8181

For rafting info:
Jon Maiman      642-6900 (o), 441-2306 (h)
Linda Smithyman 434-6575 (o), 531-1868 (h)
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		comments and suggestions
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From: Garrett_Pelton@CENTRO.SOAR.CS.CMU.EDU

First you have to get a reservation on the river. You call the
Ohiopyle State Park at 412-329-8591.  You will need a set of hopefull
dates, and times. And the number of people you want to take. You will
have to send the state park $2.50 per person for the time slot
requested.  This cost is non-refundable. You will also be required to
buy a bus token for each person ($1.50) to get back up the hill at the
end of the day. This may be the best $1.50 you ever spent as the hill
is steep and about 2 miles long or so and carrying a raft up this
would be a bear.

There are several outfitters that you can rent from. I prefer
Youghiogheny Outfitters 412-329-3549. If you are familiar with
OhioPyle, then they are the group at the Dairy Queen right on the main
road. They are very friendly, and helpful and all the outfitting
places are competitively priced (~$30.00 for a 4 person raft I think).
BUT the best reason for picking them is that they are the closest to
the takeoff point. So you have to carry your raft the least distance.
This is a big win for me. They also have refunded money to me when the
occupants of a raft decided that they really didn't understand what
rafting the river would be like and got out after the first rapid.

The only question is whether they have the equipment you want to rent.
My guess is if it is a raft the answer is yes. More exotic equipment
you may have to shop around for. They unfortunately hand out the worst
maps of the river. So you may want to shop around for a different map.
Laurel Highlands Outfitters gives out nice maps but you have to carry
your raft about 2-3 times as far. I don't have their number.

The above is assuming that you do NOT want to go on a guided tour. I
really have no idea what the best guided tour place would be. Maybe
someone else can help you out here.
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From: Ben.Brown@IUS4.IUS.CS.CMU.EDU

You might want to contact the American Youth Hostels at 362-8181 or
Jon Maiman of AYH at 642-6900. They organize trips which are much
more reasonably priced than the rafting places. They can also tell
you about water conditions, etc.
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From: tsen@OZARK.EDRC.CMU.EDU

Try White Waters: (412) 329-8850 there are others, but the prices are pretty much the same (it's a oligopoly), and the services are also the same (unless you are looking for something very special).

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From: Juan.Leon@SHELLEY.SP.CS.CMU.EDU

  One of the rafting places is Wilderness Voyageurs, 1-800-272-4141.
It's the best of the two I've tried.