Twenty years ago, when the Girl Scouts organized a paddling excursion on the Allegheny, Kiskiminetas and Conemaugh rivers north of Pittsburgh, locals couldn’t understand why anyone would want to do it.
Many of them grew up being told by their parents to not even dip a toe in these waters, which once ran orange with mine drainage and other pollutants. But the first group trip showed that the rivers were cleaner and worth visiting.
Now, the 20th Alle-Kiski-Connie Rivers Sojourn is preparing to hit the waters again, exploring and promoting both the natural and manmade attractions in and around Armstrong County.
“We feel proud that we were able to get a destination started,” says Allan Walzak, one of the organizers of the tour, sponsored in part by the Armstrong County Tourist Bureau, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Organization of Watersheds and Rivers, and the American Canoe Association.
Mr. Walzak has been involved since the early days when he worked for the Strongland Chamber of Commerce, which took over the trip from the Girl Scouts. He continues to help run it on the board at the Armstrong Center for Community Learning, which operates the Crooked Creek Environmental Learning Center.
It’s the headquarters for a four-day outdoors journey that runs from May 18-21. Participants pay $125 a person, plus canoe rental if needed, for all four days, or $50 per day on just Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Overnighters can eat and bunk at the center, which has showers.
“If you get crayfish all over in the river, you can wash them off later,” Mr. Walzak says with a laugh.
This year’s itinerary starts May 18 with a free workshop for participants on river reading and paddling on Crooked Creek Lake. Then, over the next three days, the flotilla will cover 30 miles of waterways, with at least one interpretive program each day.
• May 19: Participants paddle down the Allegheny tributary of Red Bank Creek and stop at the site of the region’s earliest known Native American village, called Fish Basket, for an interpretive program by Ken Burkett from the Brookville Historical Society. After taking out in New Bethlehem, sojourners will be shuttled back to the Environmental Learning Center for a Thanksgiving feast -— turkey and all the trimmings -— and an evening river trivia contest. There also will be a program celebrating the Allegheny River being named the 2017 Pennsylvania River of the Year.
• May 20: The group will be shuttled to Robinson, on the Conemaugh, then paddle 12 miles — through rapids and past remnants of the Pennsylvania Canal — to a takeout in Blairsville. They’ll shuttle to Spring Church for a tasting and tour at Spring Church Winery before returning to camp — with takeout food from Clem’s BBQ Ribs and Chicken — for an evening program on the Pennsylvania Canal by Jack McGuire of the Saltsburg Historical Society.
• May 21: The paddle is 10 miles on Loyalhanna Creek and the Kiski, from the Loyalhanna Dam to Avonmore, to the Avonmore Polish National Alliance for dinner and the “Broken Paddle” and other awards. One will honor the memory of sojourn co-founder Kathie Males.
“We try to get the color of the community,” explains Mr. Walzak, who says the terrific food and other local flavor are a big part of why some people come every year.
The trip is limited to about 50 people, and there are only a few spots left. Once this trip fills up, the group will put names on a mailing list to receive information about next year’s sojourn. There are several other sojourns in Pennsylvania this season (see sidebar).
For more information and to register, visit www.AKCsojourn.org or call 724-543-2599.
Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.
First Published: April 29, 2017, 4:00 a.m.