River Kayaking the Youghiogheny River Deep Creek Lake
I was taking my weekly hike at Swallow Falls State Park this weekend trying to photograph the beautiful waterfalls when I stumbled upon a very exciting scene. I have always known that there is a put-in for kayaks by the bridge but never was there to see someone come through Swallow Falls. My experience with water sports revolves elusively around the ocean and the lake up to this point, so it really got my adrenaline flowing knowing these guys were going to bomb this violent waterfall on kayaks.
There were three guys paddling my way very casually without apprehension of the raging waters and dramatic elevation change ahead. The lead kayaker set his line for the center chute and paddled into its smooth channel at the top of the falls aggressive and calculated. His speed started racing with the bottleneck of the water flow as he was catapulted into the raging falls and for a moment was submerged by fierce white water. It wasn’t long before he accelerated out of the powerful rapids to the calm swirling pool below.
The other two guys came through with the same intensity as the first and they all casually glided down the Youghiogheny River until they vanished from my site. My love for Deep Creek Lake sports has already been long since established but now I have a fire burning in me to try my hand at river kayaking. I think it may be a wise decision for me to take baby steps far away from raging Swallow Falls!
