National Outings Training Trip: Ohiopyle State Park 2024

Welcome

The National Outings Training Trip (NOTT) culminates the Sierra Club leadership training program. Participants on this trip will have completed the six-month Homeschool training program (open this link for more information about the program). 

After an applicant has been accepted into the program and prior to the start of the Homeschool training phase, an applicant, with the assistance of the Training Support Committee Co-chairs and Homeschool Mentor, will select an appropriate NOTT. 

Only active trainees in the Sierra Club National Outings Training Program may register for a NOTT, with the assistance of the Training Support Committee.

Located in the southern area of western Pennsylvania’s Laurel Ridge, Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania, encompasses approximately 20,500 acres of rugged, natural beauty, and serves as the gateway to the Laurel Highlands. Passing through the heart of the Park, the rushing waters of the Youghiogheny [yawki-gay-nee] River Gorge are its centerpiece. The “Yough” [yawk] provides some of the best kayaking and whitewater rafting in the eastern United States, as well as spectacular surrounding scenery.

Before European colonization, Ohiopyle’s land was inhabited by the Monongahela tribe, an indigenous people who engaged in the shell and fur trades. The Monongahela thrived between the years 1000–1600, but by 1630 their entire society had mysteriously vanished. In the absence of concrete evidence, many scholars do not attribute the Monongahela’s disappearance to Europeans’ arrival, as they had little-to-no contact with the settlers. Rather, it is believed they were driven out during an intense warring period with the Seneca Indians, who—along with the Shawnee and Lenni Lenape tribes—later occupied the territory during the 18th century. In fact, the name ‘Ohiopyle’ comes from the Lenni Lenape phrase “ohiopehhla,” which translates to “white, frothy water” in reference to the rapids. 

The areas’ rich history includes the periods from the pre-Revolution through industrialization to its current status as a must-visit tourist and outdoor-enthusiast attraction. 

The Trip: 

During each of four full-days of the field trip, the LOD teams will practice what they learned during the Homeschool phase as well as field training, and will lead all aspects of our trip for an entire day (with guidance from instructors). Training days are long and full, and the trip is physically and mentally demanding. In addition to typical trip activities, such as meal preparation and hikes, there will be breaks for in-depth group discussions and daily training exercises. These daily activities will provide trainees the opportunity to practice skills and think-through leadership situations that may occur on an actual trip; but, the practice of being the leader for the day is the heart of the training trip. 

Each day you will receive continuous feedback while hiking, during a nightly debrief, and detailed in a personal development plan at the end of the trip. Eventually, this training prepares you for a knowledgeable, working relationship with other Sierra Club leaders in the years ahead.

The goal is to build your skills and leadership ability, and to ensure ongoing support through mentors and other Sierra Club resources so that you confidently can lead Sierra Club trips to help others explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.

Day 1: Arrival and assemble the training group by 1 p.m at Pittsburgh International Airport. Please make travel arrangements to meet the group at that specific time. From the airport we will drive to our group campsite at Ohiopyle State Park. Once the campsite is set up, we will review the trip, set group norms, and address any remaining questions.

Days 2-5: Each day the contents of the Individual Development Plan will be reviewed to help trainees connect the homeschool lessons to the field training, and for trainees to self-evaluate progress.

Each day begins with breakfast and lunch led by the assigned LOD partners and prepared by the group. Following breakfast and lunch preparation, the group will review the plan for the day, briefly covering what it discussed after the previous day’s training. 

Field trip leaders will reinforce what was learned, what we want to improve upon, and plan for the day’s hike. Each daily hike will cover from four to eight miles over terrain of varying difficulty, but not exceeding moderate.

Each day individual trainees in the LOD team will share a conservation message. Sharing a conservation story or message is a practice that leaders of National Outings are expected to do as a model for the trip’s participant group and a means to generate a group-wide conversation.

When we return to camp we will debrief, relax, and prepare for dinner. In the evening the group will discuss the day’s activities. After all training tasks are finished, trainees can socialize, share stories, and begin to develop important future trip-staffing connections with each other. 

Day 6: On the morning of the last day field trainers and trainees will meet individually for a final review of the IDPs. The group will then “sweep” the camp site, pack gear, head to town for a final breakfast, then drive to the airport.

Getting There and Meeting 

The trip begins at Pittsburgh International Airport at the central area of Baggage Claim located at the base of the terminal escalators and near the car rental counters -- it is easy to find. The Park is approximately a two-hour drive from the airport. Please make travel arrangements to meet the group at that time since we will caravan to the campsite. 

An email address listing will be shared to encourage ride-sharing, if traveling by car, and hotel/motel room-sharing before or after the trip, if needed.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader. 

Trip Difficulty

The daily hikes transit alternating hilly and flat terrain through deciduous forest, with some stream crossings. The elevation of the Park is 1,180 feet at river level, and some hikes will include elevation gains up the surrounding hills. The total training hikes cover about 25-30 miles. The mileage and terrain are moderately difficult, and we may occasionally experience rain and winds. The weather can vary in early autumn, with average temperatures of 65-70 for a high and 45-50 for a low.

Food

Food is a critical part of any Sierra Club trip, and one of the most useful aspects about this training is for you to practice providing food to a diverse group. As mentioned above, LOD teams will be expected to purchase and have meal ingredients ready when they arrive. Your Homeschool mentors and field trainers will provide guidance to the LOD partners. The first meal of the trip will be dinner on day 1 and the last planned meal will be breakfast on the final day. 

All food expenses are included in the cost of the training. Upon completion of the NOTT, trainees will submit a form requesting reimbursement to the Sierra Club National Outings main office using the same procedures as leaders do for their “live” trips.

Equipment and Clothing

The base camp site will be set-up on the first day. A suggested equipment list will be sent well before the start-date and specifically defined to help you to prepare. The trainers will bring all the group equipment: pots, stove, cooking utensils, water treatment. Purified water will be supplied through the Park system. A detailed gear and clothing list will be provided to all candidates several months in advance of the trip.

References

Book:

• McGuinness, Marci Lynn, The Explorer's Guide to the Youghiogheny River Gorge / Ohiopyle, & S.W. Pennsylvania's Villages. August 2000.

Websites:

• https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/OhiopyleStatePark/Pages/default.aspx
• https://www.stateparks.com/ohiopyle_state_park_in_pennsylvania.html
• https://www.laurelhighlands.com/2013/07/07/the-seven-wonders-of-the-ohiopyle-state-park/
• For Park Images: https://ohiopyle.org/observation-area-at-ohiopyle-falls/
• https://fallingwater.org/visit/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater

Sources:

• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Ohiopyle State Park. 1 June 2010. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/ohiopyle.aspx
• Murphy, Tim. Discover America. Ohiopyle State Park. March 1, 2020. https://www.discoveramericablog.com/post/ohiopyle-state-park
• Hoffman, Mark. “PA parks named ‘Best in Nation’.” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 30 May 2010.
• Erdley, Debra. “Pennsylvania parks seen as vulnerable to Marcellus developers.” Pittsburgh Times-Review. 20 Aug. 2010.
• Forrey, William C. History of Pennsylvania’s State Parks. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Bureau of State Parks, Office of Resources Management, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1984. 43–44, 60.
• Palmer, Tim. Youghiogheny: Appalachian River. University of Pittsburgh press, Pittsburgh, Pa. September, 1982. 352 p.
• Renee Ruderman, Spring 2010; supplemented by Matthew R. Hengeveld, Fall 2010.
• White Water Rafting. Pamphlet. Ohiopyle, PA: White Water Adventurers, Inc., 2010.

Conservation

Pennsylvania conservation agencies are currently battling large oil companies seeking to drill for natural gas beneath the Marcellus Shale deposits in Ohiopyle State Park. Sadly, Pennsylvania only holds 20 percent of the subsurface rights in its state parks—rendering parks helpless to stop much of the drilling. Environmentalists fear the desecration of Ohiopyle’s beauty and the aftereffects of “fracking fluid,” a chemical used to fracture shale deposits to obtain natural gas beneath. The chemical is unregulated by the United States or Pennsylvania Governments and can potentially harm wildlife and pollute Ohiopyle’s pristine waterways if used even in moderate amounts.

The discussion of this serious issue for Ohiopyle and Pennsylvania leads to a broader purpose. 

The mission of Sierra Club is to "Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet." To foster this goal, National Outings trip leaders weave into pre-trip, on-trip, and after-trip participant communication a conservation message that includes an invitation to take some sort of specific action to protect the planet. During the Training Trip while in the role of the Leader of the Day (LOD), Trainees will lead a conservation discussion based on a topic from their mock trip. Trainees do not need to create information for the area they are traveling on this trip but will present the information from the mock trip they have created for Homeschool.