Kayak Group Camps at Fort Run Park

As festival fireworks were lighting up the Saturday night sky in Kittanning, few people took notice of travelers on the Allegheny River.

A group from Pittsburgh kayaked from Foxburg and stopped at Fort Run Park overnight before continuing on Sunday morning their trek that ended at the Point in Pittsburgh.

Mike Schiller, founder of Venture Outdoors, an outdoors (non-profit) organization in Pittsburgh, was joined by a dozen of his fellow boaters to scout the river in anticipation of a gigantic race he wants to hold next year.

“This is a trial run to create an event - a race,” Schiller described. “Our thought is to start at Foxburg and paddle to the Point in Pittsburgh within 48 hours. That’s 87 river miles. It would be only human-powered craft - no motors or sails involved. So it would include kayaks, canoes, rowing shells, or stand-up paddle board. We want to make it a bit of a party.”

Schiller said interest in water recreational activities have been increasing in the area.

Two of the 12 kayaks leave Fort Run Park’s launch area Sunday morning. The team is evaluating the river for a big race to be held next year from Foxburg to Pittsburgh.

“Kayak Pittsburgh has been wildly successful. Last year, between three locations of downtown, Aspinwall, and North Park, they had more than 40,000 kayak rentals just in a six-month season. I’ve been trying to think how we could take that to a higher adventurous level.”

Schiller got the idea of a race after experiencing one in the state of Washington.

“Earlier this year, my friend Christian and I did 70 miles in 48 hours in Puget Sound. There were 130 boats that started that race. It was so much fun. The whole town came out to celebrate the event. So I thought it would be great fun to do it here in the Pittsburgh region. I spent some time trying to figure where on the river we could get that length.”

Schiller said there were some navigation challenges this weekend. It took four hours longer than anticipated and several of his group had to pull out at Lock 8.

“The (Allegheny) river was longer and harder than we actually anticipated. The water wasn’t moving very fast this weekend, so it took a lot of energy to get down here.”

Larry Gioia, recreational adventurer, and an instructor with American Canoe Association, said this was his first time on this part of the Allegheny River.

“It’s a long paddle,” Gioia remarked. “I had to paddle a lot of this river. We made it to camp so I would call it a success. This is one stretch I have never seen. It is beautiful part of the river to paddle - beautiful towns along the way, and great people along the way.”

Their goal was to make it by Saturday night from Foxburg to Manor Township’s Fort Run Park. Once they arrived, they set up tents throughout the ball field, made a campfire, and had dinner Saturday night as well as breakfast Sunday morning.

Deb Heinz, who is part of the planning team, said Fort Run Park was the perfect spot.

“We were looking for some place along the river. We just started asking around and people suggested Fort Run Park. Specifically, we were looking for a half-way point campground and this one fit the bill in terms of being to pull right off and camp. There wasn’t really anything else around like this. Manor Township has been really nice and accommodating to us. We even asked them if we could have a campfire and they said yes. ”

Manor Township Supervisor Don Palmer said the Manor Township Fire Department also partnered in the event.

“The Park is technically only open until dusk. They asked us if we would make an exception and we did so that they could stay here overnight. We worked with Manor Township Fire Department to get them bathroom facilities since the ones at the Park are not functioning yet. They had access to the fire hall all night long.”

Palmer said the Township is open to other groups that would like to utilize the Park.

“We want the Park to be used as much as it can. That’s what it is all about – having a Park for people to use it.”

It has only been a few months since Manor started rejuvenating the Park to bring it back to life.

“I established a volunteer committee that was interested in helping rejuvenate the Park and make it nice again. A lot of those people were the firemen, and people from inside and outside the community. They helped us cut all the trees and the brush, get the grass cut, get some painting done, fix up the ball field. We wouldn’t have been able to accommodate them a few months ago. But today it is usable again. Hopefully, going forward, it will even be nicer.”

Schiller said that next year when they actually hold the race, they plan on doing a Friday evening segment, a long Saturday segment, and then a shorter Sunday segment.

“We could stop in the evenings in towns like Ford City and Manorville and celebrate the fact that everyone is out on the river. Friends and family could come. The town could come and we could create an event where all the neighborhoods are involved. They could play music, and offer water, and encourage everyone to keep going,” he said.

To keep informed of details of next year’s event, email Schiller at: mjschiller@gmail.com.

“Ventures Outdoors is really good at getting beginners and intermediate people into lots of outdoor activities. We want to get people out and then they start to care about the natural world more. That might influence them the rest of their life,” Schiller said.