95% of our public programs are led by our volunteers. If you you have a passion and interest in getting people outside, let us help you add to your experience!

Each of our volunteers builds a unique relationship with Venture Outdoors, helping out with as many or as few trips as their schedule allows. Their interests run the gamut of outdoor activities from backpacking to paddling, and many of them are skilled teachers of themes including natural history, geology, personal wellness, and culinary arts. They help keep our public program schedule interesting! What would you like to share with VO North?

Training curriculum is based on the Appalachian Mountain Club and National Outdloor Leadership School modules. We’ll balance skill-training and fun, covering leadership styles, group dynamics, trip planning, risk management, and more.

If this sounds like you, OLW will take place at Crooked Creek Environmental Learning Center in Ford City beginning Friday, September 17 through Sunday, September 19.

Registration is open now… call Lora Woodward at 412.255.0564 ext 31 to sign up!
For more information on the training, visit www.ventureoutdoors.org.

Over the past year, Ashley has become an indispensable part of our organization as a volunteer trip leader, trip leader specialist for our Group and Youth programs, a KP attendant, and now our Customer Support Administrator! Next time you call in, congratulate her on her new position as the voice and face of VO.

This exciting development doesn’t mean we’ve lost Ivy! Ivy has moved to a new role within VO, working even more closely with Lora and Rob as our Public Program and Membership Coordinator.

Here’s a little more background information on Ashley:

Education: University of Colorado at Boulder
Certifications:

• Wilderness First Aid – WMI
• Archery Instructor – National Field Archery Association
• Certified Lifeguard – American Red Cross
• Certified in Bloodborne Pathogens Training:PDT
• CPR/AED
• Administering Emergency Oxygen – American Red Cross
• PA Fish & Boat Commission Boating & Water Safety Instructor
• Ham Radio Technician Class License
• Purple II Belt Kung Fu
• Purple II Belt T’ai Chi

Ashley is also a member of the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh, and volunteers for the Silk Screen Festival and Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission.

Welcome to the team Ashley!

Whether you’ve been in the water all summer or have been anxiously working up the courage to try paddling for the first time, there’s no time like the present to get out on this beginner-friendly lake.

Kayak Pittsburgh’s main location will be open through the end of October, but weekdays will close at the end of September.

For directions and more information on Kayak Pittsburgh’s Lake Elizabeth location, visit www.kayakpittsburgh.org

Kids participating in Venture Outdoors activities were divided into 4 groups of roughly 25 each. As teams, they rotated through week-long blocks of kayaking, geocaching, and “assorted” weeks that added fishing, rock-climbing, and leadership skills.

Jeremiah Morrison’s favorite moment was last week in the river. One quiet young man who hadn’t seemed too excited about the week’s activities paddled up alongside him and to share a teaching moment (and the leadership skills he’d acquired during the week):

“If you put the paddle in this way, you do a quick sweep turn…” and he continued to describe every paddling maneuver in his arsenal.

Impressed and proud, Jeremiah asked, “have you been teaching your friends these tricks?”

”Oh yeah,” responded the boy. “And by the way, your life jacket isn’t fitted right! It’s too loose on top.”

Sure enough, he was right.

Project manager Allison McLeod said in a POP City interview that since kids love summer for the options it affords, “At Summer Dreamers, kids can choose what they want to do … the afternoons give kids and opportunity to pursue a passion and gain a new interest.”

Stories like this help us know we did just that. Overall, kids in the Summer Dreamers academy collectively kayaked 1,480 miles, biked 2960 miles, hiked and geocached 555 miles, and fished and climbed to their hearts’ content. PPS will be doing Summer Dreamers again next year—and we’d love to be invited back to make more memories like this one!

This program encourages college students to engage in outdoor activities throughout the Western Pennsylvania region.

The group enjoyed perfect weather during their paddle on the Allegheny River.  Afterwards, they pedaled along the riverfront trail to Washington’s Landing taking in many views of Pittsburgh and plenty of warm summer sun.

Throughout the fall and winter seasons, participants in Pittsburgh Connections will rock climb, ski, and go white-water rafting among many other exciting outdoor adventures!

Check out some photos from the afternoon below!

Our Pittsburgh Connections program is made possible by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the American Eagle Foundation.

The City Guide is the premier guide to Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania, and this year’s cover story is A Tale of Three Rivers. It’s the story of our rivers, how far they have come, and how they’re transforming Pittsburgh from the “City of Bridges” to the “City of Water.”

Accompanying the story are several awesome photos by Brad Truxell, who used High Dynamic Range photography to achieve an intense range of light and shadow.

Read the story and see the photos

The most interesting creature was no doubt the cray fish, which looks like a little baby lobster. This little creature provided one of the highlights of our day as she clung onto Mike’s finger and would not let go! This little creature was an even more exciting sight to see as she had her eggs attached to her belly. This was just one of many beautiful things we found in the creek.

After the hike we sat down for a picnic lunch of fried chicken, potato salad, bananas and lemonade. A nice treat before the hike back up the trail.

Check out some photos for the adventure below. For a whole list of Family Programs like this one visit: www.ventureoutdoors.org/familyprograms.aspx.

Providence Center serves 12 neighborhood’s on Pittsburgh’s Northside, providing childcare, early education, day camps, and after school programs for children from 6 weeks to 16 years old.  Additionally, they offer programs for parents.

Venture Outdoors’ involvement with Providence included fishing on the Allegheny, kayaking on Lake Elizabeth, and even July snowshoeing in Highland Park!

Needless to say, our Providence friends are very well-rounded outdoor enthusiasts, and know how to have a GREAT time outdoors!  They’ve even mastered the fishy face, an important part of keeping entertained when the fish aren’t biting.

Along with the usual free activities like biking, geocaching and rock wall climbing there will also be free beginner friendly kayaking on shallow Lake Elizabeth, and new demonstrations of art, science and music from ours partners.

You’ll hear a musical performance by Royal Tribe Music, and groove to DJ Nick Nice throughout the afternoon.

As always come to the festival and get your very own Outdoor Passport.  Each child who completes their passport gets entered to win great family prizes, compliments of Venture Outdoors.

Make plans to join us on August 28 between 12:00 and 4:00 PM, we’re going ending summer with a bang and we want you be there! For more information about this festival and other Family Programs visit, ventureoutdoors.org/familyprograms.aspx.

This summer’s Free Family Outdoor Festivals are sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The ride began on July 18, and the morning started off on the wrong foot. The entire town of Georgetown conspired against us to close down all the early-morning breakfast shops. We had no choice but to chow down 10 minutes before the start of the event—not ideal when you’re about to ride hard all day and all night.

And ride hard we did: the first few legs on the C & O Canal Towpath put us, surprisingly, ahead of schedule as we rolled into Cumberland. This was pivotal as we stood before a 24 mile climb up to the Eastern Continental Divide. As we climbed this hill the sun set on our day but the cycling continued. We were slowly losing our lead on time, and things turned sour on the longest leg of the relay.

The second-to-last leg from Confluence to Connellsville is a daunting 27-mile task in the wee hours of the morning. Throw in an electrical storm brewing in the distance and the ride is nothing short of epic. Unfortunately, our riders made a wrong turn in Confluence and were a mile away before they righted their course. We lost nearly 30 minutes there.

As the team waited in Boston for the final leg, it was obvious that we were in jeopardy of missing the 24 hour deadline for the first time in the history of this ride. It’s 23 miles from Boston to the Point, for which we’d scheduled 97 minutes. As the riders approached the handoff point, we were left with just 79.

We would have to fly like the wind to pull it off. I rode the last leg with a friend who is 28 years my senior. I still remember his wife ordering me on no uncertain terms to “bring him home alive.” I really wanted to follow her order.

But I really, really wanted to get to the Point in time. So we rode hard. Hard up the hills and even harder on the flats. We flew over bridges and through intersections and found ourselves on the Eliza Furnace Trail with 3 miles to go and 20 minutes remaining. We had ridden 20 miles in 59 minutes. And my friend did great.

As we arrived in Point State Park at 7:20am on Sunday July 18th we were all smiles. Incredibly, and despite what always seem like insurmountable odds, we pulled it off again!

I want to thank all of the riders that made this happen: Todd Owens, Tim Inglis, Mark Susany, Jonathan Kersting, Tricia Chicka, Mark Rawlings, Mike Welsh, Lou Testoni, and Mike Shafer. With their legs, lungs, and never-give-up attitude, we once again made it 335 miles from Washington to Pittsburgh in less than 24 hours.

We’re still collecting donations for the ride, and we’d love to have your support. Proceeds will go to benefit the Allegheny Trail Alliance and help cover the cost of the ride. You can contribute online at www.ventureoutdoors.org/relay.aspx

-Story by Seth Gernot, Venture Outdoors Bike Tour Coordinator

Check out some great photos of the adventure by Mark Susany, Seth Gernot and Tricia Chicka.

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