| The Pine Creek Rafting Ass.Facts |
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The Pine Creek Rafting Ass.History
The "Pine Creek Rafting Ass" was hatched in 1986 by Dr. Lawrence Hobdell. He took the first trip with a small group of "educators" to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. It is through this canyon where the Pine Creek flows that an annual tradition began. |
In those days, he had a comb. Not necessary anymore...
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The nearby town of Wellsboro, PA quickly established itself as the home base for this and all future trips to the "Mighty Pine" since it has the prerequisite lodging and tavern facilities for our growing group of Ass.Men. Each year, the last week of April has been set by the group hiararchy for the annual trip since it coincides with the Spring rains and snow melt which push the river up and over the minimum raftng level of 2.3 feet of water. During the early years the gang referred to themselves as the "Pine Creek Rafting Association". The name was sent to an embroidery company, along with a raft logo, for production of hats for the group. Alas, there was a small problem. The name was too long to fit across the brim of the hats! It became necessary to abbreviate the name to fit and hence.. the "Pine Creek Rafting Ass." was born and all rafters gained the new designation of "Pine Creek Rafting Ass.Men". (An alternative rumor circulating is as follows: I was once asked by a bartender if I was a leg man or an ass man. My pals quickly responded, "He is an ass, man!".)
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For the first 23 years the trip was made annually to the same location with varied stops along the way. We would start by meeting in the Philadelphia area prior to the Thursday morning start of the drive to Wellsboro, PA. Usually we get together the night before for drinks at a local tavern. Beginning on the April 2009 trip, we decided to mix it up a bit by incorporating trips to other rivers for rafting throughout the USA on odd years and then to return to the Pine Creek near Wellsboro, PA every even numbered year. The 2009 trip destination was Harpers Ferry, WV and the 9 who went had a blast! The 2010 trip will be our return to the Pine Creek and will hold another special significance. It will be the 25th Anniversary Ass.Trip! The typical 4 day trip includes much more than just a few hours on a river for one day. It also includes site seeing and competitions. Site seeing has included: Brewery tours, Coal mine tours, Cave tours, Museum tours, Historical site stops, National park vistas, meeting new people and hearing their town's historical facts and more. The competitions have become more exciting each year with the introduction of trophies and placques as follows: Darby Cup Trophy - 2 man 8-ball billiards Tom Turkey Plaque - 2 man bar shuffleboard Skunk Eye Plaque - 2 man darts Bull Frog Award - Most obnoxious belch Onion Ring Award - Most hideous fart We also stop at several bars/taverns/watering holes along the way for food and beverages. Among our favorite places to stop when driving from Philly to Wellsboro and back are: Visentainer's in Mt. Carmel, PA Drunken Monkey in Ashland, PA Amberdeans in Frackville, PA Gaslight in Wellsboro, PA 83 & Main in Wellsboro, PA Pine Creek Tavern in Ansonia, PA McHales in Corning, NY Fred's Lobster Garden in Tioga, PA Mark's Brother's Tavern in Mansfield, PA Maximillians Tavern in Boothwyn, PA Our typical trip itinerary goes as follows: We gather in the Philly area no later than the Wednesday night before the trip start. Most out of town rafters stay with local rafters for the night. Thursday morning we launch the trip and meet up with each other at our first tourist location. On many trips this place has been the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA for a mid afternoon tour. From there we stop at various locations along the way toward Wellsboro, PA. The total trip is just over 200 miles, however we rarely get there in under 12 hours due to the many stops along the way. It's an awesome road trip! Late Thursday night we check in to our hotels in Wellsboro, PA. Friday morning we head to Pine Creek Outfitters in Ansonia, PA if the weather and river levels are good. We spend the day rafting 19 miles down to Blackwell, PA. The river is predominately calm and we stop at the half way point to have lunch at a campsite on the banks of the Pine Creek. Bring lots of beer, cigars and bring your camera too! After the river trip we head back to town for steak dinners. Saturday is tournament day and we conduct our Bar Trek. We travel to various bars to hold our competitions (See above) and generously sample their brews along the way. The individual awards are voted on by the group near the end of the trip as to who was most "Memorable". Sunday we pose for trophy pics and head homeward and start the countdown clock for the next year's trip. |
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