Pittsburgh’s inaugural Paddlesport Weekend comes to the Allegheny RiverTrail Park in Aspinwall this week from July 22-24. Friends of the Riverfront, Outkast Paddlers, and 3 Rivers Outdoor Company will host the event, which includes the Paddling Film Festival, kayaking and lessons on how to safely navigate the region’s lock and dam systems.
Christine Iksic, owner of 3 Rivers Outdoor Company, said the goal of the weekend is to get Pittsburgh residents on the water to appreciate their local rivers.
“There's a lot of adventure right here locally. I think there's that misconception that you have to travel further outside of Pittsburgh to go have an adventure,” Iksic said. “There's just so much beautiful access on our rivers that we’re hoping to share with more people through the Paddle Festival weekend.”
Iksic said the events and activities allow visitors to not only enjoy the rivers, but also learn about the impact that environmental damage has had on the waterways. Visitors can participate in a river clean up on Saturday, July 23. There will also be overnight camping that evening upriver on Sycamore Island.
“I think as we get more connected to our rivers, it creates a connection to the environment again locally versus kind of this wilderness thing being such a distant thing,” Iksic said. “ When we start to care about our rivers, we understand our impacts with them.”
Iksic wants to get as many Pittsburghers as possible out on the water to enjoy the local wilderness.
