If you have walked through the halls of the law school lately, you know that there a number of student groups at GW hosting diverse and exciting events. One of those groups is the Environmental Law Association, who recently sponsored a trip to Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania for a day of whitewater rafting down the Youghiogheny River.

Early in the morning on Sunday, September 13, thirty-one students met at the law school, woke up with coffee and bagels, and made the three and a half hour trek up to Pennsylvania to spend a day getting back in touch with nature. Once they arrived, the rafters were not disappointed as they were able to spend about six hours winding their way down the river, intermittently braving class 3 and 4 rapids and floating alongside their rafts. In addition, the group packed a lunch and took an hour to relax and enjoy their sandwiches in the scenic river valley.

Although rafting expertise was not required for the trip, and only one of the six-passenger boats had a trained guide on board, the river still proved exciting for even seasoned rafters. Andy Byrne, Sustainability Coordinator for the ELA and one of the event's organizers, notes that although he has been rafting for years, at one point he took a spill into the water while trying to guide his raft out of a 360 degree spin around one of the many rocks strewn across the river bed.

Despite exciting moments, there were no casualties along the way and rafters were often able to voluntarily dive into the water and float along behind their boats, soaking up the sunny September day. Many, like Caitlin Kelleher Meisenbach, another event organizer for the ELA, were taking on the rapids for only their first or second time. Both of Caitlin's experiences have been on the ELA rafting trip, and she had no problem getting acclimated to the rigors of whitewater rafting.

Caitlin also noted that she was excited by all the "fresh faces" who came on the trip this year as a large part of the 31-person crew was made up of first years and LLM students. The event was a wonderful way for these new students to get to know one another, learn about the ELA, and enjoy the wonderful nearby scenery.

After their exciting day of rafting, the group was able to spend a little extra time in Ohiopyle due to some unforeseen bus troubles. On the way to the river the group's bus broke down along several steep inclines and the company had to call for a replacement. Unfortunately, the second bus did not arrive quite as quickly as the bus company led the organizers to believe and the group had to wait several chilly hours to catch a bus back to the city.

Still, Andy reports that everyone he spoke with said that they had a really good time on the trip and hope to return again. This was the second year that the ELA has taken a trip down the "Youg," and they are considering going back later this year to take on some tougher, class 4 and 5 rapids. Andy notes that the rafting company was very friendly and hospitable, waiting for them to arrive before heading out and guiding them safely throughout their voyage. If you want to take the time to get out of the city and enjoy the nearby natural scenery, ELA is also sponsoring a camping trip this spring. ELA will also be hosting a Career Panel the evening of Wednesday, September 30.