Dan Demaree’s boating career nearly ended before it really got started.
Paddling the little streams of Central PA and Maryland, he spent as much time out of his boat as in it. But after many trips to the quarry, he conquered his roll and realized that kayaking was a lot more fun when you weren’t swimming.
Eventually, he found his way to Ohiopyle, where he would guide for Wilderness Voyageurs. On his off days, he and his brother Dave were the gatekeepers for the Upper Yough. Boaters from across the nation would call them to be guided down. On those runs they created rapid names like Meatcleaver, Bastard, and Cheeseburger Falls that stand out so vividly in boater’s minds today.
One of his legacies in the boating community is the design of the “Slipper” kayak, which Kent Ford later chopped up and turned into a C-1
See More Upper Yough History
Cheesburger Falls
Cheeseburger Falls is one of the weirder rapid names in existence.
A First Descent
Before May 31st, 1959, the Upper Yough was a line on a map, a guess in a guidebook. Three boaters changed that.