Book excerpt: Turbulent rapids and wild shorelines of the Youghiogheny River highlight natural wonders of the Appalachian Mountains, and midway on the stream’s revealing path, Ohiopyle State Park is a showcase of beauty and has become a recreational hotspot where the river thunders over its iconic falls and cascades through the wooded gorges of Pennsylvania. With deep reflection, a compelling sense of adventure, and family ties to the waterway going back many generations, author Tim Palmer wrote Youghiogheny: Appalachian River in 1984 as the essential biography of this river and region. Now, in this revised and expanded edition of his classic narrative on this special landscape and its people, he revisits the river, addresses the changes that have occurred since the book was first published, and poses the question: What will happen to this historic and cherished place?