Paddling the Susquehanna Blog

Last Updated: August 21, 2007

Peach Bottom, PA to Havre de Grace, MD
Our final day. We drove to the boat ramp at Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Plant. While launching the kayaks Bill slid down the muddy ramp into the water. He was unhurt but his cell phone got drenched and stopped working. This paddle across the lake formed by the Conowingo would have been quite boring if it wasn’t for the Tarzan rope swing that some of us were able to enjoy. We were out at Broad Creek and after lunch put back in under the dam at Conowingo, ready to start our final leg. We arrived at the boat ramp below Millard Tidings Park around 4PM to a standing ovation of the a few of the local populous. Mark made the observation that the Susquehanna transportation corridor of the 1880’s is still operating fulfilling it’s function. Back then it was canals, boats, horse trails and trains. Today it is trains, cars and airplanes. And, ah yes, a few lonely kayaks.

Harrisburg to Otter Creek
It was pouring rain this morning as we put out for our portage around the Safe Harbor Dam. We were able to see the Nuclear Power Plant at Three Mile Island in the Distance. This morning we saw Cormorants, Herons and Geese. Buddy finally washed his hair. We waited out the rain in a coffee shop and put back in south of Bainbridge. The going was a bit rocky this afternoon. We were out again at Columbia, After lunch and some stories from the locals in the park, we portaged around Holtwood to the Otter Creek Campground.

Duncannon, PA to Harrisburg Airport
Last night some of us walked a mile into Duncannon to sample to famous Teaberry Ice Cream. This morning we sailed by a replica of the Statue of Liberty. This was placed on an island in the Susquehanna to commemorate the 100 Anniversary of the original statue in New York. There were two Turtle sightings today. It has been interesting that we have not seen many other people fishing. We portaged around the dam at Harrisburg and camped on an island near the airport. Every 10 minutes a flight came over us until we finally feel asleep.

Millersburg, PA to Duncannon, PA
Thanks to the generosity of the locals we stayed at the city park in Millersburg.  This was close to the Roaring Bull Ferry, the oldest river ferry in the US. It was a treat to see it cross back and forth across the 1 mile stretch of the river.  Soon after we put in this morning, we encountered a helicopter spraying the river with an amber liquid.  It made 6 diagonal passes close to us.  Bill had a flipover.  He got wet but was unfazed, much the same as Jim's flipover earlier in the trip.  The river was boney (shallow rocks).  So the slow going continued.  We saw a plethora of Crayfish and many more Great Egrets.  This was a shorter day so it was nice to arrive at Riverfront Campground at Duncannon. First showers in 6 days.

Sunbury, PA to Mllersburg, PA: The water quality past the confluence of the West Branch of the Susquehanna has markedly improved It's OK to swim again. One of the wildlife sightings was a flock of thousands of Common Grackles, continually circling overhead. This was a difficult day for paddling. The river has widened and become shallower. Kayaks are continually scraping the rocks. The passage for Mark's canoe was particularly slow and frustrating. Because of the rough day we treated ourselves to a restaurant dinner at Millersburg, a cute historic town with very friendly people.

Mocanaqua, PA to Danville, PA : Past the cities of Berwick and Bloomsberg, this stretch of river was forming more islands with an increase of rapids. The river water quality continues to be poor and this has affected the wildlife, the sightings becoming more rare. We decided to portage around the Shamokin Dam by taking out at Danville and shuttling to our put in point south of Sunbury.

Tunkhannock, PA to Pittston, PA: We awoke this morning to a steady rain. It took a bit longer to get our wet equipment on board and our muscles warmed up. We put in at 7:30A and paddled about 19 miles to just outside Pittston. Stopping for lunch at Buttermilk Falls. Most of the day was spent trying to keep dry.

Sugar Run, PA to Tunkhannock, PA: Everyone seems to be getting stronger as the days go by. After a steady morning of paddling we found we had gotten most of the way to Tunkhannock by lunchtime. We then enjoyed a siesta on the rocks and a more leisurely pace in the afternoon. David Buck had supplied us with the newly published Susquehanna Water Trail maps. These maps depict the mile-by-mile detail of the entire length of the river. They are making our logistics easier. We have been talking to a lot of river folk along the way. Most are surprised and pleased when they learn of about our 444-mile journey.

On Tuesday August 7th, our eight kayakers left Nichols, NY at about 9AM and paddled the 24 miles to their camping area just north of Towanda, PA. The low level of the river is responsible for the slower than expected pace. But everyone is still enthusiastic, if a bit sore. Thursday was an eventful day as they crossed back into PA, where they will spend then next week or so. The Allegheny Mountains are starting to close in and the terrain is a becoming a bit wilder. The old river towns like Athens and Towanda are quite charming. We received permission to camp at the county park right on the river. Wildlife sightings abounded. A group of Mergansers all floating in a row came up to the boats. Lot's of Canada Geese flying in formation. More Bald Eagles, Kingfishers soaring from the rock cliffs. It was good to see that in Pennsylvania, the farmer's are not plowing their fields right down to the river edge. Instead most of them have planted a strip of trees along the river banks that protects them from erosion. Hopefully this is a practice that will become more popular in New York. Last night we enjoyed about 6 hours of Thunderstorms. It brought along some much needed heavy rain but not enough to make much of an impact on the low river level. This morning everyone emerged from their tents dry and ready to go.

At 8:00a the group put in for the 24 mile trip from Towanda to Wyalusing, Pennsylvania. Today was our hottest day with temperatures in the mid 90's. But most agreed that this was our most scenic day as the river cut it's way through the Allegheny Mountains. Now we were in wonderful country for wildlife. Eagles, Red Tail Hawks, Snowy Egrets, Giant fish of many kinds hitting the kayaks. The flying Great Blue Herons had the look of prehistoric flying reptiles Also we saw many Yellow finches, more Kingfishers, rocks encrusted in Larvae and water bugs of many kinds. We camped at David and Melody Buck's place on the river just past Wyalusing. They own a Kayak supply shop and rent kayaks for day and overnight trips. David is an outspoken advocate of preserving the river and more knowledgeable about the Susquehanna than anyone we have met. We spent a few hours swapping stories as the sun set gloriously on the river next to us. David had positioned our campsite so that we experienced a line of 1000 or more bats that flew over our heads, just after sunset, using their sonar to avoid us.

After a restful night sleep the group was off at 7:30A on Thursday August 9th for the 30 mile trip to Tunkhannock, PA

On August 4, 2007, just past noon, our group put in at Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, NY at the headwaters of the Susquehanna River . Several miles into the trip the group accomplished a short carry portage across the dam that holds back Ostego Lake. Immediately after that they were in the smallest part of the Susquehanna. As was predicted this became the most difficult part of the entire trip. The low water levels made things quite boney and scratchy. The river was punctuated by beaver dams at each turn. These required carryovers that were physically hard and mentally tiring. After 3 hours and 4 miles of this strenuous effort, they put out at Hyde Park. It was decided to do a long portage that would skip the next three dams and land the group in a more reliable part of the river.

So after camping at a local campground, the group put in at Bainbridge at 11:30 a.m. the next day Sunday August 5th. Today things went much better. The group was joined by Mark. The group paddled about 20 miles to East Windsor. During the day the group spotted two eagles, a male and female. The group also saw a mink, some cranes and a goose.

At 8:00 a.m. on Monday August 6th the group put in at East Windsor . At 12 Noon the group took out for portage around the dams at Binghamton, NY. This morning, the group spotted more eagles, mergansers, beavers, deer, Kingfishers and Canada Geese. The river levels are improving. Some of the local folks say the river is at a very low ebb.

At 8:00am August 7th, the group put in at Nichols, NY.

Starting at the beginning and continuing to the end. A simple enough plan unless 444 miles of river stands between these points. After 8 years of planning the tribute to Cal Ripken and to the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay’s largest tributary, the kayak trip down the Susquehanna River has begun. This tribute begins in the small town in New York known mainly for the Baseball Hall of Fame where Cal Ripken was inducted this past week. It is also known for the place where the Susquehanna River begins it’s long journey to the Bay.

Trailtrekk, the Maryland backpacking, biking and outdoor club, has 11 of it members kayaking the river, which they hope to do in 2 weeks. The trip will end at Havre de Grace which is very near Aberdeen where Cal Ripken grew up. Today it is the home of one of the leading sport complexes in the country, complete with a professional baseball team as well as the Ripken World Series. Here the kayakers will be greeted at the start of the Championship game on Saturday, August 18, 2007. The National Aquarium in Baltimore has partnered with Trailtrekk to bring attention to the Chesapeake Watershed and the good, bad and ugly of what might now be found there. The scouting trips along the river to date have been very positive with everyone astounded with the natural beauty of the river and it's valley.

Everything flows downstream and so it is with our Trailtrekkk/Aquarium crew. See you downriver.

Track the Trip!
The Aquarium has teamed up with Google to track the trek! Click below to check the latest point.

Track The Kayak Trip