West Branch Paddle Club

Exploration Series

This is part 1 of a multi-part series of posts as I document my scouting trips on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. The idea it so explore the possibility of making each of these sections into a stand-alone paddle that we could do yearly through Riverside Adventure Company. If feasible, RAC could make attaining entry into the West Branch Paddle Club (as envisioned and administrated by the Susquehanna Greenways Partnership) a much more easily attainable proposition, for a lot more folks.

If you would like to start your membership in the West Branch Paddlers Club with us: click THIS LINK to get started.

So without further ado… here is our first entry into what will be a long and satisfying series of posts outlining our scouting of each section…and what we learned by making mistakes…so you don’t have to.

By David Decoteau

Author note: As is my custom; I write notes upon returning from a trip. The specifics of the trip are listed here. Reasons for doing what we did, and why. Things we did right… and things I would do differently. I write these posts in hopes that they might be useful to me…or someone else who might be in need of this information in regard to some adventure they might have in mind now or in the future. It’s also sometimes fun to take a stroll down memory lane.

Cherry tree to Mahaffey PA

This paddle is the headwaters of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. It is the first leg of the first river section towards earning your West Branch Paddling Club distinction as created by the Susquehanna Greenways Partnership. The first section towards earning inclusion in this exclusive club of adventurers and aficionados is Cherry Tree to Clearfield, PA. This is the first step towards completing that first section of river.

WARNING: This paddle maybe a gateway drug toward weeks and months spent on the Susquehanna River once you decide you want to learn more, and commit to doing what it takes to gain that knowledge.

The Conditions

Season: Early Spring - Mid to late March

Paddle time: approximately seven hours (15 minutes for lunch)

Paddle Distance: Almost exactly 20 miles.

Paddle intensity: moving at a speed commensurate with trying to get a 20+ mile paddle in before it gets late and we get too tired. Not much fooling around, but paddling at a very reasonable rate for a relatively fit person.

Weather:

Rained pretty hard on Thursday. Super strong winds on Friday (much damage done in the area to roofs and other structures). Saturday, (paddle day) Mostly sunny. Cool morning, but warmed up nicely by afternoon. As there are no leaves on the trees at this point in the year, paddlers would do well to remember sunscreen.

Miscalculation: As it rained on Thursday a good bit, we were a little worried that the water might be high on Saturday for our paddle. What we learned is that, unlike further down the Susquehanna river, there is no “lag time” between rain events and river levels. Because the river is so small and intimate at the headwaters, the spikes in water levels are immediate and dramatic. Typically the entirety of a rain event’s effects on water level will be gone in a day or two. As you can interpret and see from the following graphs; the rain of Thursday was just a memory in regard to river level by our Saturday paddle, and in fact, the water level was significantly BELOW the historical mean river level by the time we got on the water just a few days later. A lesson we will not forget for the next running of this section of river or other headwater or early sections.

Water level:

IMPORTANT. Closest USGS monitoring is Bower, PA (couple miles downstream from Mahaffey). Most things you read indicate that this section of river should not be paddled with water less than 5’. Our experience was consistent with this suggestion, and I have included some water statistics from our day on the river to quantify our experience. As you can see, the river at this early point is pretty dynamic. A rain event can drastically and significantly increase the water in this section of river that probably measures less than 50’ across in a good many sections. At 5’ of water, and flow rate of about 450 cu. ft. water per second (like on our day) you will hit bottom in some places, and reading the water in areas of slight rapids is very important, as incorrect reading of the water will leave you “high and dry”.

Seasonal Considerations:

I would suggest ONLY attempting these headwaters sections of the river in March and April. I make that recommendation, and we will be scheduling our Riverside Adventure Company offerings only in those months for a number of reasons that I will list here:

1. No leaves on the trees - so that you can see this surroundings better and more light gets into this section of river. Even though I usually consider March the “ugliest month of the year”, this section of river was still lovely, and the water was cool, but not cold. And it was clear, and hopeful with small buds on the trees and skunk cabbage starting to sprout out of the soil. We even saw a few renegade Snowdrops blooming along the way. By early morning, the sun was warm enough to warm our bodies a bit…and that was nice. Plan on shedding some layers of clothes as the paddle day progresses. Bring enough dry bags.

2. There is enough water - Any less than the levels we experienced would be frustrating for most paddlers and would necessitate fairly frequent portages through sections too shallow to paddle or navigate. To paddle with less water would likely cause frustration, and also damage to boats. As it was, my 10’ and 12’ Necky and 14’ Wilderness Systems Kayaks took some good drags along the bottom, and those were boats without gear onboard. The other months when there is enough water are winter months, and this would not be fun (or maybe even possible) in most of those months due to ice.

3. Crowds - We really enjoyed having the water and our “home base” camp of Curwensville Dam Park to ourselves. We were the only folks camping that weekend and it was kinda special. highly recommend the quiet and spring peepers in the trees and a crackling campfire view of the lake beyond and full moon above. Geese squawking as they take off from the lake and fly to future waterways unknown.

Our “on water” impressions:

This is an intimate stretch of river. The drive out to the launch was about as delightful as vehicle shuffling can get. As it was getting light, we were driving on very lightly travelled roads; the mist of early morning lifting in the river valley. The road meandered, and the combination of farmland and hills, valleys and river basin was really magnificent to enjoy. We left Morgan’s car in Mahaffey, and then drove the van and trailer to the Cherry Tree to put-in location.

Once on the water, we quickly settled in to a nice paddle rhythm and good conversations. In addition to our typical subjects, we talked about the river we were experiencing. That kind of talk always leads to considering what the “river past” might have been like? I relayed a story I had recently read about a civil war reinactment on a section of river not far from here, commenorating Colonel Kane who used the river to move troops more quickly into position after moving too slowly to be effective over ground that was thick with PA timber, and few roads. The rivers were really the only way to move anything in a manner even close to “efficient”. You can learn more about that event HERE.

We also talked about water quality then and now, and how it’s apparently improving now. It did look pretty good, but the myriad of pipes poking out of the ground into the stream bed, and the occasional whiff of sewage you might get (real or created by swampy area) always makes you wonder how good it really is?

We also talked about the wildlife we were and were not seeing. We noticed that the waterfowl were a bit more “spooky” than we were used to. Sometimes geese will act like you aren’t even there in more developed areas. But these animals acted like real wild animals. You had to be either very quiet, or very lucky to see anything close up. mostly the Kingfishers were deciding to leave their branches before we were within a couple hundred yards of them. And it was too early for turtles, but yet we would come across logs along the waterway that were wet and dripping on top, but we never saw the animal which had obviously just been siting there moments ago. We didn't see the animals, because they saw/heard us first. If you want to see wildlife, I suggest a quiet, smooth paddle through these waters.

We did see many animals. Among them deer, an eagle, some red tail hawks, turkey flying across the stream in front of us, signs of beavers everywhere, small (and larger) fish, crows, Wood ducks, as I mentioned earlier….King fishers. Of course your various small birds and song birds. The Common Mergansers were plentiful. This would support a theory that fish are also plentiful in the area. Although no one in our party fished, we did notice on the river maps that the early sections of river were designated for special trout fishing rules and regulations. This also made us hopeful of good water quality.

Some disturbing things:

No surprise…there is litter. Let’s face it…it’s everywhere. No worse here than any other place you might paddle…but it’s still impossible to ignore. Bags, broken toys, vestiges to the industrial past. A giant abandoned steel tank half buried into the shoreline. Pieces of all manner of long discarded housewares. And of course, the omnipresent tires. Some posing as rocks on the bottom of the river. Others sticking out, doing their best stump impressions. But always present, and always plentiful…the tire is well represented even here at the headwaters.

We also saw some animals who weren’t having their best days. We didn’t take any photos of these poor critters, because it seemed a little disrespectful at the time.

We saw a beaver who had been caught in a leg trap. It looked at us helplessly as we paddled by. Trapping is legal and Pennsylvania, and I have no problem with that. Although I personally never really enjoyed it, I trapped as a kid as a way to make some money, because we were always poor. Mostly muskrats (as my grandfather had taught me) but I also would catch a raccoon, skunk or possum sometimes. The muskrats were mostly dead when I got there, because I used conibere style traps; that instantly killed the animals. But some of the other animals don’t go into holes, so they require leg traps to catch them (like our unfortunate beaver friend on our paddle). And like back when I was a kid, looking at that beavers face, in what was very likely its final hours; is always very sad. We didn’t interfere, as making a war between paddlers and local folks trying to make a living is not going to help anyone…but it’s still a bit sad to see. Not making any real statements or judgements here, as much as simply relaying facts of our trip, so that future paddlers can be properly informed, so they can come to terms with any feelings they might have on these issues and act accordingly.

We also saw a dead owl hanging by abandoned fishing line from a tree. We surmised the owl either ate the bait that was on a hook that had gotten snagged in a tree…or the owl couldn’t see the fishing line, and simply flew into it and got tangled and flapped itself to death. Either way, it was dead, and hanging over the stream in a eerie, sad and tragic way. We cut it down, and removed the fishing line, and put the owl on the bank. At least then, maybe it can be a meal for some other animal, having a better day, and in some way, it’s life can help ensure future years of animal activity along the banks of this small and humble beginning of the mighty Susquehanna.

The Food

As you might expect, we did a combination of packing food and going out to sample the local offerings. Below is the itinerary.

Friday 2:00 p. - left Danville for Curensville Dam after a late lunch.

Friday 6:00 p. - getting hungry. Decided to follow the recommendations of the Park Manager. Tried a place called Hangar 453 Restaurant & Bar…but it was closed. So then we decided to go to the Central Hotel, because this same Park Manager (Dave) said they had, “the best Delmonico steak he had ever had”. Well that was intriguing. So we went there. And it was a good meal. Elijah had the steak and said it was very good. My wife got crab cakes and also enjoyed them, and I got a meatloaf sandwich with baked potato and salad for $13.00. Add a couple of beers and it was still an affordable meal. *NOTE* - They only take cash at the Central Hotel. I had to make a run to the next store mini-market where a bunch of folks were playing all night gambling games to hit an ATM (and get a $3.00 charge). It was that…or do dishes.

Saturday 5:30 a.m. - Coffee and trail bars.

Saturday 11:30 a.m. - Lunch on the river. P,B & J for me and Morgan on Bagels. Elijah eats some sardines and other stuff to keep him from getting “hangry”.

Saturday 4:30 p.m. - trail bar, some other pack stuff while we shuffle cars.

Saturday 5:30 p.m. - Go to the Starlite Lounge (something I had been looking forward to for the entire trip). A place that looks like a typical small down “dive bar” from the outside, but it’s right on the river, and was perfectly situated for our trip, and got really good ratings on Google and Yelp. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Well…it didn’t disappoint. The food was excellent! The service also excellent and amazing…as one waitress handed our entire room. And the ambiance…perfect for after a river trip. We relaxed, had some beers from their surprising wide selection of canned beers, and ordered the Saturday night special which was a pizza and dozen wings. We were hungry, so we also ordered onion rings for the table, and an extra dozen wings. The pizza was cooked perfectly, and had a crunchy crust that was heavenly. The wings were also great, and we got Old Bay, Garlic, Hot and the most amazing Wasabi Cucumber sauce on wings I have ever had. Truly a thing of beauty. Can’t recommend enough, and can’t wait to go back to finish this section of river and have another meal at the Starlite!

Conclusions:

So, this was a scouting trip. Our crew was scouting the area because Riverside Adventure Company (RAC), working with the Susquehanna Greenways Partnership see opportunity to use their newly minted West Branch Paddlers Club to bring new paddlers to the river and to experience the region. Riverside Adventure Company (my business) wants to become the Outfitter of choice, for folks who want to gain access to this exclusive club of folks who will experience the 220+ miles of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. The idea is for RAC to learn the river, break it into manageable chunks and then guide our clients down the river, to suitable camping, food entertainment and good times. The ultimate goal being a season-long, series of trips to different sections of water that happen every year and enable folks to paddle the entire river…over time…as opposed to the multi-day, death-march some choose to embark upon. We want to create a series of trips that truly let our clients get to know each section of river intimately, from the river itself to its people, restaurants and culture…warts and all.

Elijah is the most experienced paddler on my team. He has in his own words, “a level of infamy” in the white water world of paddling. He guided for years, and now is a very active recreational paddler, mostly with friends, at festivals, and as he has recently travelled around the country during COVID times. Elijah’s main take on our trip, “It’s not commercially viable.”

Elijah thinks it’s not exciting enough. Now I take that opinion with a grain of salt, because his is a white water guy. But I would be a fool to not at least listen to, and weigh his perspective as a seasoned guide and paddler.

• He feels like there is not enough there to get people’s attention.

• He feels there are not enough access points to easily get folks on and off the river.

• He feels like there are not enough hotels, B & B’s and restaurants to give “most paddlers” the kind of experience they want.

And frankly, he makes good points. Valid points. Points that definitely are applicable to “most paddlers”.

I guess where I disagree with Elijah, is in that I need to appeal to “most paddlers”. In my vision of this section of the West Branch, I only want to appeal to a “select few” paddlers and adventurers. I don’t want it to be a “mass appeal” event. I know that sounds strange coming from a commercial enterprise, but we plan on taking a different route. We want many weekend trips, attended by small groups of people (between 10 and 20), but consistently. As a result, we will likely only graduate a handful of people each year, with either their 444 club distinction, or their West Branch Paddling Club badges… but it will be the right few. And if someone misses a section one year, due to other commitments…no problem….you tag it next year, as the trips are offered each year, and are “dialed in” to be a consistently educational and as enjoyable (as conditions give us)…experience.

My wife, Morgan is probably the most important part of our scouting team. I would call her an “in shape mom”. She and I are in our late 50’s. We are both active. She runs and lifts weights daily. I work as a contractor and also coach a mountain bike team. So, I would call us both fit…but not at super human levels. But what my wife brings to the table most effectively is realism and a woman’s perspective that might balance my over enthusiasm and Elijah’s need for excitement. I would say Morgan is a slightly more fit…”everywoman”.

And Morgan sees the potential, but maybe still needs to be sold on demand. She agrees with Elijah, that the accesses and distances and “creature comforts” might not be to the liking of everyone. But on this trip, she said she had a really good time. She said she enjoyed the scenery and the flow of the river and the conversation, and that she could see how others would enjoy it as well. She loved the places we camped and the food we ate. She said that with some strategically placed brakes (of longer than the 15 minutes we took) she could see most folks feeling tired and accomplished at the end of the day….but not wiped-out. And she agreed that a little tired and accomplished is a good thing. A thing that gives life value and meaning. And these river sections strung together could become a “bucket list” kind of thing that would appeal to a certain type of adventurous person in our demographic.

So that’s our take away for now: worth pursuing.

We hope you will continue to follow our blog posts as we investigate more sections of river with the goal of piecing together a series of trips that will get our clients out, paddling, achieving and experiencing the peace and calm that is somewhat unique to a full day on the river.