West Branch Paddle Club
Exploration Series
This is segment 1, part 2 of a multi-part series of posts as I document my scouting trips on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.
You can see the first part of segment 1 by clicking here: Cherry Tree to Mahaffey, PA
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.
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If you would like to start your membership in the West Branch Paddlers Club with us: click THIS LINK to get started.
So here is the second entry into what will be a long and satisfying series of posts which will document our scouting of each section…and learning 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.
The crew was just me and my wife Morgan this time. Start time at the Mahaffey Bridge 8:30 a.
Nuts and Bolts
WEATHER:
Pretty typical week of spring weather leading up to the trip. Some rain, but mostly dry, typical days and temperatures. Oddly, the super strong winds were around again on this Friday (the first section paddle Cherry Tree to Mahaffey also had strong winds friday night). Saturday, (paddle day) Mostly sunny. Cool morning, but warmed up nicely by afternoon. Sunday was warmer, and temperatures got to almost 80°. As there are few leaves on the trees at this point in the year, paddlers would do well to remember sunscreen.
Miscalculation correction: Unlike in our first scouting trip, we knew the mid-week rains wouldn’t effect the water levels much. The last trip taught us that at this early stage in the river, the water levels react quickly, and rains raise and lower levels almost instantaneously due to the small and intimate nature of the river at this early stage.
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 days on the river to quantify our experience. 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”. However, this weekend, we were slightly above those levels, and I would call the conditions we experience this weekend NEARLY PERFECT!
Seasonal Considerations:
I would suggest ONLY attempting these headwaters sections of the river in March to early May. 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:
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 early spring the “ugliest months 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 as this section will get you wet. More on that later.
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, our 12’ Necky 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.
Crowds - This weekend was opening trout season, and as a result, we had some company on the river…but not as much as you might think. I paddled by about ten anglers on Sunday, and two other folks in kayaks…that’s it. 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. Geese squawking as they take off from the lake and fly to future waterways unknown.
Our Route
Play by Play, and “on water” impressions:
If I make all these blog entries into a book, I am going to call it: Susquehanna River Bum. Maybe include a section that features what' it feels like to go full kayak vagabond. You can feel like a bum as you meander down stream. Not really producing anything. Alone with your thought or talking to your fellow miscreants: who might be local animals or plants. Thinking and talking about places where you can grab a quick bite to eat and stay within short distance of your boat and things. Sometimes the river seems like the “seedy part of town”. the place that everyone turns their collective back on, and treats like a drainage ditch. Then other times, we build our best and brightest to look out upon the beauty and splendor of the waterway. This unique duality of the rivers has always been curious to me. Some photos of what I am talking about later in this piece.
Saturday morning, May 1st, 7:27 a.m. Curwensville Lake camp area. 30° degrees. Cold start.
Saturday, May 1st, 2021
When you paddle with someone, it’s a different experience than if you paddle alone. Why I say this becomes important on day two.
When you paddle with someone else, you can be in the present and talk about things happening at that time: and that’s mostly what Morgan and I did on Saturday.
Logistics/shuttle
For this paddle, we would break camp fairly early in anticipation of a 21 mile paddle, from river mile 207 to 186. Some of these miles we reasoned might be tough, with the last half dozen or so in standing water caused by the dam and Curwensville Lake. The plan was to simply pack the van with our stuff, and drive to Mahaffey, and put in. No need to take another shuttle car this time, as our final destination was back at our camp. Once safely back in camp, we would use Morgan’s car to go fetch the van at Mahaffey, and have a meal at the Starlight Lounge (and likely a beer) while we were there. More on that later.
Things went according to plan, with the caveat that we were moving a little slow, based on the unseasonable, below freezing temperatures in the van the night before. Stopped at a mini-market in Curwensville for a cup of coffee on the ride out. Was a very good use of time.
Found a very nice put-in (better than our take-out last trip) in Mahaffey. It’s between the back of the Starlite Lounge building and what looks like a municipal pumping station behind. There is a photo of Morgan standing by our launch site above.
Paddling started smoothly enough. I saw on the map that there was some rapids (class 2 water) coming up. As the hydrography showed us at typical water levels for the year, I didn’t anticipate any real trouble: and, no real trouble did we have. But…we did get water rowdy enough to cause us to have to stop twice to empty the boats. That was not expected.
As a matter of fact, a good bit of this paddle was punctuated with water that was “fun”. “Fun” meaning it makes you a little nervous as you first approach, but as you do, you realize you have this, and you go for it. Big boulders in the water make it really pretty, and the sound is part of the fun. You can hear the “fun” water coming, before you can see it.
After the first section of rapids, we scouted out a campsite river right that I had talked to a man named Bub about. We were seeing if it might be a good spot for an overnight on future trips. Turns out, it might, and it might be good because it’s just after the spot on the river that would most likely swamp a paddler who got in trouble. We will see if we can further that connection.
But this section of river isn’t all rapids and emptying boats of water. There is some flat water to balance things out.
I’d estimate about the last six miles of this journey was “flat water” caused by the Curwensville Dam. The area outside of Lumber City all the way to our campsite was pretty still. This section gave us a challenge but mercifully, when the water got real big, in the lake proper, we also got a nice tail wind that helped us with those final miles.
By the time we made it back to camp, we were about ready to be done paddling. We were on the water for about seven hours, and the last almost two hours were a steady paddle. When we pulled up onto the shore, and beached our boats, we were looking forward to the short drive out to the Starlight Lounge for some nice dinner and beverages and some celebration of the day’s paddle.
Special shout-out and bonus section to the STARLIGHT Lounge
From the first time I saw it on the map to the last seconds I spent there… this place is special. Uniquely situated on the river, it’s about the only “civilized” thing on the river in Section 1 of the West Branch Paddle Club odyssey. And as such, I’d likely love it…even if it was terrible. But the amazing thing is…it’s not. In fact…it’s AMAZING!
When we first walked in on the first trip, we were met with the distinct smell of a bar that you go to smoke cigarettes, drink beers, talk with other locals, and maybe play some pool. That might seem like a negative to some, but to me…it’s a green light. It reminds me of times when things were more simple. When you were allowed to make decisions that carried personal consequences. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, but as I have gotten older, and times have changed, the smell of cigarettes has come to be the smell of freedom to me.
So the bartender can see by my face that I’m not familiar. So he helps. “You guys here to eat?” he asks. I say we are. He asks me if we want smoking or non-smoking, our party says “non-smoking”, and with that we are taken to a different part of the building that is more of a dining room than a bar. After that, the waitress (the only one in the place, and who is clearly hustling) says, “You want something to drink?” We ask what they have. She seems like she doesn’t have time for the whole rundown, but we scale back the request to “what’s on tap?” She says the typical, “Bud, Bud lite and Coors light.” None of these are thrilling us, so I ask if they have any IPA’s? She says they do…and she starts bringing beers in cans. Well, it turns out that they have lots of IPA’s, and she keeps bringing them.
We order some food. We figure the Saturday night Pizza special with wings sound pretty good and safe. Well, it was AMAZING! The pizza was cooked perfectly and the crust was the perfect proportions of doughy, leasty and crispy. The wings were to die for. The garlic wings were especially great, and they have a cucumber horseradish that sounds like it’s going to be kinda terrible…but it is heaven on earth.
So, we thought we would see if the first visit was a fluke, during our second visit. This time we strolled in with some swagger, as we now knew the rules. We got our seats and the beers started coming, and the Pizza and wings were maybe even more on point this time than last!
This place is LEGIT! It is a must visit, if you do this section of river. If you ride a Harley as your support vehicle for your paddle, you might get some special treatment, as it looks like that kind of place. But once you know and embrace this authentic part of Mahaffey, PA…you will love the place too.
Sunday morning over Lake Curwensville.
Sunday, May 2nd, 2021 - Morgan was beat this morning. Turns out, the milage of yesterday, combine with the still water miles of the lake and wind really taxed her. And this is saying something, as she is in very good shape. This is why it’s nice to scout with someone not exactly like yourself. What you think is “doable” someone else might think is completely unrealistic or even imaginable. As a result, I learned that these trip should not be undertaken by those in anything less than VERY GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION.
Morgan is in very good shape. She runs 5 miles almost every day, and paddles with her friend routinely. Even with that level of conditioning, the winds and still water of Lake Curwensville, gave her arms and upper body quite a challenge.
With a brisk tail wind I headed out of Curwensville… solo.
Morgan was nice enough to shuttle me from the end destination (Clearfield) back to the put in location. Shortly after, she bid me farewell and headed for home. She didn’t want to risk an upper body injury, and I think she made the right call.
I put in at Irwins Park access at river mile 185, just below the “wooden dam”. The section below that access point is a nice horse shoe meander with lumber “booms” along the way. Historically significant for this area since the signature trademark of the West Branch is lumber. They warrant investigation, and there are some interpretive signs that are worth reading at the put-in location. I learned a thing or two.
Irwins Park to Clearfield - Some paddling tips:
Coming out of Curwensville’s Irwin’s Park, there is a tricky little section where it pays to say river center. Actually, there are two sections that pay to stay river center. As you get to the area parallel the highway you get into the first section of contained river with concrete sidewalls. It's sad to see ducks trying to get a meal of grass and weeds in the cracks growing between the concrete slabs. After that section of river there is an shallow section that lasts a few hundred yards. Here, maybe stay river right to river right-central. This section of river is probably about 100 yards wide.
Some thought you think when paddling alone:
For a big and new country it sure does seem like we've touched everything. As I think about progress and listen to the cars go by and look at the train tracks on the other side of the highway I can't help but think that we've had a 250 year frat party with this country. I find myself always paddling on the opposite side of the river from the road that always parallels. Perhaps that's a metaphor for how one should live life?
The flora along the section is mostly what you would expect. It's kind of the old PA transitioning to the new PA. Lots of old river maples, birches and hemlocks. Some sycamore and always the native rhododendron in the more shaded spots. A couple red buds have populated the shoreline and I even saw one nice native dogwood which is crazy considering they used to be everywhere. The anthracnose has taken care of most of them. And then there is the “new PA” other type the foliage. the invasive Japanese knotweed that you see everywhere taking over both sides of the waterway. I haven't seen much loosestrife, but I'm sure it's here, just not yet in season. And then the normal wild scrub that fills in any area that's been cleared by man and then left abandon for any period of time.
How it was, compared to how it’s becoming at the hands of mankind is evidenced everywhere. Some may say that is “bad for the planet”, but I can’t make that jump. To me, man’s influence on nature is no more “bad” or “sinister” than a beaver making a dam that blocks an eel’s passage to its native spawning grounds. It’s men and beavers doing what men and beavers do. And I firmly believe that in the end, neither man or beaver make a bit of difference to the more grand plans of nature.
Turns out, my bird was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Every time I paddle I wish I knew more about birds. From all the water fowl that I kick up as I paddle along to the beautiful song birds that keep me company along the paddle. So many sounds to counterbalance the sounds of tires on the highway. I saw a particularly pretty solo bird on a high branch this morning. It had a white breast with red right below his throat and he had a beautiful song. I'll have to look him up when I get home. So much to know about those creatures with whom we share the planet. So little time in which to learn.
Duality of the river is apparent on this last day
Between Curwensville and Clearfield is pretty populated. The most populated section of the West Branch that I have paddled so far. And as I paddle, I have to wonder about the duality of this river, and maybe all rivers.
As you paddle mile after mile, you will see sections that are embraced by humans. The property values high, based on the amazing views and the grandeur of the water. Then (sometimes within a short distance) you will see sections of trail that have been mistreated. Sections that have had the collective backs of humans turned on it. Sections used more like a dump or inconvenient property border, than the wonder of life and beauty that they are.
I wonder what makes one section “prime real estate” while right down the road is considered a “ditch”? It’s all one thing. The water passing each point equally, and with disregard for our valuation of it at any given point.
Below are some photos of the scenery that started me thinking. If you have any answers, feel free to post them in the comments.
Conclusions:
One cold one left in the cooler.
This is a great piece of river. It shows you so many looks. From fairly rowdy rapids (by Susquehanna River standards) to beautiful town promenades. From big, open lake waters with high winds, to intimate backwaters that feel like you might be the first person to ever paddle them. This section of river is a very fun paddle. If done right, it can offer a wide variety of experiences to Adventurers. But as usual, the trick is to expect nothing. Open your mind, and let your surroundings dictate your actions. Embrace the chaos, unknown and challenge. Consider those who have come this way before you, and those who will follow. Respect both.
Next up: Section 2 West Branch Paddlers Club
If you are interested in booking this trip and doing it with us, you can CLICK HERE to start that process.