West Branch Susquehanna River Sojourn
Important Event Phone Numbers (Note: Limited Cell Coverage!)
Erin Pierce, Program Coordinator: 814-933-6333
Betsy Quant, Sojourn River Guide: 570-428-4191
Alan Quant, Sojourn River Guide: 570-452-5119
Emergency: 911
Pre-Trip Info Packet
Itinerary
Note: Many of these locations are rural and lack street addresses. Cell service is limited; satellite GPS reception is not guaranteed. Please review these locations before you go! Please share this itinerary with your friends/family.
Google Map of Sojourn Locations: http://goo.gl/maps/z78vU
(Locations approximate, see detailed directions below)
Day 1 – Tuesday, May 14
Evening camping location: Pavilion 1 - Curwensville Lake Recreation Area, 1256 Lake Drive, Curwensville, PA, 16833
The Pre- Event Shuttle (for folks parking their car for the duration of the sojourn) will meet at Kettle Creek State Park (see General Instructions Section for specifics). If you are signed up for the pre-trip/full trip shuttle, meet the shuttle at 12:30pm SHARP. Note that cell coverage in this area is limited, so leave ample time to arrive early. Be sure to eat lunch before arriving.
If you are being dropped off or driving to Curwensville Lake, please arrive at Curwensville Lake by 5:00 pm. At the entry office, mention “Susquehanna Sojourn” for entry. Please check-in at the sojourn banner when you arrive. We will have dinner at 6pm, a Sojourn Welcome Program and enjoy the lake! If you have a PA fishing license and would like to bring your equipment, fishing is permitted. Bring your hiking boots to enjoy the nature trails! Toilets & showers available at this location.
Day 2 – Wednesday, May 15
16 River Miles – McGees Mills to Lumber City
Morning Meet-Up: Meet up with us for breakfast at Pavilion1 - Curwensville Lake Recreation Area, 1256 Lake Drive, Curwensville, PA, 16833
Good morning! Over breakfast from 7 – 8am we will learn about Chest Creek, a special tributary we’ll see today. We’ll shuttle to the launch site at McGees Mills Covered Bridge – the last of its kind across the Susquehanna! Safety talk and launch by 9:00am. Lunch will be at Bells Landing along the river where we will learn about the county’s newest scenic byway. We’ll paddle to the gamelands above Curwensville Lake and shuttle back to the lake. At camp we’ll enjoy dinner at 6:30pm and programs from Trout Unlimited and Bureau of Abandoned Mine Rec.. Enjoy a campfire and music with Tim Ball. Your patience with the day’s shuttling is much appreciated! Toilets and showers available at this location.
Evening meet-up camping location: Pavilion 1 - Curwensville Lake Recreation Area, 1256 Lake Drive, Curwensville, PA, 16833
Day 3 –Thursday, May 16
18 River Miles – Curwensville to Shawville
Morning Meet-Up: Meet up with us for breakfast at Irvin Park, Curwensville,PA 16833.
Near: 40° 57' 42.8322", -78° 30' 56.61"
Today we get to be River Stewards! We’ll shuttle below the dam to breakfast at 7:30 – 8:30am in Irvin Park. Over breakfast we’ll learn about Curwensville history and the park. Safety talk and launch by 9am. Lunch will be at Lower Witmer Park in Clearfield where we will learn about Headwaters initiatives and have a safety talk from NRG Energy, Inc. employees assisting us with our ½ day river clean up! Thanks for helping us leave the river better than when we found it! We will conduct a short land portage after lunch and pick up litter until our take out in Shawville above the power plant dam. We’ll shuttle to our campsite down the road, set up camp and shuttle up the road for dinner and presentation about lumber history. Local publications will be available for sale from the local Historical Society, so don’t forget your wallet! Back at camp we’ll enjoy the unique river views. Your patience with shuttling is much appreciated. Flush toilet available at dinner, port-a-johns at campsite.
Evening Meet-Up and camping location: At the river near 78 Shawville Church Hwy, Clearfield, PA 16830 Near: 41° 4'6.96", -78°21'29.08" Please check-in at the Sojourn banner.
Day 4 – Friday, May 17
15 River Miles – Shawville to Deer Creek (Frenchville) area
Morning Meet-Up: 8:30AM at the river near 78 Shawville Church Hwy, Clearfield, PA 16830 (This is in the village of Shawville, but with a Clearfield postal address) Please eat breakfast before you come, or join us at 7am for breakfast at Goshen Township Building, 116 Knobs Road, off Rt 879. At the launch site please check in at the Sojourn banner.
Launch Near: 41° 4'6.96N, 78°21'29.08"
After 7 am breakfast at the Township Building, we’ll have safety talk and launch by 9am and say thank you and goodbye to our hosts NRG Energy, Inc. and begin to enjoy the very remote sections of the West Branch, as there is little road access along the river from this point forward! Bring your birding guides and keep your ears open for many different woodland species. We’ll be taking bagged lunches with us on this day and enjoying them at a stop along the river. After our day of paddling we will camp at the Deer Creek Access and enjoy dinner while we learn how local groups and state agencies are caring for the river in different ways. It takes a village!. Port-a-johns available at campsite.
Evening Meet-Up and Camping location: PFBC Deer Creek (Frenchville) Access near: 41° 4'37.55" -78°14'2.42"
Directions: From Shawville, State Route 879 east toward Frenchville. In about 7.5 miles follow sign “Morrisdale 11” and turn right onto SR 1009 (Deer Creek Rd – not signed well). Cross river, access is on your right (steep access road, park along Deer Creek Road if needed). Please check-in at the Sojourn banner.
Directions From Frenchville, State Route 879 west toward Shawville. Turn left onto SR 1009 (Deer Creek Rd) – signage for these is hard to see/non-existent. Turn left at the blue sign “Morrisdale 11”. After crossing the Deer Creek Bridge, access is on the right (steep access road, park along Deer Creek Road if needed) Please check-in at the Sojourn banner.
Day 5 – Saturday, May 18
17 River Miles – Deer Creek (Frenchville) area to Karthaus
Morning Meet-Up location: PFBC Deer Creek (Frenchville) Access, 41° 4'37.55", -78°14'2.42"
Directions: See Day 4 Evening Meet-up Directions. Please check-in. Breakfast 7-8am. Launch by 8:30am.
Get ready for some West Branch Wilderness! After breakfast and breaking down camp, we’ll pack our bagged lunches and hit the water. We’ll enjoy the vast, forested views that helped to name the West Branch Water Trail one of National Geographic’s “Best Adventure Destinations” for 2012. We’ll be entering the range of PA’s wild elk herd! We take out at Karthaus and camp at Karthaus Park and after our 6:30pm dinner from the Karthaus Town Park Association we’ll enjoy presentations about this part of the PA Wilds and learn about the mighty PA elk! Port-a-johns available at campsite.
Evening Meet-Up and Camping location: Karthaus Town Park, Main Street/Route 879, Karthaus, PA 16845 41° 7'12.34", -78° 7'5.15" Please check-in at the Sojourn banner.
Day 6 – Sunday, May 19
22 River Miles – Karthaus to Keating
Morning Meet-Up location: DCNR Bureau of Forestry Karthaus Access, Karthaus, PA 16845
41° 6'52.86", - 78° 6'36.35" Directions: From downtown Karthaus, take State Route 879/Market Street south and cross the Karthaus Bridge (SR 879 will become Pine Glen Rd). Travel 0.2 miles past bridge. Access will be on right. Please arrive by 7:30am. Please check-in upon arrival. Bagels and bagged lunch provided.
We’ll hit the river early by 8am to tackle what is our longest day with some of the most scenic paddling. Since we are in remote areas of Sproul State Forest and State Game Lands we’ll take our bagged lunches along for the ride and enjoy them along the way. Mosquito Creek, Salt Lick Landing, and Little Tinker Curve are just some of the historic place-names we’ll come to know. We’ll end the day with a short paddle upstream to the take out on Sinnemahoning Creek, so save some energy! After landing at Keating (and taking our group photo!), drivers will be shuttled back to their cars in Karthaus (1 hour one-way, thanks for your patience!). Everyone else will be shuttled up the mountain and set up camp at Kettle Creek State Park, or retrieve your cars if you parked them there for the week. We will have dinner at 7:00pm and learn about the local population of bald eagles from a Park Ranger. We’ll wish some of you safe travels as you leave after dinner. The rest of us will enjoy camping in the park. Port-a-john available at take-out location, toilets & showers available at campsite.
Monday, May 20
Until we meet again! Coffee will be available this morning as we break camp, but breakfast will be on your own on your way out of town (We recommend the Kettle Creek Inn, 16494 Renovo Road
Westport, PA 17778, 570-923-2442). See you next year!!
Packing List, Clothing & Equipment
Personal Items: Please mark ALL your possessions with a permanent marker
§ Type III Life Vest (one per person)§ Bow/stern lines
§ Bailer/large sponge
§ Healthy snacks
§ Water bottles with water!
§ Sweaters, jackets, gloves (warm clothes, cotton NOT recommended)
§ Emergency dry clothes
§ Sun block and/or suntan lotion
§ First aid kit, medicine, spare glasses
§ Mosquito/tick repellant; Bee sting kits; other medicines
§ Bird/nature guides, diary/journal, camera, binoculars
§ Solar Shower unit/body wipes/outdoor soap & towel (there will be limited opportunities for a traditional shower!) / § Quick dry poly UV protection shirts and pants are best
§ Rain gear (Ponchos NOT recommended)
§ Swimming apparel
§ Water shoes, sport sandals, hiking shoes (no flip flops)
§ Dry bag or double plastic bags for everything you want to keep dry on the water & in the gear truck
§ Camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, ground pad, flashlight, batteries, ground cover, ear plugs)
§ Toilet paper (stretches of this route have no facilities, campsites have primitive facilities) personal toilet kit, bath towel
§ Tableware will be provided, however you are encouraged to bring a mug or reusable drink container for coffee
Clothing Notice: [Although certainly subject to change, the long-range forecast for the area of this year’s Sojourn is calling for daytime high temps of 60-70 degrees and night low temps of 40-50 degrees with possible showers during much of the week]
What to wear while paddling depends upon the weather and water conditions. 80 degrees and sunny weather allows bathing suits, shorts and t-shirts. In cooler weather, avoid cotton garments when paddling, as wet cotton is actually colder than bare skin, conducts heat away from the body and does not dry as fast as synthetic fabrics. Even in the summer cold water, wind and wet cotton can be a deadly combination. Cotton materials include flannel, chamois, canvas and most sweatshirts. Make sure your “fleece” sweatshirt is synthetic fleece, not cotton fleece.
These recommendations are for your comfort and safety. Hypothermia, a lowering of the body's core temperature, can come on quickly in the right conditions (or wrong conditions, if you've been in the water). You should have the following items available in your boat (preferably in a dry bag or other waterproof container that is securely fastened or stored with no trailing ropes or lines):
· RAIN GEAR: NO PONCHOS, or any other item that can become a hazard in the water.
· FLEECE OR WOOL HAT: In addition to a brimmed hat for sunny days, consider a warmer hat forcooler conditions
· WINDBREAKER and/or breathable paddle top and pants
· SYNTHETIC OR WOOL CLOTHING (Sweaters, tops, long underwear, socks) - Wool provides warmth, even when wet. Synthetic fleece and other materials are popular for their wicking qualities (drawing water away from your skin). Synthetic fibers dry quickly and help keep your body warm when it's cold. You can also use synthetic pants or lycra tights for your lower half.
If you have questions about clothing, check with a store that sells clothing forthe outdoors.
Showers:
Showers are not available most nights. Arrangements for showers have been made when possible. This information will be provided in the Itinerary. We encourage bringing your own solar shower bag. Please make sure you put your name on your shower bag(s). However, we cannot provide enclosures for changing or for showering. We suggest wearing sandals when you take a shower, and using a low-suds soap and shampoo to lessen the environmental impacts. You can find solar showers wherever they sell camping supplies or online.
Equipment: Please mark ALL your possessions with a permanent marker
You are responsible for providing or renting a canoe or kayak. Read the Clothing and Boat Notice for more information. Boats must have a PA Fish and Boat or PA DCNR Launch Permit, or be registered since we will be using public river accesses. Remember: It is cheaper to buy a launch permit than pay a fine! For launch permit or registration information, visit: http://fishandboat.com
Some people bring portage wheels for the Sojourn. You are responsible for transporting this type of equipment, and it must fit safely and securely inside your canoe or kayak.
CANOES: River worthy canoes recommended. No square stern canoes will be allowed–this type of canoe doesn’t perform well on a river. Consider your center of gravity when sitting in your canoe. Aluminum material may be problematic in the rocky parts of the river as can canvas, fiberglass and wood. If you have a question about your canoe, contact Allan Quant at Canoe Susquehanna, 570-524-7692 or .
KAYAKS: If youwill be using a whitewater kayak, although not recommended on day paddles, you must wear a helmet and be able to do a wet exit. The helmet requirement does NOT apply to recreational kayaks unless you are using a spray skirt that makes it difficult for you to escape the boat while in use. Usually these are neoprene skirts and fit tightly with the expectation that the paddler will be rolling if he/she flips.If you have questions contact Allan Quant at Canoe Susquehanna, 570-524-7692 or .
General Instructions