A letter to Alan

A few days after our 2002 trip, Alan Curtis sent me an e-mail containing the the simple phrase, "So, how'd it go?" The reason for the question is complicated but the short answer is that we had modified the trip to make it a base camp weekend out of deference to Dwight who had been very ill during the winter and spring. Dwight was a founding member of the trip and we wanted to do whatever was needed to accommodate him. What appears below is an abridged version of the e-mail that I sent to Alan a few days after our 2002 trip.

Hi Alan-“So... how’d it go?” Sounds like an essay question and certainly a dangerous thing to ask me as you know how I tend to go on and on ad nauseum.

Glenn and I arrived at Snowshoe Truck stop about 12:15. The South Central crowd arrived about 1:15. They had to stop for breakfast, Ice, ammo and once we got there they had to go across the street to the IGA for some other stuff. I think the fact that we were base camping and didn’t need to run a shuttle kind of lead to a more relaxed schedule on Friday.

When everyone got out of their cars at the Truck stop, I greeted Dwight with the Phrase, “ Hi Dwight...ya look like hell.” I think he took it in the intended joking spirit. The idea was to treat him as we always have. Of course, I was less insensitive than Bob Millheim and Marty later that day.- Dwight was coming out of his tent after putting on long underwear. As he was pulling up his pants, he lost his balance and went head over heals backward. Bob and Marty HOWLED and tried to get someone to take a photo. Fortunately Dwight wasn’t hurt and later, Marty confided that they laughed because they felt it was a way to treat Dwight a usual.

At any Rate, we caravaned the half hour down to Karthaus and drove the 3 miles over the dirt road up to Millers Landing, planning to paddle across the river and camp on the point. There is a large grassy area at the very end of the road with a sign “Canoes welcome.” Pulling up right behind us was a fellow who lived in the second house down from the “lawn.” Harry and I went over to talk with him. It seems that earlier this Spring, there had been a fire about 800 yards upstream from the Moshannon campsite that we normally use. The result of this fire was an increase in the State’s insistence that people don’t camp on state gamelands- and that included our campsite. Harry did some quick thinking on his feet and asked the fellow if he thought we’d be able to camp on the bank by the grassy lawn. Our new friend, Don, told us who owned it and where we could go to ask for permission.

Soooo...Harry and I took the 3 mile drive down the dusty road, turned left into Karthaus, made another left onto Main Street (is this sounding like Alice’s restaurant yet?) and went twisting and turning along the road to the village of Keewadin. We were looking for an orchard owned by a gentleman named Wayne Kunes.

Mr. Kunes kindly agreed to allow us to camp on his lawn provided that we behaved and kept a few buckets of water to keep next to the fire in case anything got out of hand. We thanked him profusely and headed back to Millers Landing where we set up camp along the riverbank within walking distance of the cars. Bob and Chris drove back down the access road to pick up wood; a large area had been cleared and there was enough dead wood for months of campfires. We needed a good fire because it got quite cold both nights but it was especially cold the first night.

The next morning was pretty typical. It took a while but we came up with a plan for canoing that day. Simply, we paddled the Moshannon. We probably got on the river about 12 and it took about an hour and a half to run. The West Branch was running a bit under 5 feet at that time so there weren’t a lot of rocks to deal with.

Saturday afternoon was spent retrieving the cars from the Route 53 Bridge and more or less hanging out. The bridge over the Moshannon at Route 53 is in scary shape. it is quite badly rusted with the end of one of the cross members under the bridge completely rusted away and hanging. There were places on the sides of the bridge that had rusted through and you could see daylight through them.

While we shuttle drivers were gone, Mr Kunes' son came over for a visit. He was quite nice and basically offered us an open invitation to camp there any time we wanted. When Harry came back from the Shuttle, he heard that Mr. Kunes son had come over he went over to talk with him and ended up talking to Don as well. As a result, he got some information about the structure at the Moshannon campground (essentially, it was a sawmill), and returned to our camp with a book that was more or less about the history of the West Branch from Gallows harbor down through Karthaus.

You would have enjoyed Saturday’s campfire Alan. There was a lot of good discussion and I suppose that there always are but it seemed that they were farther ranging and a but deeper than usual.

Sunday, we got out a bit earlier and drove up to the Rolling Stone Bridge. That’s the one that is just downstream of Alder run, where we have lunch. The trip from there to our campsite includes many of the good rapids and of course, the dreaded Moshannon Falls. The river was running a tad over 4 on Sunday and many of the rocks in the rapids were covered with water. The waves were still there and at was an interesting trip but we didn’t have to pick the route quite so closely.

At the end of the trip, I ran the drivers back to their cars and we came back, finished packing our gear, stowed it in the cars and drove home. It was all in all a pretty good trip. The fact that it was so different makes it memorable. My hope is that knowing that we can do it doesn’t make us inclined to do it every year. I still like paddling and camping along the river.

Shall we gather at the River? Getting there part 2

To a degree, one thing that our group has somewhat in common with Samuel Maclay and company is how we get together at the start of the trip. Beginning on April 26, 1790, Maclay started his journey down the Susquehanna from his home in the Buffalo Valley. He passed Harrisburg, and travelled up the Swatara, eventually establishing his quarters in Millerstown(known today as Annville). Maclay made a few trips east to Lebanon searching for his delayed comrades; his journal belying some impatience. By May 8, Maclay's comrads had joined him and by May 17 they had arrived at Sunbury. His journal entries made it appear that the expedition made the distance from Harrisburg to Sunbury in one day; a feat that seems a bit too impressive...

Most of the paddlers on our excursions come from the Hanover/Gettysburg Area and from year one, we identified our first stop at the McDonald's. In theory, it provided the point at which Bill Campbell and Gary would join the group. It certainly made sense because from there, we cross the Susquehanna to pick up 322 North, past Duncannon and, you might think, straight on up to Snowshoe. Don't be fooled. From Duncannon, we travel along the Juniata to Lewisburg where a traditional stop for beer and ice occurs. Then, the band travels through the Seven Mountains Area, Past Centre Hall and onto Route 220 where we would stop at the Agway to top off the gas tanks.

From Route 220, one might imagine that we travel on to Shawville. While we now only stop at Snowshoe, we initially also had stops at Milesburg, the Truck Stop at Snowshoe and the Rest Stop on Route 80; a few miles west of Snowshoe, and once, we even stopped for lunch at exit 123 before we completed the last few miles from Route 80 to Shawville. Clearly, we have never felt rushed.

Just as Maclay had some difficulty connecting up with his cohorts, we have occasionally had the same problems. At the start of the Fifth Annual Voyage, we made our trek up the river without Dwight. He had an early sales meeting in Hanover but assured us that he would meet us at Karthaus by 3:00. Buddy and the drivers were there at the appointed time but there was no sign of Dwight. A few thoughtful moments passed and it became obvious that Dwight had undoubtedly arrived and we deduced his exact location: Fisher's Bar at the river's edge.

A 1912 view of the Potter House In Karthaus. This predates Fisher's bar(now known as Riverfront Bar and Grill) but the location is correct

Dwight often figured prominently into our transportation misfires but he was not the only wayward paddler. There was the year that Alan and Gary were late because they decided to take a tour of beautiful downtown Bellfonte. And another time they were an hour late; a result of a detour to Clearfield to replace a forgotten pair of absolute necessities. But those are stories for other days.

Getting there: Up the river with Samuel Maclay

Several years ago, when I was poking around the Pennsylvania State Library for books about the history of the West Branch, I came across a microfiche of the "Journal of Samuel Maclay while surveying the West Branch of the Susquehanna, the Sinnemahoning and the Allegheny Rivers" Written during Samuel Maclay's 1790 expedition, it was not published until 1887. We are lucky to have a new publication courtesy of the folks at Wenneawoods Publishing in Lewisburg. The book-actually more of a booklet- has been digitized and is available for free on Google books but if you are interested in the publication, it is very inexpensive and supports a publishing company that is keeping the very early history of Pennsylvania alive.

Initially, I was interested in comparing descriptions of Maclay's trip in 1790 with ours, but as I started reading, it became apparent that comparisons would be difficult since Maclay's expedition left the West Branch at the mouth of the Sinnemahoning creek. We never canoed downstream that far so I couldn't draw any comparisons. But as I read, Mr. Maclay's exploits captured my imagination in other ways.

In 1790, when Samuel Maclay was 49 years old, he and two others, Timothy Matlock of Haddonfield, NJ and York resident John Adlum were commissioned by the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania to examine the headwaters of the Susquehanna and explore the streams of the newly purchased Northwest Section of the state. They were charged with determining whether there was a water route from the Susquehanna River basin into the Allegheny River. The Pennsylvania General Assembly had declared the Susquehanna a "Public Highway" in 1771 and at that time, using rivers was still a most effective means of travel. When our forbearers began constructing roads, they followed the rivers and when we travel up to Shawville, we follow the rivers for a great deal of the route.

A 1795 Map with the approximate route of the 1790 Maclay expedition
Click on the map to view a larger copy

Mr Maclay's trip was quite a bit more arduous than ours; at least two thirds of the trip required poleing the vessels upstream through the high waters of April and May. Then there was the matter of portaging their boats 14 miles from the Sinnemahoning to Portage creek. Imagine hefting those things through the woods: they were a far cry from the lightweight Kevlar and carbon fiber canoes of today. In fact, none of the equipment used on this expedition was as lightweight, waterproof or warm as what we carry. Though we "rough it" our experience is nothing in comparison.


The exploits chronicled in Maclay's journal, and the purpose of surveying water routes to the Ohio and to the Great Lakes are quite compelling. As you look at the 1795 map and Maclay's route, it is apparent that the expedition uncovered routes into New York and west, to Pittsburgh. The survey records tentative routes from Philadelphia and anticipates much of what would become the network of Pennsylvania canals in the 1800's thus giving rise to an entire new vein of investigation of our state's history.

Shuttle Logistics

Paddling, like hiking is a pretty linear endeavor. I suppose that lots of hikes are circular in nature and it is possible to raft "the loop" on the Youghiogheny River without driving back from the end of the trip, but on the West Branch, there is always a Shuttle. The longest shuttle was the trip back from Renovo and in 2006, we relied on Steve Hershey to run the shuttle and leave his Jeep at the put in at Shawville. For the majority of the trips, Harry's uncle, Harold "Buddy" Borger ran us back from Karthaus to Shawville.

Alan, Harry, Buddy, Chris

The other detail that Harry and Buddy worked out for the trips was where we parked the cars at Karthaus. A look at the well maintained Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Take Out might give one cause to wonder why we don't just leave our cars in the parking lot there. Well, the Take Out wasn't always located where it is now and it certainly wasn't even close to as developed. Combine the state of the initial take out location with stories of vehicle break-ins that Harry had observed on the Shenandoah River and it might be a little understandable why Harry didn't want us parking our vehicles where they couldn't be watched. As it turns out, Buddy has a friend in Karthaus named William Paul and Mr. Paul has been graciously allowing us to park in his yard since 1982.

Even though Buddy and Mr. Paul never paddled with us, they always were an integral part of our West Branch experience. Mr. Paul continues to help us out on the trip. Buddy passed away on New Year's Day, 2001. He had battled Scleroderma for many years and was acutely ill for several months in 2000. Buddy was a good friend to us and he was also a very active citizen in his hometown, Snowshoe. He was the Mayor for a few years, served as a Snowshoe Police Officer was president of the Lion's Club, was judge of elections and was scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 50. Buddy was also an active woodworker and shared his catalog of items that he would make for others when he drove our shuttle.

There have been others who have helped us with the shuttle over the years. In 1988, Buddy had a conference to attend so his friend Don Gillette drove us back from Karthaus. In 2002, we "base camped" at Miller's Landing so no shuttle was needed; but the logistic stories for that year are enough to take up another post.

With the exception of 2004, from 2001 to 2005, Harry's cousin Delbert ran the shuttle for us. 2005 was the most confusing of the shuttles. We had a small group put in at the Rolling Stone bridge and at Shawville, half of us loaded up at the Shawville Methodist Church and boat ramp on river left while the other half of the group felt energetic and carried their gear down the hill the the river bank opposite us. We had used the right side of the river for years but abandoned that put in due to the length and steepness of the hill leading to the river bank. The is not much space at that spot either and we are, after all getting older. To make a long story short, coordinating the three groups was problematic and resulted in a quite lengthy shuttle. I have a feeling that we drove Delbert a little crazy that year.

After the shuttle of 2006, when Steve bailed us out, we decided to pay a little extra and have the good folks at McCracken Canoe run the shuttle for us. McCracken's is located on 970, just up from our "old" put in. The can be reached at mccrackencanoe.com.

From Hyner View, looking back

This view has changed little from our first visit at the end of our 1981 trip till May of 2008, when I took this photo. Upstream a few miles is the site of our inaugural trip's take-out, Renovo and of course, upstream of that, lie the 41 or so miles that we paddled back in May of 1981.

When we put in at Miller's Landing that Friday, the weather had turned from the sunny morning that we experienced in Harrisburg, to a cool, cloudy day punctuated with periods of rain. A pair of paddlers in an inflatable raft passed us as we carried our gear to the riverbank. They had just come down Moshannon Creek and mentioned to us that the river lever was pretty high. Harry had checked the river level for Friday May 15, 1981 and informed us that the West Branch was running at 5.41 feet. As a reference, flood stage is 19 feet and the river is usually getting a bit too low under two feet. We are accustomed to running it between two and four feet.

As some us us shuttled the cars down to Renovo, the guys left in Miller's Landing loaded and lashed our gear in the canoes and drank the weekend's supply of beer. After we all regrouped, we shoved off: briefly because Harry and Dwight started taking on too much water over the bow when we paddled through a stretch of "riffles." A quick trip to shore, some reloading, some rearranging, and we were off again for the three mile paddle past the bridge at Karthaus and a brief take out at Mosquito Creek. Why we stopped there is beyond me but soon, we were on the river again, leaving even the most fundamental evidence of development behind us. I recall seeing lots of Gypsy Moth forest devastation during our shuttle but I can't remember and impact on the trees along the riverbanks as we made our way. I remember lots of forests and by that time in the day, lots of rain.

During the early years of our trips, we were rather Spartan in our provisions and in the gear we carried. Our luxury was Friday night's dinner: steak and baked potatoes cooked over an open fire. (Saturday, we had hot dogs and beans cooked over a fire... who needs pots and pans!) I recall us standing around the fire in our ponchos enjoying the camaraderie and the meals but the locations of either Friday or Saturday night's campsite is lost to me. As there were just the six of us, I am certain that we all pitched in with the fire making, cooking, and cleanup. Bob Hayes supplied "the Kitchen" for the two years he paddled with us and I distinctly recall his home-made combination paper towel holder/silverware drawer.... funny what memory files away as important.....

As the weekend continued, the weather cleared, the water remained high and we had a great time enjoying the scenery and the conversation. On canoe trips, it is not uncommon to group the boats together and chat as we hold the gunwales of our neighbors canoe. On this particular Saturday, we thought it a good idea to TIE the boats together at the thwarts. Fortunately, someone was looking downstream and noticed that our flotilla was headed strait for a rock. Avoiding the rock in three lashed together canoes was not possible but thanks to Dwight and his handy knife, the ropes were severed and we passed the rock uneventfully. The lesson was learned and to the best of my knowledge, we've never tied up like that again.

I also remember that Harry was basically the trip leader- he had the plastic laminated maps and was familiar with the river- but Bob assumed the role of keeping the trip moving. Bob seemed to set the schedule and insure that we broke camps and got on the river by certain times. In retrospect, I guess this was good because it afforded us the time to Visit Hyner View and stop for ice cream as we made our way back home.

More details than these are lost to me. I strongly remember having a great time, laughing a lot and really enjoying the camaraderie and the adventure. I think that from this first weekend, something was set in our hearts that we would always paddle the West Branch in the Spring and that it would always be a special event which we would relived throughout the years. Looking back, that's exactly what our voyages on the West branch have become.

Getting started

To the best of my knowledge, there are no pictures from the first trip we took down the West Branch. The majority of the photos in this blog are digitized from disposable cameras and will be of fairly low resolution, just as my 29 year old recollections of the events are somewhat hazy. In 1985, I started writing short newsletters that were shared with the paddlers at the beginning of the trip and I refer to those to help spur my memory. The account of our first year's trip is exactly two paragraphs and I find that my memories encompass much more than that, even at this late date. Thus, I attempt to piece together our first trip.....

Harry, Bob and I were all pretty excited to be embarking on this trip and though I can't remember when we all started making arrangements, I surmise that we must have been working out details months before our trip. We settled on May 15, 16 and 17, began working out the logistics and sought out others to join us in the adventure. Probably, we got together at the Grog Shop in Hanover. I would drive down from Harrisburg and meet up with the Harry, Bob, and the two teachers from Lincoln Intermediate Unit for their post school week debriefing. I am quite certain that this is where we drew Dwight into endeavor. It was also at the Grog Shop that we made our first trip decision: that this would be an all male trip. Dwight, Harry and Bob were all married and the two aforementioned teaches were single, attractive young women who were quite ready to paddle with us. Probably no more explanation is needed...I was still looking for more adventurous souls for the trip and it didn't take too much to convince my college buddy Alan to join us. Bill Campbell a fellow Keystone Residence, Inc employee was enlisted and we were set at six.

Obtaining canoes was the next hurdle. Harry had a red, heavy fiberglass canoe that he and Dwight would use, Bob came up with an aluminum canoe and I apprehensively asked to borrow my boss's canoe. He apprehensively agreed. Our route was established by Harry. He was the one who had paddled the West Branch before and he had the maps. Another item that Harry had in his possession a copy of a guide called "80 Miles of Wilderness Adventure on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River" by O. Lynn Frank. Mr. Frank is an expert on, among other things, the logging history of the river and he developed this guide as a wilderness adventure opportunity for Boy Scouts. The guide is available online; http://www.personal.psu.edu/~gal4/Chinklacamoose.pdf. Since the wildest part of the West Branch runs from Karthaus to Keating, that was the stretch we would concentrate on. Most likely, the trip was extended to Renovo to increase the amount of time we would have to enjoy the river. Why Harry thought we should put in at Miller's landing escapes me. Maybe he wanted us to almost be able to see where Moshannon Creek enters the West Branch; Maybe he was thinking of extending our paddling time on the river; maybe he just wanted us to be able to savor the bone rattling dirt road from Route 879 in Karthaus to Miller's landing.

With the date, the route and the participants set, we were almost ready to go.

Putting in

In 1981, a small group of guys initiated the West Branch canoe/camping trip that has become a springtime tradition. The original perpetrator Harry Borger, had often paddled the river with his Father and convinced Bob Hayes and yours truly, Gary Wagner that it would be fun to take a canoe camping trip down the West Branch.

Harry and Bob knew each other from their work at The Lincoln Intermediate Unit, in South Central Pennsylvania. Harry was a consultant at the institution where Gary worked. We first camped together in the spring of 1980 when we were facilitating a camping trip with two special ed classes and their teachers. We held a post trip debriefing at Hanover's "Grog Shop" and decided that we would like to try a canoe camping trip down the Delaware river. The trip included the five of us, Bob and Harry's wives and Bob's brother. We had a fine time and were primed for Harry's suggestion that we paddle the West Branch.

The trip has been a guys only trip from the beginning. I will write more about that later. Harry and Bob brought along Dwight Alcott and Gary invited Alan Curtis and Bill Campbell along. We put in around Miller's Landing for a three day cruise to Revono. The area we paddled is the most undeveloped portion of the West Branch and we paddled without seeing another group. After three days on the river, we were hooked and began making plans for the next year.