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.