Susquehanna River (West Branch)

Route Proposed by: Ben Powlus

1st attempt: Ben Powlus, June 7-8, 2025, ended after approximately 115 miles

Overall Fastest Known Paddle: TBD

185 miles

Start: Irvin Park Access, Curwensville Borough, PA River mile 184.8.

Finish: Shikellamy West Access, Selingsgrove, PA, just after the confluence with the North Branch; just past mile zero of the west branch.

Recommended map resources from Susquehanna Greenway

Route notes: This route starts at mile 185, omitting 40 upstream miles that are often too low to paddle. All portages are around low head dams, with take-outs and put-ins that vary depending on the water level.

Trip Report from Ben Powlus:

Ben Powlus

West Branch Susquehanna River FKT Attempt 1

Date: 6/7/2025 - 6/8/2025

Water level: 2.9’ on the Karthaus gauge

6/7/2025

This  was the first time I've ever attempted an FKT, so please bear with me.  I began at 10:42am, Irvin Park, Curwensville, PA with overcast sky and roughly 80 deg air temps. I chose to paddle a Tiderace Pace 18 hauling about 25# of food and gear.  Curwensville to Clearfield  was pleasant paddling with some gentle breezes. Despite the above average rainfall that preceded my trip, the water level was on par for the season average allowing for the abbreviated portage around raftmans dam, taking out RR 50’ upstream of the dam and put in another 50’ on the other side. Another cool 2 hours later put me at the river left takeout around the Shawville dam. Quite a bit longer than the Clearfield at about .75 mi, it has been significantly shortened through cooperation with local public land owners that frequently allow river access to the public. 

For me, the Shawville to Renovo section of the West Branch is by far my favorite. The river begins to widen a bit before getting stuffed into the gorge that significantly limits physical access to the river. It gets wild. The current speed picks up a bit and takes on the feel of a creek with occasional class II wave trains. The entire floodplain smelled of blooming primrose and rhododendron. The toads were spawning. It was so loud that I thought it was my ears ringing.

The sun went down and I was able to pick up a bit more speed with cooler air temps. Cooler air temps also brought a fog that drastically decreased visibility. My headlamp was worthless. I couldn't see anything past my bow without leaning forward to get some light under the fog, but even that did not offer much. With the help of the moon I was able to make out the basic shape of the gorge and navigate accordingly. The icing on the cake was that the whip poor-wills were calling.

I was going through about 1 liter of water per hour and had some concerns about sourcing water in the dark without losing too much time. A good number of the tributaries still carry some residual mine acid from regional mining ventures of the past. There were plenty of viable options as I made my way that were easily found by ear and seeing their small to medium small rock bars.

It was pretty satisfying rolling into Karthaus marked by the steel arch bridge and floodlights of the local roadhouse. I was still feeling fresh and had enough water to make it or daylight. Any potential technical water was behind me and it turned out the sections denoted class II went by unnoticed.

6/8

I ended up stopping to take a 2 hour dirtnap just before Westport (3:45am) where the no-see-ums feasted on my face. The morning was overcast and 80 deg. The haze cleared by about 10am. By 2 it was raining pretty good and the air temps dropped. I started to get Bonky here. Then came some hallucinations and negative self talk. While I was preparing for the trip I chose to bring my backpacking rain gear thinking a drytop would be too hot…not the move. I was soaked through, cold, and not getting any warmer no matter how much I ate or raised my heart rate. I had 3 of my 26 PB&Js left, 4 stinger waffles and a nutrigrain bar.  

I pulled over, river right under the Jay St bridge at Lock Haven telling myself I was going to have a pizza delivered. No dice. Nobody would deliver to a meet-up, just residence. The radar showed continued rain for the next 4 hours and USGS showed the Pine, Lycoming, and Loyalsock creeks pushing huge bubbles from rain they got the night before. I found myself overwhelmed and stopped my track. 

Hours after I pulled off, after I got a burger in me and my glycogen levels increased I learned that the state police had closed the banks of the river at Montoursville for a body recovery. While I was derigging, I also learned I had put a mountain house meal in the bottom of my food bag for just the occasion that I previously found myself in. Hindsight being 20:20, I could have just pulled over boiled water, made my food, drank some warm electrolytes, rested for 3 hours and been on my way.

Lessons, Conclusions and Take-Aways

The biggest thing that finally got through my head was a stronger ability to give myself credit. I made roughly 115mi and this was the first time I had ever attempted an FKT. I usually beat the crap out of myself. In the end it was just me against me and this had been the longest and fastest I had ever gone. I'll keep training. This was just part of my endurance journey.

Performing for mental cognition- After the hallucinations and overwhelm it was interesting to look back and pick out the points in my experience where my cognition was slipping and how I chose to look past it in effort to set a time. I've been told in the past that fast is smooth and smooth is slow. During this experience I truly felt it.

I had documented a route on Scott Miller’s fastestknownpaddle.org. It means a lot to me. I'm a PA local and a lifelong paddler.  It's my dream to one day see someone enjoy it as much as me while setting an incredible time.

Lastly I'm also organizing a race I’m calling the West Branch 185. This was a great opportunity to pre-run the jewel of this event, from Shawville to Renovo. It feels genuinely wild. There can be consequences. Access is limited. It always brings me incredible joy to see how the river changes as I make my miles. It's the most beautiful place