It was a sunny and warm (70 degree) day as Laura, Jilinda and Ron arrived on Thursday May 18th to set up camp at the Clear Creek Pennsylvania State Park. The section of the park which we chose was nestled in the hills between giant boulders and under mature tree cover. Even though we had adjoining campsites, we couldn't see each other - which gave us a sense of isolation.
After a chilly night (in the 40's), Friday greeted us with fair skies. Laura volunteered to drive as we set out to scout the river from Arroyo to Clear Creek for good launch points and possible hazards. The most interesting discoveries were that the Arroyo launch would be either from a very rough concrete pad or a mud-flat, and that the Irwin Run launch was being redeveloped and was temporarily closed. We also talked to fellow canoeists at Heath launch, who said that they had been paddling this section of the Clarion for 30 years and recommended it highly. We finished our scouting by going into Brookville for gas, supplies, and fire wood. When we got back to camp, we found that Ruth had arrived; she was soon joined by Mary and Eric. JoAnne texted that she wouldn't be able to come until Saturday. After our sites were set up, we decided to have our dinner at the Farmer's Inn, which was only a 10 minute drive away and was serving a seafood buffet that night. After we stuffed ourselves (see, food!) we made plans for Saturday and waddled back to camp.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Saturday proved to be accurate: it rained most of the day! Since no one wanted to paddle in the rain, we all lounged around camp until late afternoon, when the weather cleared a little and gave us hope for our community dinner. Some of the Pennsylvania-inspired dishes which were on-offer included: Liberty Bell vegetables, Big Mac burgers (invented in PA), Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, and Hershey's Brownies - all washed down with old-fashioned Birch Beer. (I don't think that home-made rhubarb muffins qualify as uniquely PA products, but they sure were delicious!) Gathered around a cheerful fire, we agreed that we would have a short paddle on Sunday.
Sunday made up for the previous rain by being absolutely glorious: sunshine and blue skies with a moderate breeze. Because we needed to depart camp by 3pm, we agreed to launch at Heath and paddle back to camp. For some of us, this was the first time on the water in 2023 - and what a wonderful feeling it was! The rain had boosted the water level of the river enough that we didn't have to worry about dragging our boats, and some of the normal obstacles were buried. We paddled for about an hour, took a leisurely break, and then finished our trip at the Clear Creek landing.
Packing up our gear, I felt satisfaction in thinking that even though we had paddled for only two hours, we were PaCO's Premier Pennsylvania Paddlers.
View All Pictures From the Clarion