Williamsport, Pa. — A local man is about to embark on a 227-mile solo boat trip down the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.
Lycoming County photographer and naturalist Michael Kinney plans to start his freshwater odyssey in late April. Launching in the tiny Indiana County town of Cherry Tree, he will use first a kayak and later a canoe to paddle 227 miles to Packers Island in Sunbury.
Kinney told NorthcentralPa.com that his trip would take him through nine counties and 19 river towns, passing 143 named tributaries of the Susquehanna.
The journey will take three to four weeks, with Kinney overnighting mostly at private and public campsites. “I have also been in contact with land owners/renters and friends,” he explained, “with options to stay on riverfront property.”
While Kinney has made some multi-day kayak and backpacking trips in recent years, this will be “by far the largest journey" he has have ever completed.
120 meals and 20 batteries
“When you first start these types of trips where you're required to carry everything you need for that time period, you really start to understand what is essential in life and what you can live without,” Kinney noted,
Along those lines, Kinney outlined a partial list of his supplies for the adventure, which includes: a tent, a hammock, a sleeping bag, a tarp, an inflatable mattress, a pillow, 120 servings of dehydrated meals, a stove and fuel, a SOS emergency beacon, water filters, a rain jacket and pants, three waterproof storage bags, and four different types of cameras—plus 12 memory cards and 20 batteries.
As for watercraft, Kinney will use an eight-foot long, sit-on-top kayak for the shallow water at the start; but after passing the Curwensville Dam, he will switch to a one-man, 12-foot canoe to carry more gear.
“I will also prepare care packages that I will have opportunities to pick up along the way by friends, family and sponsors,” added Kinney. Likewise, “some gear will be swapped out during supply meets—including clothing, additional meals, batteries and information.”
Best known for his skilled nature photography in and around local waterways—including many striking underwater images—Kinney added that one goal on his journey “is to capture as much footage as I can. I am planning this trip to be paddled on my own but will occasionally be joined by friends, family and river enthusiasts, including experts of fishing, ecology, history, hydrology and riverkeeping volunteers.”
Riverkeepers
Kinney, who serves as Board President for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (MSRK), hopes to work with the group throughout his journey. “The riverkeepers will be monitoring my paddle as well as looking for opportunities to include the community and helping give voice and stories to the footage I collect during the trip.”
MSRK Executive Director John Zaktansky “has been a huge source of information” in preparing for the this voyage, said Kinney, who added shout-outs to other friends and helpers, such as retired PA Game Commission staffer Walt Bingaman, and Lance Coleman, who provided a number of key supplies, including a back-up canoe and the SOS beacon.
Kinney plans to paint the names of his helpers and supporters on the side of the kayak.
Inspiration for this arduous odyssey began about five years ago, when Kinney considered hiking the Appalachian Trail. But then last year, something happened that caused the avid outdoorsman to adjust his plans. “I began struggling to hike up hills due to a medical issue with my legs," said Kinney. "I have adjusted that goal to do a long-range paddle trip that will have less stress on my legs."
Kinney Tracker
As further role model and impetus, Kinney also pointed to Loyalsock Creek—and to PA naturalist and photographer Keith Williams:
“When Loyalsock Creek was voted as the River of the Year in 2018, the final celebrating event was an underwater presentation by Keith Williams. I have followed Keith’s work ever since, and he later went on to paddle the entire Susquehanna River which runs from New York to the Chesapeake Bay.”
When asked about the biggest challenges on this trip, Kinney replied: “Besides the most remote river section in the state from Clearfield to Renovo that will take about seven days with limited contact and supplies, the hardest part will be being without my loved friends and family.”
But, he added, “I will keep my friends, family and local followers updated daily on the status of my journey.” And this will include a “Kinney tracker” with regular updates right here on Northcentralpa.com.
The future of others
“The feeling of completion when I reach mile 227 at Packers Island near Sunbury is what I am looking forward to the most because it should be similar to the feeling of completing a weekend backpacking trip—except 10 times larger.”
Kinney concluded: “During the brainstorming of this idea I began to realize how much of my hobby of underwater photography could be appreciated by the community, and now, in my role of Board President of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, I have means to connect the communities of the river I have enjoyed all of my life and care to preserve for the future of others.”
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