Paddle from PA to the Bay!

The 17th annual Susquehanna Sojourn
Monday, July 16, 2007 to Sunday July 22, 2007
Flowing through history: following the petroglyph path

REGISTRATION FOR THE 2007 SUSQUEHANNA SOJOURN HAS CLOSED.
We hope to see you in mid-June 2008 as we paddle down a nothern section of the river.

The 17th Susquehanna Sojourn will complete the final segment in the voyage from Cooperstown to the Chesapeake Bay for the third time since the Sojourn began in 1991! We started in Cooperstown, NY in 2002, in Nanticoke in 2003, in Sayre in 2004, in Sherburne, NY and Keating, PA in 2005 and Berwick in 2006.

The Sojourn will begin at Safe Harbor Dam, the ending point in 2006. For the first time ever, Susquehanna Sojourners will paddle across the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay, ending the voyage with a festive "taste of the bay" lunch on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Susquehanna Sojourn Itinerary

• Monday, July 16 - Kick Off at Safe Harbor Dam
• Tuesday, July 17 - Safe Harbor Dam to Indian Steps and Otter Creek
• Wednesday, July 18 - Otter Creek to Holtwood Dam
• Thursday, July 19 - Holtwood Dam to Conowingo Dam
• Friday, July 20 - Conowingo Dam to Susquehanna State Park
• Saturday, July 21 - Susquehanna State Park to Port Deposit; then Perryville
• Sunday, July 22 - Perryville, MD to Furnace Bay and across Chesapeake Bay

To heighten the excitement, our 2007 sojourn will help commemorate the 400th anniversary of the exploration of the Chesapeake Bay by Captain John Smith. The lower portion of our route will be on the newly designated Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail , the first historic all water trail which traces the path of Smith's original 1607-08 explorations. Sojourners will meet Smith's historic boat and its authentically dressed crew as it rows up the Susquehanna into Port Deposit, Maryland on Friday, July 20, 2007.

John Smith 400 festivities in Port Deposit and Perryville, MD.

Festivities in this quaint river town, will center around the explorations of Captain Smith. Sojourners will become immersed in the cultural and historical aspects of Port Deposit with dinner in town on Friday and being part of the ceremonies on Saturday morning. Sojourners will follow the shallop down river to celebratory events in Perryville on Saturday afternoon, as it retraces the path of the original expedition and historic meeting with the Susquehannocks.

A Saturday afternoon departure from Port Deposit will feature sojourners paddling behind the shallop as it rows downstream to Perryville, where we will disembark for a community dinner and town festivities. A short after dinner paddle will take us to a grassy campsite that faces the Bay on 3 sides. A moonlit recreational paddle around the adjoining coves will be our optional evening activity on this easy, low mileage day.

On the last morning we will head north along the western side of the Chesapeake Bay, through Furnace Bay, crossing the upper Bay near Carpenter Point and ending the sojourn in Elk Neck State Park on the Eastern Shore. A special last day ceremony and meal is being planned to cap our latest 5 year traverse of the Susquehanna River and our first venture across the Bay!

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Monday: Participant Registration. Safe Harbor Dam tour, paddling refresher, volleyball, rubber ducky race, Susquehanna River petroglyph presentation, Welcome by Safe Harbor staff!
• Tuesday: guided river tour of the petroglyphs below Safe Harbor by local expert, Paul Nevin; all organic day and buy fresh-buy local day; Indian Steps Musuem lunch stop; visit to a 200 acre BUFFALO farm, then organic bison burgers on the grill for dinner! We will dine on plates and cups made from sugar cane, even the silverware will be biodegradable.
• Wednesday: PPL/Codorus Creek Watershed sponsored cleanup on Otter Creek in the morning before afternoon paddle to Holtwood.
• Thursday: See active eagle nests and take a tour around the beautiful, granite upper and lower Bear Islands.
• Friday: 2 mile guided, greenway hike along the river and a half day service project option.
• Saturday: a half day in Port Deposit, MD at the John Smith 400 Festival; follow the expedition's shallop from Port Deposit to Perryville.
• Sunday: Explore Furnace Bay; Taste of the Bay closing meal after we cross the Chesapeake Bay
• SHOWERS available on 3 nights!

Programs: The 2007 Susquehanna Sojourn will honor the native populations who used the river and Chesapeake Bay for centuries before Europeans came ashore; including presentations on Native American history, culture, artifacts, preservation efforts, petroglyphs, native story telling and legends. Other sojourn programs include:

• Fish ladder and hydroelectric dam tours
• Susquehanna Greenway walking tour
• Wildlife programs
• All organic day
• Local stream water quality
• Indian Steps Museum
• Geology, petrogylphs and more!

Mark your calenders with this new, one time only July date, and get ready immerse yourself in river history, to paddle across the Chesapeake Bay, at long last!

“Thank you for a fantastic sojourn! It was the most marvelous nine days. The weather was perfect, the instant river family was incredible, the river was just gorgeous every minute of the day, the opportunity to learn about the environment was amazing, and the actual paddling was just one of the best experiences I have ever had.” ~~2006 Susquehanna Sojourn participant

"I want to thank you for a very special trip on the Susquehanna. I learned more about the river and kayaking, and even more from the speakers, who were great. I had a great time and really appreciate all the hard work you put into organizing the trip and then making it happen." ~~2006 Susquehanna Sojourn participant

2007 Sojourn Partners:

• The Conservation Fund
• Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation
• POWR - PA DCNR
• PA DEP
• PPL
• Exelon
• Maryland DNR
• Susquehanna State Park
• Town of Port Deposit, MD
• Town of Perryville, MD