A Wildly Incomplete Photo Guide to Istanbul

I’ve been super lucky to have traveled the world and seen a good many places. I try my best not to play favorites, but like any honest high school teacher will tell you, you always do have favorites. Istanbul easily falls into my top four cities worldwide (shout-outs to Cape Town, Toronto, and Reykjavik). The world has passed through and ruled from this city.

The history of Istanbul is fascinating, but it hasn’t stunted the city’s development. I’ve seen some cities so caught up in preserving historical buildings in an attempt to hold on to past glory that modern life is sacrificed and held back because of it. In Istanbul, this isn’t the case, as the modern and ancient exist side by side.

I love Istanbul, so when I had the chance to spend four more days this recently, I was beyond excited! I’ve visited several times before but never taken the time to really photograph the city. This was my chance! Before going, I did some research and identified a few spots I wanted to shoot. This write-up is an attempt to share what knowledge I learned both in planning my shots and functionally shooting them. The dream is when you have your chance to go to Istanbul, you’ll be able to spend a little less time planning (like I had to do) and a little more time soaking in this stunning city!

The main spots I decided I wanted to shoot were:

The Ortakoy Mosque
The Blue Mosque
The Haggia Sophia
Maiden’s Tower

Setting Up Home Base

The first thing to understand is the lay of the land and where to set up your home base. I’m going to overgeneralize and offend people here, but below is my take on Istanbul.

Now that I’ve offended everyone in Istanbul with this reductive map, I will say I think the best part of the city to stay in is the “Old European and touristy part of the city,” which is actually called “Sultanahmet.” Pretty much anything you could want to do in Istanbul is either here or can be booked at the many tour offices here. There are plenty of places to stay. English a more prevalent in Sultanahmet since it’s centered on tourism. There are seemingly non-stop great restaurants. And it’s easy to get to and from the airport.

Pro Tip: I used this blog to figure out how to get from the airport to Sultanahmet. Scroll down to the subheading “Havaist bus from Istanbul Airport to Sultanahmet.” The article has photos to help you navigate the airport and everything. I found the Havaist buses to be great and easy, but if you want to try one of the other options, go for it!

1. The Ortakoy Mosque

The Ortakoy Mosque (also known as the Grand Mecidiye Mosque) is a mosque (roughly 175 years old) on the Ortakoy Pier along the Bosphorus River. This was easily my top photo destination on this trip to Istanbul. My wife has this tradition she loves, and has included me in on, where we pick up a fridge magnet from every country we go to.

On our last trip to Istanbul, we picked up this beautiful little magnet that had a photo of a mosque with the sun in the background and some birds flying. I had never seen this mosque before, but I loved the scene! When we got home, I took a photo of the magnet and did a reverse image search to learn it was the Ortakoy Mosque, and that’s when this spot got added to my dream photo list!

As for shooting this mosque, I decided to go for sunrise one morning. I’m generally more of a sunset guy, but with this mosque located on the west bank of the Bosphorus, it worked best for sunrise. Remember, the sun rises in the east, so that means I could get the sun rising in the background behind the mosque. A good general rule of thumb is to look up the sunrise time on Google and then make sure you’re there a solid 30 minutes before that time. In my experience, the rising sun lights up the sky most spectacularly about 15 minutes before the listed sunrise time. Then after that, you also have the chance to have the actual sun rising behind whatever you are shooting.

For the time I was there in Istanbul, sunrise was listed at 8.04am, meaning I wanted to be there no later than 7.30. Google told me the combo of walking and public transportation would take me about an hour. So, not wanting to take any chances, I woke up at 5.30 and was on my way. After a slight hiccup buying an Istanbul Public Transportation Card (Istanbulkart) and missing a bus, I did indeed make it with time to spare. In all honesty, the sky didn’t have the best colors I’ve ever seen on this particular morning, but it was an absolute pleasure getting to just sit there and watch this one small part of town wake.

I quickly learned that my composition of this mosque photo needed some motion. I tried using various seagulls, but they were too small and didn’t really make an impact in the frame. But luck struck when a bread delivery van rolled down the road beside the harbor and scared a flock of pigeons into flight. These pigeons rose up and flew behind me before circling back to their spot on a path that led them directly between my camera and the mosque! This little piece of luck easily gave me my favorite shot of the mosque (below).

I stayed probably another hour after this shot, and I did try quite a few more compositions, but really I spent most of that time people watching. I had picked up a Turkish coffee from one of the restaurants off to the left of the frame and just enjoyed being there in the (relatively) early morning.

2. The Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque (also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque) is a roughly 400-year-old mosque that is located right in the heart of the Sultan Ahmet part of town. We stayed about three blocks away from this mosque, so I had no shortage of opportunities to shoot this mosque. I’ve had the opportunity to visit the mosque several times now, but just the sheer size of it makes capturing its essence in a single shot almost impossible. There are absolutely stunning photos of this mosque out there, but they often use drones or aerial photography to capture the photos. For me, it’s always been a struggle.

But this time in Istanbul, I had a minor breakthrough and I now have a new favorite spot to the Blue Mosque: the Seven Hills Restaurant.

The Blue Mosque is denoted here as “Sultanahmet Camii” which is just Turkish for Sultan Ahmet Mosque. I’m sure you figured that out already, but I thought I’d be uber clear.

This restaurant is located right on the edge of the park that surrounds the Blue Mosque. It’s also one of the taller buildings in the area, and it has an open-to-the-public restaurant on the roof. All of this makes it a great and easily accessible spot to shoot photos of the mosque!

I will warn you though, I wasn’t terribly impressed by the food in the restaurant. They seem to make their name based on the view rather than the food they serve. It wasn’t horrible, but there’s SO MUCH incredible food in Istanbul, so our meal at Seven Hills just didn’t compare.

3. The Hagia Sofia

In terms of history, the Hagia Sophia is fascinating! It started out as a church when Istanbul was the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire. It was then converted to a mosque when Islam became the in-vogue religion of the region. It was converted into a museum when Turkey went through a secular revolution after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. And it’s recently been converted back into a mosque by a Turkish leader looking to capitalize on rising Islamic nationalist sentiments in the country.

Now my tip for shooting the Hagia Sophia is actually the exact same for my time as shooting the Blue Mosque, go to the Seven Hills Restaurant. Just this time, you go to the other side of the rooftop and shoot there. The Hagia Sophia is denoted as “Ayasofya Camii” which is just Turkish for “Hagia Sophia Mosque.”

I took this above shot around noon time. The next time I go to Istanbul, I would like to return to the restaurant around golden hour (roughly an hour before sunset) and shoot it then. Considering the sun sets in the west and the Hagia Sophia is roughly northeast of the restaurant, I strongly believe the golden light of the sun approaching the horizon will beautifully light up the front of this gorgeous and storied building!

4. Maiden’s Tower

Now this spot, I discovered by flying on Turkish Airlines. Their seat TVs have a screensaver of great photos from around Turkey that play on a loop until the in-flight entertainment starts. The shot of Maiden’s Tower caught my eye and stuck with me!

Maiden’s Tower is a small lighthouse-looking building built on a tiny island in the Bosphorus River. It has existed in various since at least 1110 AD and has become an iconic sight in Istanbul. It’s located just off the coast of a part of town called Uskudar, so that’s where I went. Since I knew I’d be on the east bank of the river, I wagered that I might be able to get a pretty good sunset shot of the tower, so I chose to go in the late evening.

When I showed up, I found that a significant portion of the riverfront path was under construction, so spot number one was the closest I could get to the tower. I set up my camera on my tripod with my 24-105mm lens and started shooting to my heart’s content. I will warn you at this spot, the river waves hit the sea wall (is it still called a sea wall if it’s a river?) and do cause a significant amount of spray up onto the riverfront path. If you’re not careful, you and your camera will get soaked.

Maiden’s Tower from spot number one on the river-front path.

After shooting here for a while, I decided to see if I could find a better angle. I noticed a park across the street and a small street leading from the park up a small hill. On a hunch, I followed it, and right before it turned inland, I set my tripod up on top of a dumpster and found my favorite angle (so far) of Maiden’s Tower.

I probably spent too long up here, and I ended up shooting so many shots, it turned into an accidental timelapse showing this is indeed an active waterway!

This next part I’m still kicking myself over.

This particular day I was shooting Maiden’s Tower was a pretty cold one, and I had been outside a while. My vision had been to get a sunset shot, but it was cloudy. I was cold. And I hadn’t seen the sun all day. I figured there was no way the sun would set in a way to create the spectacular colors I envisioned, so I decided to call it a day and go to dinner.

Now, remember above, I told you the best time to capture sunrise colors is 15 minutes before sunrise? Well, the best time to capture sunset colors is 15 minutes after the listed sunset time. A lesson I’ve learned before but forgot on this day is to never write off a sunset until after this 15-minute gap is over.

So on this day, I was all packed up and walking to dinner when the sky absolutely BLEW UP! It was spectacular! Purples and pinks just lit the clouds on fire! I scrambled to get my gear back out for a shot, and I did get this photo:

But in all honesty, this shot was taken 5-10 minutes too late, after the most stunning peak colors had begun to fade. I’m still kicking myself for missing the shot I had gone all the way there for, but hopefully, I’ve learned my lesson, and next time I’m in Istanbul, I’ll be able to do it properly.

Conclusion

All in all, I loved my time back in Istanbul. I feel I could spend a lifetime learning to photograph this city and still not be able to capture the beauty here! I feel I’ve gotten better over the multiple visits I’ve had, and I’ve figured a few logistical aspects out, but Istanbul isn’t just about making rad photos. It’s a city that needs to be experienced. It’s got history, culture, and soul. Not to mention the food.

I still have a lot to learn about this city, but I get why people have been fighting over it for centuries.

When you get to visit yourself, hopefully, this guide will help ease some of the logistical challenges of what spots to go to, when to go to them, and some options of where to be to photograph them. With the logistics out of the way, my goal is that you’ll have more time to just be there and experience the magic. But please please please don’t stop after my little list. Istanbul is a treasure trove of hidden gems, each with its own unique charm and story. Take your time to explore. Get lost a little. Find something beautiful. And when you do, I’d love to hear about it! So seriously, let me know.

And if you need some daily inspiration before you can get a trip to Istanbul planned, you can buy one of the shots to hang on your wall using this link. I hope it can serve as a reminder that beauty and adventure are out there!

The Conical Cucuruchos of Quito

It’s a pleasantly clear morning in the Andean capital of Quito, Ecuador. Church bells ring in the air padded by the slow drones of liturgical melodies playing over hastily constructed loudspeakers. Tourists scurry between attractions in the city’s almost 500-year-old historic district. But today is a day unlike any of the other 364. It’s Good Friday meaning La Procesión de Jesús del Gran Poder (The Jesus of Great Power Parade) and the curious conical Cucuruchos of Quito.

Moments before you see them, the tips of their long purple pointed hoods crest the hill, wavering in step with their repentant pace and mildly distorted by the heat rising off the faded tarmac road. Their hoods slowly seemingly grow until the faces of the cucuruchos come into view. Two small eye-holes are the only gaps allowing a glimpse to the person underneath, but that’s the point.

The entire parade is a sprawling act of both personal and collective atonement for sins against God. It spans five kilometers with many cucuruchos choosing to walk the route barefoot. Others add to their suffering, and supposedly elevate their atonement, by donning heavy chains, carrying heavier crosses, or whipping themselves with bushels of hortiga, an Andean stinging nettle.

Throughout it all, the cucuruchos maintain the conical hoods pointing towards heaven. The masks are worn as a supposed attempt to maintain anonymity in order to keep the focus on the greatness of God rather than on those repenting. While the immersive expanse of purple is the Catholic liturgical color of penitence while the hood is said to represent humility.

To many, the hoods evoke a modern imagery of the US American hate group the Knights of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), but the cucuruchos long predate this well-known, but ultimately localized display of racism. The hoods of the cucuruchos can be traced back at least as early as the Spanish Inquisition starting in the 1400s. Men and women arrested for various forms of heresy against the Catholic church and, in the church’s view, against God were required to wear paper cone hats*, known as capirotes, in order to publicly humiliate them.

There are factions within the Catholic church who strongly believe in a theology of “salvation through penance” or that it is through both physical and psychological suffering as self-punishment for their sins against God, they can grow closer to Him. The capirote was adopted as a further form of self-humiliation by those inclined towards this theology. To this day these conical hoods, in a rainbow of colors, are used not only by the cucuruchos, but also by the Catholic brotherhoods of the Nazarenos, the Fariseos, and Saint Rochus to name just a few.

*not all that dissimilar to the more modern era ‘dunce’ hats used to punish and embarrass unruly schoolchildren in the early 1900s.

Spain was a busy place in the 1500s. On the mainland, the Inquisition was nearing its height as the Monarchy in tandem with Catholic church terrorized the populace. And in the Americas, Spanish troops terrorized the newly conquered colonies, looting untold riches under the guise of spreading their Catholic faith. This period of Spanish history made Spain incredibly rich while also enforcing their interpretation of faith across the Americas, including the theology of salvation through penance.

It was in this environment that the first iterations of the cucuruchos began to appear. In colonial Quito, devout Catholics would don these purple hoods and stand outside of churches enduring the elements and public derision as a self-punishment. It was also around this time, the vernacular began to change. The Ecuadorian hoods stopped being referred to as capirotes as they were in Europe, but rather as cucuruchos, the Spanish word for “cornet” — an object being in the shape of a cone.

Over the next several hundred years, the Cucuruchos — the entire person having become identified for their hoods — began to congregate. By the 1800s, annual cucurucho parades during the Easter Holy Week were commonplace with everyone from peasants to Quito’s mayor marching.

At this point in history, Catholicism and Ecuadorianism were intricately intertwined. In fact, to be considered an Ecuadorian citizen, the person first had to be Catholic. It was this way until the late 1800’s when a coup d’état took place and the victorious secular liberals, led by General Eloy Alfaro, not only erased the Catholic requirement for citizenship, but also went as far as to ban public expression of any faith*, including the cucurucho parades.

*freedom of private worship was encouraged

The ban was lifted by the mid-1900s and a priest by the name of Francisco Fernández resurrected the procession as a way to inspire the city’s devout. He repurposed a balsa wood carving of Jesus from the 1600s and paraded it through the streets under the name Jesús del Gran Poder. The name taken from the Biblical passage Matthew 28:18.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

It didn’t take long for the procession to become a staple in the Quitonian religious landscape. It took even less time for the cucuruchos to re-emerge en masse, putting their anonymous penance back on display. Since the first Procesión de Jesús del Gran Poder in 1961, the parade has been held every year with the notable exceptions of 2020 and 2021 during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Best of Ecuador 2021

At the beginning of July, I got to spend two weeks in Ecuador making things officially official with my now girlfriend, meeting her family, and exploring her beautiful country. Seeing that my priorities were elsewhere other than taking landscape-esque photos, I didn’t take and post as many shots as I usually do, but this won’t be my last time to Ecuador. There will be plenty more time for photo excursions in the future. Needlessly, here are my top three vs your/instagram’s top three from my time there!

Number 3

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

For the No. 3 shot, you chose this image of a fishing boat and nets on Ecuador’s Pacific coast. My No. 3 was this bank in the historic district of Quito. I love the warm colors paired with the light flares coming off the sun directly above the bank. I also love the symmetry of the bank.

Number 2

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

For No. 2, our No. 3 choices just flip-flopped. I do love the boat and nets in the foreground, but my favorite part of this shot is the sky! I just wish I had remembered my ND filters so I could have gotten some motion blur up there in the clouds.

Number 1

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

The No. 1 shot is where our tastes diverged. You chose this long exposure shot of this waterfall. I also love the lusciousness of the foliage and how is cradles the waterfall. But my No. 1 shot was this shot of the beach with a lone person walking as the sun sets behind him. I love the light and the ways the buildings pull our eyes into the horizon and the lone walker.

There you have it “your” top three vs my top three. If you want to see more of my Best Of posts, check out below:

More Best Ofs:

Best of Zimbabwe (April 2021)
Best of Niger (February 2021)
Best of Uganda (November 2020)
Best of India (November 2019)
Best of Uganda (April 2019)
Best of Kenya (March 2019)
Best of Ethiopia (Dec 2018)
Best of Iceland (Nov 2018)
Best of Scotland (Nov 2018)
Best of Norway (July 2018)
Best of Morocco (April 2018)

Best of Zimbabwe 2021

This was technically my third time in Zimbabwe. The first time I was just passing through as part of my 5000km southern Africa motorcycle trip back in 2013/14. The second time hardly counts as I simply crossed the border at Victoria Falls and spend a few days in Vic Falls, Zim which is really it’s own little enclave unlike the rest of the country.

This third time was for the “opening” of CURE’s newest hospital in Zimbabwe. I got to spend just over two weeks there with essentially three weekends to explore and shoot some photos. So once again, here I present Instagram‘s favorite photos of my time there vs my favorite photos of my time there:

Number 3

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

For your number three, you chose this shot of Nswatugi Cave in the Matobo Hills. I chose this shot of my friend’s thatched house. I love the clouds in this shot, but especially the unexpected nature of seeing an Irish thatched cottage in the middle of Zimbabwe.

Number 2

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

For your number two, you chose this shot of my friend driving in the shadow of a massive rock formation. Honestly, I don’t get all y’all. I obviously like this shot since I took it and posted it, but out of all my shots from this time around in Zim, it didn’t even come close to making my top three. My number two was the cave shot. I love how the grass kind of creates a few leading lines guiding your eyes into the cave, but what I love the most is the color variations in the rocks!

Number 1

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

Your number one was the thatched cottage which, in a sense, I get. But my favorite shot was one that you actually ranked at number four. I LOVE this shot of this tree at the Hillside Dams. I love the gnarled branches, the hollowed trunk, and the soft warm light.

So there you have it, your top three vs my top three.

Last time we did this, I added your top shot to my print store, but this time I refuse. It feels weird to sell photos of someone’s house. Also, I’m so in love with the tree photo that I’m going to add that one to the print store.

Check it out at joelwitwer.darkroom.tech and get yourself a copy.

If you want to see more of my Best Of posts, check out below:

More Best Ofs:

Best of Niger (February 2021)
Best of Uganda (November 2020)
Best of India (November 2019)
Best of Uganda (April 2019)
Best of Kenya (March 2019)
Best of Ethiopia (Dec 2018)
Best of Iceland (Nov 2018)
Best of Scotland (Nov 2018)
Best of Norway (July 2018)
Best of Morocco (April 2018)

Best of Niger 2021

I had the chance to return to Niger in Jan/Feb 2021. It was a weird experiencing returning to a place I had called home for so long, but as a visitor now. A lot had changed, but still a lot was the same.

In terms of photography, the biggest difference is I went back with a super telephoto 150-600mm lens so I was able to try some shots I had previously dreamed of, but never had the gear to attempt.

Here I present Instagram‘s favorite photos of my time back there vs my favorite photos of my time back there:

Number 3

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

We agreed the long distance photo of this minaret came in at number three. For me, it’s an iconic image of Niamey – you can’t go anywhere in town out of sight or sound of a mosque.

Number 2

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

For number two, the insta hivemind chose this up close and personal shot of the setting sun. Honestly, I was lucky while I was there. I had several evenings with very lows hazy which gave some stunning clear sunsets! Usually sand and dust fill the horizon and it’s not possible to see the sun as it gets low. My number two shot was this vantage point of the setting sun over the Niger river.

Number 1

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

My number two shot was the insta hivemind’s number one shot. It’s probably the most photographed scene in Niamey (from the deck of the Grand Hotel), but I think what set this shot apart from the hundreds taken from the exact same spot is I was able to show it in a way people hadn’t seen before (and isn’t that the point of photography?). Now my favorite shot didn’t even make it into the insta hivemind’s top three, but it was taken from the exact same location. I’m a sucker for the post-sunset colors over the river. I also love the light trails from the car’s headlights crossing Pont Kennedy and one of my favorite things about Niamey is how at dusk every day thousands of bats come down to the river to feed and drink (those specks are bats not sensor dust).

So there you have it and as a side note, the insta hivemind’s top shot has been added to my print store. You can check it out at joelwitwer.darkroom.tech

I love seeing my shots exist out in the physical space so if you see a shot you like on there, but honestly can’t afford it, give me a shout and let’s work something out.

If you want to see more of my Best Of posts, check out below:

More Best Ofs:

Best of Uganda (November 2020)
Best of India (November 2019)
Best of Uganda (April 2019)
Best of Kenya (March 2019)
Best of Ethiopia (Dec 2018)
Best of Iceland (Nov 2018)
Best of Scotland (Nov 2018)
Best of Norway (July 2018)
Best of Morocco (April 2018)

Best of Uganda 2020

Recently reflecting on my brief time back in Mbale, Uganda in Nov/Dec 2020. So here I present Instagram‘s favorite photos of my time there vs my favorite photos of my time there:

Number 3

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

Makes sense this aerial shot of rural Uganda came in third for both the insta hivemind and myself. It’s an interesting perspective, but nothing all that interesting is happening in the shot. There’s no real “subject” of the image.

Number 2

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

The insta hivemind choose the photo of CURE’s Director of Operations looking out a Missionary Aviation Fellowship flight while I chose the shot of CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda’s temporary ward set up in their chapel. I love the leading lines that the dividers make, bringing your eye into the solitary nurse directly under the large cross. So much just worked out with this shot!

Number 1

⟻ Yours | Mine ⟼

The hivemind and myself were of the same mind for our favorite shot from my time in Uganda – this shot of the streets of Mbale, Uganda with the mountain rising in the hazy background. The colors. The busyness. The scenery. I just love it all! It also goes to show, you don’t need super high end camera equipment for great shots. This photo was made on my phone and then thrown into the free Lightroom for mobile app for a quick edit.

If you want to see more of my Best Of posts, check out below:

More Best Ofs:

Best of India (November 2019)
Best of Uganda (April 2019)
Best of Kenya (March 2019)
Best of Ethiopia (Dec 2018)
Best of Iceland (Nov 2018)
Best of Scotland (Nov 2018)
Best of Norway (July 2018)
Best of Morocco (April 2018)

Hachalu Hundessa Riots

On the night of June 29^th, a popular Ethiopian singer from the Oromo tribe was murdered and it immediately sparked several days of violence. The hospital closed early on the 30^th and the drive home was so odd. The drivers knew and avoided the trouble areas, but the streets of Addis were barren with everyone not part of the mob sheltering at home. Work was canceled July 1^st and 2^nd and on the advice from everyone I knew, I stayed home as much as possible. The latest news I’ve heard is over 200 people were killed over the three days of violence.

While none of it was particularly fun, July 1^st was the tensest day with several violent mobs spread throughout the city. One of the mobs was on the main street outside my apartment complex. It’s about 500m from my apartment to the main road, but for several hours I could see part of the mob and hear the chants of young guys running around with sticks. The craziest part though was that night.

The mob had dispersed in the early evening after a heavy rain had sent them all running for cover, but around 7pm they had started to reconvene on the road out front and had become bolder under the cover of darkness. In response, around a hundred men from my apartment complex gathered by our front gate (maybe 10m from my apartment) in order to deter any of the mob entering our complex to cause trouble. They armed themselves with sticks, shovels, mops, brooms, really anything they could use in a scuffle.

It was a scene out of days gone by, a community coming together and arming themselves in response to a shared threat. The mood was almost festive, but you could feel the tension running beneath the surface. It all came to a boiling point around 9pm when the police had pushed the mob back to directly in front of our side street and several hundred fled down our street. Some of the younger of the apartment’s guards ran towards the mob, but the police soon fired tear gas down own street and it put everyone in the same boat. While the tear gas was thickest about 400m from the apartments, it slowly wafted down and ended up gassing the entire complex.

While coughing and teary eyed themselves, the guys from our apartments ended up escorting the mob offshoot through our complex, away from the police, and out the back entrance. In all, it was a thankfully peaceful end to what had been potentially violent situation.

Our apartments were peaceful for the remainder of the riots and we returned to work soon after although the government shut down all internet for about the next two weeks which was more than a bit frustrating since the majority of my work requires the internet to do …

That Time I Got Mugged

So this is the story how I got mugged for the first time in June of 2020. For years now, I’ve banked on my size and evidently imposing demeanor to deter people from messing with me and up until now, it has. I mean, when you see a 6’5’’ (1.96m), 270lbs (135kg) guy with a beard and tattoos coming at you, it doesn’t necessarily give off the “I’m easy to mug” vibes. After still getting mugged despite my current appearance, I’m considering adding a prominent facial scar or a neck tat to bolster the “don’t mess with me” image, but we’ll see what happens (Mom, I’m joking).

To make the mugging even more of a surprise, I wasn’t alone. I was in a group of ten other people – four other adults and six children – in the middle of the day. One of the CURE Ethiopia doctors had invited me on a small hike in the hills around Addis with another family who had just arrived in country. The doctor and his family have been doing this hike weekly for years and I had done it with them once before. 70% of the hike went as it usually does and on the downhill return, the group had become slightly spread out. Four of the older kids – ages six to ten – had run a bit ahead of the group. I was about 50m behind the kids, by myself at that point in the hike. 100m behind me was a couple with a three year old child and about 50m behind them was another couple with a two year old child. The kids had rounded a slight curve in the trail and as I rounded the curve, I saw them sitting on the side of the path with two guys in the early 20s standing there.

Here is where I made my first mistake. I didn’t put up my guard. When in the city, I am quite switched on and aware of what’s going on around me. Pickpockets are numerous and scams are constantly being run on foreigners so I’m quite skeptical and careful. But there in the hills, part of a large group, and in the middle of the day, my guard was down. I figured the kids had stopped for a rest and my experiences across Africa have taught me I’m never really alone. No matter how in the middle of nowhere I feel, there’s almost always someone around and a foreigner taking a pause is generally more entertaining than whatever they had going on, so they’ll come check you out.

Assuming this was once again the case, I approached the two guys and greeted them in Amharic, the main language of Ethiopia which I’ve slowly been learning. Instead of responding the way I expected, one of the two guys simply said, in English, “sit down.” The statement was so far outside of what I expected to hear, it didn’t even register as English, so I asked him, in Amharic, “what?”

Now this is where I made my second and biggest mistake. I let one of the two guys get behind me. When the one gave me paused, I stopped with him directly in front of me and the second one was to my right and he subtly shifted slightly behind me while I was trying to figure out what in the world this first guy was saying.

After I asked him “what?,” he once again “sit down” and this time I understood the words, but was confused as to why he would say such a thing. I gave him a quizzical look and kind of laughed “no.” As soon as I said that, the guy in front of me started to lift his stick which I had previously interpreted as a common walking stick and everything suddenly clicked into place: they were going to try and get everyone to sit down on the side of the path – like they had done to the kids – in order to rob us.

As the guy in front of me raised his stick, I grabbed both him and the stick, but as I did that the guy who had gotten behind me clobbered me on the back of the head with his stick. I didn’t black out, but I was instantly stunned and as I fell to the ground, I had the strangest experience. I was fully conscious of everything going on but had no control over my arms or legs. I hit the ground and the two of them were immediately on top of me going through my pockets. As they pulled out my phone, my arms and legs started working again and I grabbed the knees of the first guy, pulling him down to the ground with me which earned me a renewed clubbing from the second guy. When he started hitting me again, I let go of the first guy and covered my head.

Thankfully, the couple behind me had caught up. My doctor friend had handed off his three year old child to his wife and ran in, grabbing the stick from the guy beating me. While they scuffled, the first guy jumped up and ripped off my camera bag, containing my camera and two lenses, and both thieves took off, the first – with my camera bag – to the right and the second – with my phone – to the left. I jumped up and chased the guy with my camera for about 200m until he disappeared down a wooded ravine and I lost him.

In the whole scheme of things, we made out pretty well. Yes, they got my phone, camera, and lenses, but they didn’t succeed in sitting everyone down and systematically taking everything we had which we believe was their plan. In retrospect, I think I saw them coming down the hill as we had been going up and we think they had waited around, assuming we’d be easy targets due to the really little kids. Thankfully I was the first one to encounter them and, with no little kid in my arms, was able to throw a wrench in their plans.

As someone who has placed significant parts of my identity in my size and strength, it was frustrating to go down as easily as I did and in the weeks since this happened, I’ve replayed it many times in my head. I’ve definitely learned some lessons, but I’ve also come to realize how blessed I was in the experience. I was incredibly lucky they only had sticks and I’m blessed that everything they took is replaceable. My only injuries are a few scrapes on my arms from the falls and a sprained ankle from chasing the guy. There wasn’t even a concussion from the stick to the head (the doctor verified this). And as a consolation prize, I learned I do indeed have the fight and not the flight response which I’m mildly proud of.

Finally, I don’t have a spirit of fear or anxiety so this thankfully hasn’t marred my perception of Ethiopia. Frankly, I’ve been blessed to go as long as I have without an experience along these lines. I’ve been all over the world and while this happened in Ethiopia, it just of easily could have happened in in New York or any of the other places I’ve lived. I’m still in love with Ethiopia. I’m still all-in for my work here. And I’m still excited about all the adventures this beautiful country has to offer once the virus passes!

Susquehanna ThruPaddle Trip Report: Daily Logs

Reading the trip reports of others who have taken on the 444 miles of the Susquehanna River from Cooperstown, NY to Havre de Grace, MD were invaluable to me in my planning of my own thrupaddle. An especial thanks to Jay Mackley and Jay Doering for their trip report. With their trip being roughly 20 years ago now, I figured I would publish mine in order to possibly assist other thrupaddlers in the future.

This is the second of two trip report posts. The first post provided information that may help you as you prepare for your own thrupaddle. This post will provide a day by day account of our experiences and what you can expect on the various sections of the river.

This thrupaddle was made between September 21st and October 8th, 2020 (18 days).

If you’re looking for a more emotive and less logistical account, check out The Long Paddle South.

Day 1: Cooperstown, NY – Goodyear Lake, NY
22 miles

We started out at 7am from Council Rock Park in Cooperstown, NY. Right on the bend where Lake Otsego turns into the Susquehanna. There’s also an official boat launch several hundred feet west at the Fair St Boat Launch. We chose the park due to the official start of the Susquehanna plaque.

Our start was a cold 30F with wind whipping in off the lake. It warmed up slightly as we entered the beautifully foggy river. Half a mile from the start of the river, we were out of our kayaks to portage around our first dam. We got out river left, portaged across the bridge, and put back in river right. Small, windy, and shallow river from there until about river mile (RM) 15 when the water backup from the upcoming Collier Dam on the southside of Goodyear Lake began to become noticeable (deeper water, less/no current).

We ended the day on the north side of Goodyear Lake. Picked up by Michelle’s family and spent the night at their house. Having a bed for the night was nice since our bodies freaked out as soon as we got out of the kayaks – uncontrollable shivering and it took some time for our legs to work properly again. Our bodies had a lot of adjusting to do. 22 miles was less mileage than we had anticipated for the day, but not too bad for how shallow and windy the was.

Day 2: Goodyear Lake, NY – Wells Bridge, NY
22 miles

Slightly later start today at 8am. Thick fog covered Goodyear Lake as we paddled to the southwest corner where Collier Dam is located. With limited visibility, we stuck to the western shore of the lake until we got close to the dam and then paddled to the peninsula river left of the dam where the portage is located. The portage is up a steep hill and then down around to the other side of the dam, re-entering river left. This was the second longest portage of our trip.

Water was discouragingly shallow on the south side of the dam and we ended up walking the kayaks for large stretches of day two. It finally did deepen slightly several miles after the dam.

Reached the Oneonta Dam a little after lunch. Official portage is river right and marked with a blue “portage” sign. Word on the river is you can also portage river left and there are several restaurants just up the bank. We had also heard about several natural stone ledges soon after Oneonta that could cause some problems. In high water they’re supposedly runnable down the center. In low water like we had, they’re only passable river left.

We ended the day just north of Wells Bridge. We stayed with one of Michelle’s family friends, thankful to still have warm beds once again.

Day 3: Wells Bridge, NY – Middle Bridge, NY
23 miles

This was our first day both with no dams and with camping out. It was a relatively straight forward paddle with no real obstacles other than lots of shallows to navigate/walk through. Michelle’s family met us in Sidney for lunch. This was the southerly extent of their range so we were properly on our own after lunch.

For the first time, we passed some other paddlers on the river. They were practicing for an annual 70 mile canoe race called the Clinton Regatta from Cooperstown to Bainbridge. We ended up passing Bainbridge mid evening and realized the racers do the distance we did in 2.5 days in mere hours.

Called it an early night at 5.30pm near Middle Bridge. We found a small, empty island to camp on. We hid the kayaks in the weeds, set up the sleeping situation, had a tuna dinner, and fell fast asleep.

Day 4: Middle Bridge, NY – NY/PA Border
30 miles

Another day of straight forward paddling, but with lots of wildlife this time. Startled a black bear drinking from the river as we rounded a corner. We had hung a bear bag the night before, but re-committed to the practice after the sighting. Also saw a fox later in the day who ran along the river bank with us for some time.

At Zach’s encouragement, we pushed a little harder today and made the PA/NY border just after sunset. We found a remote spot on the shore and set up camp in the dark.

Day 5: NY/PA Border – Binghamton, NY
25 miles

The morning of day five brought us to the Susquehanna Hydroelectric Dam in Susquehanna Depot, PA. The dam is technically breached, but unpassable without portaging. We stuck river left around the islands leading up to the dam and took out river left just before the dam wall. Going river right around the islands would set you up to be easily swept into the breach.

Research says to take out at Susquehanna Depot Access (RM 351) if the Windsor river gauge is 5ft or higher. This would require a one mile portage through town. Our water levels were really low so we approached and portaged with no issue.

We stopped for lunch and a resupply under the Rt 11 bridge in Great Bend, PA. We were hungry and running low on food (we probably should have done our first resupply a day or two before) and there is a good selection of restaurants, gas stations, and grocery stores river right by the bridge.

We ended the day on a remote island just east of Binghamton.

Day 6: Binghamton, NY – Owego, NY
25 miles

Started out the day in thick fog once again as we paddled towards Binghamton’s Rock Bottom Dam. Research had told us there were several old bridge pilons in the river 100m before the dam to give us heads up we were getting close. Technically they are still there, but they’re more islands of rubble in the water by now rather than identifiable pilons.

For Rockbottom Dam, stay river right and portage river right through the park right there.

Approximately 300m after the dam, and right before the Chenango River enters the Susquehanna, is a pipeline running across the water. It might be possible to run at higher water levels. We took out river left and carried the kayaks over.

One mile after the last pipeline, there is another pipline. It runs on both sides of the first big island you encounter after the last pipeline. We took out river left of the right channel, but it looked like you could easily get around the pipeline at any point where it hits the shore.

Finally, roughly two miles after the last pipeline is the Goody Power Station Dam and the last obstacle in getting through Binghamton. Stay river left as you approach the dam and portage river left. The portage begins under the railroad bridge immediately before the dam.

We ended the day on a remote island just east of Owego, NY. Zach paddled into Owego for us and brought back Chinese takeout for warm campsite dinner.

Day 7: Owego, NY – Ulster, PA
30 miles

After all the Binghamton obstacles, it felt nice to have a straight forward day of paddling. With this said, we ended up hitting some serious headwinds right as we approached the final NY/PA border and we had to fight them all the way passed Sayre and into Athens.

River was more turbulent than expected as the Chemung River joined the Susquehanna just after Athens.

We made it to a remote island near Ulster about 30 minutes after the sun had set. I didn’t relish paddling in the dark, but it felt good to finally be done with NY.

Day 8: Ulster, PA – Wyalusing, PA
30 miles

Started our day early and stopped to take breakfast at Larnard Hornbrook County Park near Bald Eagle Island. They had water taps and free outlets which were a blessing to get a bit more of a charge in our phones and power banks.

We passed through Towanda later in the day and it looked like a fun little town. The rapids under the bridge in Towanda were fun, but might present a challenge at higher water levels.

Once again, found a remote little island to camp on – this time near Wyalusing.

Day 9: Wyalusing, PA – Tunkhannock, PA
25 miles

Weather forecast had told to us to expect rain on this day and it would be our first rain of the trip. We didn’t enjoy the tought of paddling in the rain all day and then sleeping in rain all night so we scoured our maps and found the riverside Camp Lackawanna which would rent us a cabin for the night.

Sure enough, rain started at 10am and continued sporadically all day. We stopped for lunch and a resupply in Meshoppen. Learned that there is a lot of fracking in the area and locals don’t drink the tap water. There’s also a limit to how many fish people are allowed to eat from the river each month. Made a mental note to not filter water in this area but drink bottled water which we stocked up on in the gas station.

We had had fun little rapids throughout the day, but we had read warnings about the rapids soon after Meshoppen. If the Meshoppen river gauge is 9+ feet, the rapids are a class one. Our water levels were so low that the rapids were easy and fun.

We arrived at Camp Lackawanna by 4pm. We could’ve gone further but with a cabin reserved and having already gone 25 miles, we designated this a rest day and enjoyed having a roof over our heads and warm showers.

Day 10: Tunkhannock, PA – Pittston, PA
29 miles

The big celebration today is that we passed RM 222, the halfway point of the thrupaddle!

We stopped in Tunkhannock for a proper resupply. There is a riverside CVS which had literally everything we could dream of and we ate well!

Immediately after Tunkhannock we passed through a barely submerged boulder field. We were scraping and hitting them left and right which made going slow and infuriating. Thankfully none of the boulders succeeded in capsizing any of us.

We ended the day in just north of Pittston.

Day 11: Pittston, PA – Wapwallopen, PA
31 miles

Discovered the Lackawanna River enters the Susquehanna right across from where we camped for the night. The Lackawanna is heavily polluted by acid drainage from abandoned coal mines upriver. The entire river left of the Susquehanna was stained a scary rust color for the rest of the day. Evident of the pollution was still with us days later when every paddle we took would stir up rusty sediment from the river floor.

We encountered a pipeline just after the Lackawanna enters the Susquehanna and just after the railroad bridge there. The pipe is supposedly exposed and sharp a low water levels. We stuck river left and had no issues.

Just after Nanticoke are the Nanticoke Rapids (or Nanticoke Falls as some call them) which are class 1 at high water levels. Research said experienced paddlers can shoot down the middle while less confident paddlers should stick river left. At our low water levels, left was the only option and we made it through with no problems, but they were the fastest rapids we experienced during our thrupaddle. Be careful.

Made it Wapwallopen by 7pm and were picked up by my friend Adam who now lives in the area and gave us a warm floor to sleep on and the chance to do our laundry! With only two pairs of clothes (one for paddling and one dry pair for camping), it was a godsend!

Day 12: Wapwallopen, PA – Danville, PA
28 miles

Adam joined in for most of our day 12 paddle. He unfortunately got to experience the double whammy of extremely shallow water and a strong headwind from Wapwallopen to Berwick.

Under the bridge in Berwick is Nescopek Falls which is “very hazardous at low water levels (2ft or less on Berwick river gauge).” It’s maybe a five foot waterfall at our low water levels right in the middle of the river. We kept far river right and were able to take a channel around it with no problems.

Adam left us when we got to Bloomsburg and we continued on to Danville for another night of island camping.

Day 13: Danville, PA – Herndon, PA
24 miles

Early in the day we came to the confluence of the Susquehanna north and west branches which was kept calm by the water backup from the coming Sunbury Fabri Dam. The confluence was massive and felt like it was a mile across.

The Sunbury Fabri Dam is an inflatable dam (supposedly the largest inflatable dam in the world) just south of the confluence. We kept river left and portaged river left with no problem.

There’s a pipeline to portage one mile south of the dam. We took the river right channel and portage river left of that channel.

River took on a different character from here on out. It was very wide with massive islands. The left and right sides seemed to have decently deep channels, but the center was unpaddably shallow. It seemed best to just pick a side and stay there. We stuck with river right until we had to cross to river left in order to end the night in Herndon where my family picked us up and transported us to Zach’s family’s cabin in Herndon. Another night with a roof over our heads!

Day 14: Herndon, PA – Duncannon, PA
26 miles

My sister Emma joined us for our day 14 paddle. Similarly to Adam a few days ago, she was treated to the frustrations of early morning shallow paddling. Thankfully the river soon deepened and the current picked up to the swiftest it had been all trip!

We took lunch in Millersburg to check out the last ferry operating across the Susquehanna. Of course it was not running while we were there as the water was too shallow.

We made it to Duncannon to end the day. We were once again met by my family and transported to their home for the night.

Day 15: Duncannon, PA – Middletown, PA
25 miles

We started the day out in a boulder field which would have been frustrating without the local paddling route maps provided for free on the Blue Mountain Outfitters website (and re-posted in my preparation resources post).

We soon approached the Dauphin Narrows which can be sketchy rapids. Easiest and safest route through is far river left and then stay river left. We ended up staying river left all day, but stay river left at least until after the Rockville Bridge (longest stone arch bridge in the world).

As I said, we stayed river left into Harrisburg and had lunch on City Island with my other sister Hannah who lives in Harrisburg. Then right after city island, we stuck river left and portaged around the Dock Street Dam which wasn’t hard, but was the dirtiest portage of our trip.

From there it was just a long straight paddle to Middletown where we were yet again met by my family who transported us to Zach’s family’s house for the night.

Day 16: Middletown, PA – Washington Boro, PA
24 miles

Started out in the thickest fog of the trip which was disorienting and intimidating as there are restricted waters around the Three Mile Island ex-nuclear power plant right there at Middletown. We entered the river river left and paddled over to the river right shore. The river left shore is home to a small dam and the restricted waters. Continued river right until we hit the York Harbor Dam which turned out to be the longest portage of the trip at 0.4 miles long.

Long straight river for the rest of the day with no real obstacles.

Once we hit the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge, the water started to slow down and we technically entered Clarke Lake which is made from the water back up due to the Safe Harbor Dam we would tackle tomorrow.

We ended the day in Washington Boro which is the last river access before Safe Harbor Dam. We were picked up by Zach’s family and transported to their house for one last night in a warm bed.

Day 17: Washington Boro, PA – PA/MD Border
26 miles

This was a day of dams and lakes. We started by finishing the Lake Clarke section of the Susquehanna and arrived at Safe Harbor Dam. Safe Harbor is the first of three dams on the Susquehanna that you can’t portage yourself around and have to schedule the dam company to portage you around. I had called Brookfield Renewable (508-251-7744) who runs both Safe Harbor Dam and the upcoming Holtwood Dam. I had called them from City Island on day 15 to schedule both portages for today, day 17.

We made it to Safe Harbor by our scheduled portage time. We approached river left and took out at a concrete pier. There was a phone to call them to let them know we arrived. Soon two maintenance guys arrived, loaded our kayaks onto their rack, drove us around, and released us in a small stream leading into the Susquehanna just south of the dam. An easy and painless process.

It’s roughly seven miles from Safe Harbor to Holtwood and I had put three hours between our scheduled pick ups. Between these two dams the Susquehanna also goes by the name Lake Aldred and as paddling on a lake is always slow due to the lack of current, we were a little late for our pickup.

Adding to our lateness was the confusion about where the portage was. As you approach the dam, it looks like the portage would be river left as that’s where all the buildings are. To confirm this, there is a sign in the middle of the river saying the portage is river left. But we had read online that the river was portage right. We ended up going river left (who were we to argue with an official sign), but there was nowhere to get out river left with all the driftwood blocking the shore. Soon a minivan drove up to the parking lot maybe 300m away and a guy got out, shouting to us that the portage was river right so we paddled over to the river right shore.

To be clear, the Holtwood Dam portage is river right. There’s no easy take out spot, but stay river right, take out as far south as you can without crossing the buoy barrier, walk up to the small road (maybe 20 feet from the river), go left, and there is a small building at the Holtwood Dam Overlook with a portage phone for you to call Holtwood and let them know you are there. We were soon picked up and dropped just south of the dam in what is once again still the Susquehanna but also known as Lake Conowingo.

From there it was. along straight paddle to the PA/MD border where we found a remote camping spot on the shore. A word of warning, the sides of Lake Conowingo are extremely steep. It’s hard to find a place to exit the lake and when you do, it’s even harder to find a flat spot to sleep. We eventually did find one, but it was the most difficulty we had in finding a campsite all trip.

Day 18: PA/MD Border – Havre de Grace, MD
14 miles

On the morning of day 17, we had called Excelon (888-457-4076) who manages the Conowingo Dam in order to schedule our portage around their dam as there was yet again no self portage. For the Conowingo portage you do not paddle up to the dam as we had with every other dam. The Conowingo portage is river right at Glen Cove Marina roughly 1.5 miles north of the dam. It’s the last easily accessible take out spot before the dam. A Excelon employee met us at the marina, loaded our kayaks into his truck, and put us back in south of the dam. Piece of cake.

The Susquehanna was finally a river again on the south side of the dam. From there, we navigated through. a boulder field which probably forms some rapids at higher water levels and we had a tail wind all the way to Havre de Grace.

In our research, we never found an official end point of the Susquehanna so we just guessed by looking at the map. The river seemed to take a pretty hard right at Concord Point Park so we decided that was going to be our end point. Luckily for us, Concord Point is the official end of the Susquehanna with an almost identical plaque as the one we started out with in Cooperstown’s Council Rock Park 18 long days ago.

If you haven’t already, you can read about our preparation and planning for our Susquehanna thrupaddle here.

If you haven’t had enough, you can read a more emotive/qualitative/experiential account of the thrupaddle here titled “The Long Paddle South”.

Susquehanna ThruPaddle Trip Report: Preparation Resources

This is the first of two trip report posts. This post will provide resources as your prepare for your thrupaddle. The next post will outline our experiences and obstacles on a day to day basis.

If you’re looking for a more emotive and less logistical account, check this post out.

If you want to skip to the daily logs, you can do so here.

This thrupaddle was made between September 21st and October 8th, 2020 (18 days).

THE TEAM

This part probably isn’t necessary for a trip report, but it’s still fun so here we go.

Zach Miller is a professional mountain runner and an experienced outdoors man. Zach grew up along the Susquehanna in Columbia, PA. When I was thinking of people to join the adventure who didn’t have regular jobs and could afford to take 2-3 weeks off for the attempt, Zach was at the top of my list.

Michelle Christiance is a professional photographer and an avid outdoors enthusiast. Michelle grew up along the Susquehanna in Oneonta, NY. Originally I was asking if I could stay with her parent’s at her childhood home the night before setting off and once Michelle heard what was up, she was instantly on board!

Joel Witwer – yours truly – works in communications for a non-profit. I grew up along the Susquehanna in Hershey, PA. I knew a the small stretch from Harrisburg to Lancaster, PA but always kind of wondered where it came from and where it went. This was the adventure to find out the answers to those questions.

THE KAYAKS

Zach was in a Perception Montour 12.0 borrowed from his uncle.

Michelle was in a Pelican Escape 100 borrowed from her mother.

I was on a Lifetime Teton Angler borrowed from my parents.

While I’m a big fan of using what’s available for your adventures, I will say a sit on top kayak is not ideal for a paddle such as this one. I think I proved that it is possible (and may have been the first person to do so), but if you have another option, I would recommend you take it. Sit on tops are slow, heavy, and bulky although the seat was nice and it was handy to hop in and out of through the shallow water.

THE PACKING LIST

Storage
– 2 40 gallon dry bags
– 1 10 gallon dry bag
Camping
– 1 sleeping bag
– 1 sleeping pad
– 1 ground tarp (5x10ft)
– 1 painter’s plastic sheeting (10x15ft)
– 1 long length of cord rope
Camp/Dry Clothes
– 1 t-shirt (cotton)
– 1 sweater (wool)
– 1 pair of sweats
– 1 pair of wool socks
– 1 wool hat
– 1 neck buff
Kayaking/Wet Clothes
– 1 pair of quick dry trousers
– 2 pairs of athletic underwear
– 1 quick dry long sleeve shirt
– 1 rain jacket
– 1 pair of river shoes
– 1 baseball cap
– 1 life jacket (PFD)
– 1 pair of gloves

Misc
– maps
– knife
– first aid kit (bandaids, antibiotic cream, advil, alcohol wipes, etc)
– moleskin
– kayak patch kit
– headlamp
– water filter
– camera
– emergency whistle
– 1.5L water bottle
– toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, etc)
– water purification tablets (didn’t end up using)
– poop shovel
– toilet paper
– sunscreen
– bug spray
– phone (with Google Maps)
– power bank to recharge phone
– lots of ziploc bags
– wallet (cash, credit, ID)

Notes:

Many people recommend bringing a backup paddle in case you lose yours. None of us did and it worked out for us, but it’s a calculated risk.
If you’re in a sit-in kayak, a sponge is a must.

THE FOOD

First and foremost, this was not a wilderness trip. We were never more than an hour from some small riverside town. We never carried more than two or three days worth of food. And we made the call not to carry anything that needed cooked in order to reduce our packing list (no camp stove, etc). We had a few meals from riverside restaurants and gas stations, but we mostly resupplied with things like tuna, protein bars, nuts, granola, fruit, and so on. We’d often scan ahead on Google Maps and identify towns with gas stations, pharmacies, restaurants close to the river as they weren’t always visible from the river.

THE (DRINKING) WATER

We filtered water from the river the whole way. We heard other people advise to both filter and treat water south of Binghamton. We started doing this but, for better or worse, we reverted back to just filtering after a bit. Especially once we hit PA for the second time, we tried to fill up in campgrounds and gas stations as much as possible due to excessive fracking in the Endless Mountains region and very visible industrial mining pollution just north of Pittston, PA which stains the river for the next several days.

THE LODGING

We were blessed to have family and friends along the river who provided us beds for 7 out of the 18 nights. We also lodged in a riverside cabin (Camp Lackawanna near Tuckhannock, PA) during what was forecasted (and was) a night of rain. The rest of the nights, we found remote areas to wild camp in. If there were “No Trespassing” signs, we would find a different spot. We preferred camping on islands rather than on the shore and would scan ahead on Google Maps at the beginning of each day to see what island options there were around our predicted destinations. Some days we had to push ourselves further than we anticipated to get to a suitable island and some days we cut ourselves short in order to end at an appropriate island campsite.

Michelle brought a one person tent with her. Zach also brought a one person tent, but never used it only sleeping in his bivy bag. I had plastic sheeting that I strung up as a cover the first few nights, but soon abandoned it to just sleep openly (ground tarp, sleeping pad, sleeping bag).

We were blessed with great weather and never had to sleep out during a rainy night of which there were three (one we knew was coming and found a riverside cabin to rent – the other two we were staying with friends and family).

THE MAPS

Collecting maps and water trail guides for the entire length of the river was an exercise in research as it was not easy. Below are the maps I found and we used, but all are best used in conjunction with Google Maps and any local advice you can glean.

1. Cooperstown, NY – Bainbridge, NY Maps Download

Every year there is a 70 mile canoe race from Cooperstown to Bainbridge called the Clinton Regatta. Their maps seems to be widely regarded as the the best maps for this first 70 mile section of the river. I couldn’t find an actual map, but did find an old (2006) guide detailing hazards and accesses along the 70 miles. As of 2020, their tips and photos are still accurate and helpful. Only note is we didn’t notice or experience anything out of the ordinary at what they call the Unadilla Dam.

Cathy Mumford said she used USGS topographic maps for the NY sections and claimed they worked great for her. We didn’t, but I figured I’d throw that out there as an option.

2. Bainbridge, NY – Afton, NY
No maps. Use Google Maps, but really it’s just normal river. No hazards.

3. Afton, NY – Owego, NY Maps Download

This is an old map (1970’s) detailing most of the remaining NY sections of the river. It may be old, but it still has all the info you need as people don’t go building dams all willy nilly. For the brief PA section around Susquehanna Depot and Great Bend PA, switch to the 2nd NY/PA Border – Sunbury Map (coming in a hot second) as it also has this small first PA section in it.

4. Owego, NY – 2nd NY/PA Border
No maps. Use Google Maps. No hazards of note though.

5. 2nd NY/PA Border – Sunbury, PA (North Branch) Map Download

This is referred to as the North Branch of the Susquehanna and the maps for it are easily the best maps of the trip. They point out hazards and portages and just gives solid advice for each section of the river. They also give river miles, amenities at access points, point out possible riverside lodging, etc. They’re also available for free download from Endless Mountain Heritage.

6. Sunbury, PA – Harrisburg, PA (Middle Section) Map Download

Great map, but I couldn’t find any digital version of it beforehand so I bought the physical copy from Blue Mountain Outfitters (BMO) in Harrisburg, PA (you can call them and they’ll mail it to you). A slightly concerning note is rumor has it these maps are out of print so they may become harder to find as time goes on. As of 2020, BMO still had a healthy supply. The Susquehanna River Trail Association has a list of retailers supposedly carrying the map. I’ve uploaded a low quality digital copy above, but it worth buying the actual map. I’d try for a higher quality reproduction, but I capsized and lost the physical map. Two corrections to this map though:

The fabri dam at Sunbury is not impassable as the map claims. Stick river left and portage river left.
The “dam” just after the fabri dam is also not impassable as the map claims. Additionally, it’s more of a pipeline than a dam. We took the river right channel around the island and portaged river left of that channel.

Also worth having is BMO’s paddle guide (map and description) for the Dauphin Narrows and Rockville Bridge as you approach Harrisburg. While I’ve provided downloads below, both files and more are available on the BMO website.

BMO’s Dauphin Narrows Map Download

BMO’s Dauphin Narrows Description Download

7. Harrisburg, PA – PA/MD Border (Lower Section) Map
Another great map, but also without a digital presence. I bought my physical maps online from the Susquehanna National Heritage Area and they mailed them to me. The rumor also says these are out of print, but as of 2020 SNHA still has copies for sale. I did not take photos of these maps before I lost them so I have no low quality digital copy to help you out. Sorry.

8. PA/MD Border Map
I never found official maps for the Maryland section of the river. We relied on Google Maps with no issues. Only big hazard is the Conowingo Dam.

THE TIMEFRAME

We did our thrupaddle from September 21st – October 8th (18 days) which put us directly during the end of Summer and beginning of Autumn. It was indeed possible and we did complete the thrupaddle, but with the added obstacle of chronically low and slow water the entire way. Adding to our troubles were we completed our thrupaddle in the midst of a drought and heard the remark from people all along the river that this was the lowest they had ever seen it.

I had read accounts of people who had completed the river in as little as 11 days (Jay and Jay) and as long as 26 days (Cathy). I had ambitiously thought we could do it in 14 days which would have required an average of 32 miles per day. We ended with an average of 25 miles per day. The thrupaddlers who completed the paddle faster than us were probably stronger paddlers than we were, but also made their trip in late spring and early summer when the water is both deeper and faster. If I were to make the paddle again, I would attempt it earlier in the year to make the paddle easier.

The one benefit of low and slow water was that the rapids along the river were much easier and safer to navigate for novice kayakers such as ourselves.

THE HAZARDS

Dams – The most dangerous aspect of the river were the dams we had to navigate around. Most are well marked, but you should be aware of where each one is and approach cautiously. Most are rather small, but could end your thrupaddle should you fall over or get caught up in one. You are not allowed to portage around the last three dams (Safe Harbor, Holtwood, and Conowingo). You’re supposed to call a minimum of 24 hours before you arrive and they will portage you around their dam in a truck. I believe if you need a portage over the weekend, they ask you call 48 hours in advance. It takes some planning, but is doable.

Safe Harbor Dam is run by Brookfield Renewable and you can schedule your portage at (508) 251-7744.

Holtwood Dam is also run by Brookfield Renewable and can also be reach at (508) 251-7744. I scheduled both our portages on the same call. There are only seven miles between the two dams, but be warned the water is still and there is no current to help you so the paddle from Safe Harbor to Holtwood may take longer than you anticipate.

Conowingo Dam is run by Exelon and you can schedule your portage at (888) 457-4076.

Rapids – There are numerous rapids along the river. Since we did our thrupaddle in such low water, we had no trouble, but some can be tricky at high water levels. The above maps give warnings for the more difficult rapids.

River Flow – Our river was slow, but sections can supposedly be tricky at higher water and flow levels. Keep on eye on the river gauges and be careful.

Electric Storms – We never experience these on our thrupaddle, but other thrupaddlers have and recommend getting out of the water while they are close.

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