The author of the following story, Clyde McMillan-Gamber, lives in nearby New Holland. His story reads... It was an ordinary day. Reading about two small canoe trips on the Susquehanna River, one in early spring and the other in winter, several years ago! The Susquehanna is treacherous, and care must be taken to be safe on it. The first trip was the end of February, when ice broke on the Susquehanna and large chunks of it piled high downriver from Pequea. Seeing an adventure, I paddled our 17-foot aluminum canoe out of the Pequea Creek and proceeded downstream toward the ice jam. The day was warm and sunny, with a light breeze, as I paddled leisurely toward those heaps of ice. A flock of several goldeneye ducks flew off the river ahead of me, and with wings whistling, veered around behind me and out of sight. Seeing a few channels of open water between mountains of ice, I paddled into one of those leads and immediately turned the canoe around in case I had to make a hasty exit from those mountains if the ice shifted. Then I poured a cup of coffee and sat in the canoe to enjoy the river and ice scenery. A couple groups of calling tundra swans flew swiftly upriver, probably to land on Lake Clarke, the backwater from Safe Harbor Dam on the Susquehanna at Washington Boro. After about an hour of floating on the water amid hills of ice boulders and admiring the view and swans, I contentedly paddled out of that lead of water, up the river and into the mouth of the Pequea Creek. There I loaded the canoe and went home, satisfied with my little trip on the Susquehanna. My other canoe trip on the Susquehanna was early in December of another year. The day was partly sunny, but cold, with a strong wind. I was paddling downstream on the Conestoga River near Safe Harbor and saw the Susquehanna ahead. I could see waves and white caps on the river and thought "anybody who goes out there today is crazy." And so I did, without anymore hesitation. I briskly paddled onto the Susquehanna from the Conestoga and proceeded rapidly downriver because of the southbound river current and the north wind pushing me strongly. Along the way, I saw several ring-billed gulls struggling into the wind and little groups of resting black ducks and common merganser ducks on the river on the leeside of boulders to stay out of the wind and current. After several minutes of racing downriver, I decided it was time to turn around and go back upriver to the Conestoga to load the canoe and go home. I was kneeling in the middle of the canoe and bracing the sides with my knees, so I quickly turned that craft 180 degrees to headed upriver into the current and wind to the Conestoga. I paddled hard for a few minutes, but saw I was getting nowhere. I then decided to swing the boat around 180 degrees again and paddle downstream to the Pequea Creek to get off the river. By going directly into or with the waves, the canoe is not likely to tip over. But if waves hit it broadside, the craft could tip and dump me into the cold water. Though I had confidence in my canoeing skills, I knew to turn the canoe quickly and carefully to avoid tipping. And I did so, both times. I paddled with the wind and river current downriver to the Pequea's mouth, docked and called my son to pick me up at Pequea, not Safe Harbor. Again, I went home happy with my trip on the Susquehanna on a winter's day. I have never taken a trip on the river with Clyde. I know he is an experienced boatsman and would feel safe with him on the Susquehanna River, but I'm not a very good swimmer. Therefore, my boat trips are usually on shallow waters where the current is calm and the weather is warm. That is the only way I would travel by boat on the mighty Susquehanna. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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