Weekend on the Little Juniata

[Big Al]

I did a relaxing river camp weekend with a few friends. The “Little J” a 30 mile trout stream. It is set up as a trophy trout stream, so you can’t keep anything, but it is polluted with large native, self-sustaining brown trout. It is largely spring fed, so the water stays cool all summer. The Little J brings in fly fisherman from all over. I’m lucky to have it 10 minutes from home. We did a section from Spruce Creek to Barre. We camped on the Rothrock Rock State Forest where the river passes through a gorge. I did not get any good pics of boats on water. The water level was low but we still found some Class II riffles to play in. The minimum for this section 2.0. We had to walk one riffle. I like taking pictures of creatures. We pealed a piece of loose bark off a log and found these long bugs and what I think is a ringed water snake. Also found a cool skull that I could not identify. This is the biggest spider I’ve ever seen. It would cover the palm of my hand. Lastly, homemade sausage and garlic nan on an open fire, OMG, good!

 

[Waterdog]

Big Al,

I paddle into that gorge and camp in the winter when the water isn't frozen. I don't camp in the summer because of the heat. My dog and I have spent a lot of Saturday nights cozied up to the fire and listening for Bigfoot in the Cliffs across the river. Woken up to 6-8" of fresh snow occasionally too.

Cheers,

Barry

 

[Big Al]

Barry, nice, small world. I love camping in the gorge because it's so close to home and really secluded. I've seen a Bald Eagle on my last 2 trips. The gorge is getting a lot of use this summer, unfortunately not all good. I've been hauling pots/pans, burnt cans, balls of foil and even lawn chairs out of those sites each time I go. I've never paddled in winter, that sounds like fun but a serious commitment. I'll watch for Big Foot, lol

 

[Conk]

A beautiful stretch of river, I was with the Raystown gang in the fall of 2011 when we did a 12-mile section between Tyrone and the Frankstown Branch. The water level was ideal for poling and was some of the best down river snubbing I've ever experienced. I recall being very impressed by the stone arch RR bridges, must have paddled under a dozen or more.

 

[Big Al]

Conk, I have to agree. The stretch after Tyrone is some of the best class II I've done. I had to google snubbing. It looks like a blast. The little J needs to be 2.5 to go from Tyrone but is most fun at 3 to 3.5. At 4 plus, it is washed out and dangerous. Maybe next Spring we all hook up for an adventure... Here a pic from a few weeks ago.

 

[Waterdog]

Big Al -Yes there is a continual need to pick up after people. Unfortunately, I would reckon they are all boaters that trash that side of the river based on the limited access. The bonus of paddling in the late fall and winter is those people aren't around till the following summer.

Conk, the bridges are super cool. A friend of mine is an engineer who is lucky enough to do a lot of inspection work for the railroad and part of that includes mountain biking and kayaking to these bridges (all over the state) and preforming visual inspections. That would make Monday Mornings a lot easier. For more in depth inspections, they go as a crew and rappel from the track.

Good trout fishery and a chance to see Fisher Cats, Bald Eagles, Hawks, deer, bear, and some of the meanest raccoons in the state. My wife and I took one of her friends and boyfriend down the Raystown branch for a short but slow 4 mile cruise this past Sunday (their first time in a canoe) and saw a river otter pup and Bald eagle. They were pretty impressed, their first time seeing either.

Barry