As paddlers journey down the Schuylkill River during the 18th annual sojourn, a video will be made about litter problems affecting the waterway.
The annual week-long, 112-mile guided paddle to Philadelphia will launch at 9 a.m. Saturday from Island Park in Schuylkill Haven. Check-in will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the park, with CNJ Locomotive 113 arriving at 5 p.m. for visitors to see and climb aboard. Paddlers will camp out at the park and the public is invited to join that night’s activities.
Laura Catalano, communications director at the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, the event’s host, said 203 paddlers will participate in some part of the sojourn, with 79 set to make the whole trip. She said that is the highest number of paddlers set on traveling the entire 112 miles in the sojourn’s history. The total number of paddlers is about average but higher than last year, she added. However, only about 120 boats are allowed in the water per day for safety reasons.
This year’s participants will come from nine states and New Zealand. Each day of the sojourn is filled to capacity for the second year in a row.
On Saturday, Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess will speak before the launch. Paddlers will stop at Auburn Dam about noon for lunch and a presentation on the National Park Service’s centennial by Frank Hays, park service associate regional director for resources.
They will then travel to Port Clinton for an expected arrival of 3:45 p.m., followed by a spaghetti dinner fundraiser from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Port Clinton Firehouse. The dinner is also open to the public.
The Port Clinton Transportation Museum will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. for sojourners to check out its collection and at 7 p.m., sojourner John Lysaght will talk about his experiences as a thru-hiker on the Appalachian Trail. Members of the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club will also provide information about their role in maintaining the trail.
The sojourn will continue until June 10, when it will conclude at Boathouse Row in Philadelphia.
Catalano said this year the Schuylkill River Heritage Area partnered with Schuylkill Action Network to send a steward to document litter problems on the river.
According to a press release, Bradley Maule will map out trash hot spots along the entire 112-mile journey. Maule is an environmentalist, photographer and writer whose previous work includes his One Man’s Trash project, in which he collected as much trash as he could during three-hour hikes in Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia, every week for a year. He found nearly 4,000 objects, most noticeably plastic water bottles.
“By photographing and mapping out litter in the river, we’re hoping to bring more public awareness to the litter issue and more incentive to take action,” Virginia Vassalotti, Schuylkill Action Network specialist for the partnership for the Delaware Estuary, said in the release. “This litter map will also provide groups with locations in need of cleanups.”
For more information about the sojourn, visit www.schuylkillriver.org.