Lenght of this section: 12 miles
Altitude drop over this section: 27 feet
The Nichols NY to Sayre PA section is about 12 miles. I paddled it on May 10, 2018. It took me about 3 hour and 45 minutes. You can probably do this section in a shorter time because I stop often to take pictures and make notes.
My brother, who owns land and a cabin in New Albany PA (about 20 miles from Athens) helped me on this trip. He drove me to the NIchols NY boat ramp and then he left my car at the Sayre,PA Riverside park boat ramp.
I left the Nichols NY boat river access (On River road. The entrance to the river access is next to the Public works building and it is clearly marked by a sign. Above is the downstream view as soon as I got into the river. The current that time of year is more swift than in summer and I soon paddled thru some choppy water that went over and into my kayak. And, although I was able to mop up most of it (I bring along a good sized sponge to get the water out), the damage was done and had to complete the rest of the trip with wet pants. I do carry spare clothing in my dry bag, but it was fairly warm that day and not too uncomfortable.
About 10 minutes into the trip the first bridge came into view.
At 9:50, 45 minutes after leaving Nichols I reached this river access boat ramp. It is located near the Tioga Downs casino and it is accessible from W. River rd. (route 501)
I can't figure out what this wall is for. Its quite a large structure and I'm sure that a lot of work went into building it (probably during the Great depression), but it does not seem like it has a purpose. Its a good landmark to check your progress. I reached it at 10:01. about 55 minutes into the trip.
A Blue Heron hunting along the river bank. They have become very common and I never fail to see one.
The Route 17 bridge. I passed under it at 10:45. One hour and 40 minutes into the trip.
At 11:05 I reached the first Sayre PA river access and boat ramp. I am now in PA. The PA river access points have signs that show the miles remaining to the end of the Susquehanna river. The sign above shows that there are 290.5 miles to go before reaching the Atlantic ocean. The Susquehanna is 444 miles from Cooperstown NY to the Atlantic. So that means that I have paddled 153.5 miles up to this point.
At around 11:45 I pulled into a little cove and took my lunch break. Stopping for lunch is one of my favorite things to do on the river. It gives me a chance to get out of the kayak and stretch out a bit. Its amazing how tiring sitting for a few hours can be. It also gives me a chance to update my notes, check my location and let my son know that I am ok. I always let him know when I am entering the river, my exact location, and my exit point objective.
Beautiful blue flowers paint the bank along this stretch of river. I read somewhere that blue is the rarest natural color here in the Northeast forests
Above is the Lockhart St. bridge in Sayre PA. I passed under the bridge at 12:05. Three hours after leaving Nichols. But I took a 20 minute lunch break and that means that to get to this point I paddled for 2 hours and 40 minutes. This bridge is on the northern side of Sayre. The Riverside river access (my exit point) is on the southernmost side of Sayre, on the border with Athens, PA.
I am pretty sure this duck pair are Common Eider. I see these kinds of ducks on my lake in Mass for a very brief time in the Spring and Fall as they stop by on their migration. I have never seen them on the Susquehanna before and I'm guessing that they must have been on their way north to Canada
The Riverside park boat ramp at Sayre PA, my objective for the day. Only 12 miles. I had originally picked Ulster PA, another 9 miles downstream as my exit point. but, my brother is like one of those corrupting friends that talks you into skipping school. he had just been accepted as a member in local hunting and fishing club and with promises of cheap cold beer and lots of fried food he easily seduced me into cutting my trip short.
287.8 miles to the Atlantic ocean. This means that I have paddled 156.2 miles up to this point. Next section Sayre PA to Towanda PA. Approximately 17 miles.