Schuylkill River Sojurn

Morning launch is at 9 a.m. daily; lunch program times are approximate and can change
based on river conditions and other factors.

Pre-Sojourn–Friday, June 1, 2018
4-8 p.m. Check-in at Schuylkill Haven Island Park, Schuylkill Haven
Schuylkill Haven Island Park welcomes paddlers to the 20th Annual Schuylkill River
Sojourn as they begin registering at 4 p.m. Special for the 20th anniversary, the Island
Park Committee will host a Rock the Island celebration, featuring live music. Locomotive
113 will once again be on site. Chicken BBQ dinner will be available through Schuylkill
Haven Island Park for those who order by May 31 by emailing
bookkeeper@schuylkillhaven.org. Ice cream will also be available at the pavilion.

Day 1–Saturday, June 2, 2018
15.5 miles: Schuylkill Haven to Port Clinton
Lunch: Noon at Auburn Dam. We will introduce this year’s Schuylkill River Sojourn
Steward. Additional presentation TBD.
Evening: The Port Clinton Fire Company serves up a spaghetti dinner at the Fire House
as a fundraiser from 4-7 p.m. The Port Clinton Transportation Museum will be open from
5-7, welcoming sojourners to visit their collection. At 7 p.m., Schuylkill River Sojourn
guide Allan Quant will talk about the early days of the Schuylkill River Sojourn, and how
the sojourn has evolved over 20 years. Afterwards, long-time sojourners Carl Raring, Jim
Showalter and Dave Kohler will host an evening of Sojourn Stories.

Day 2–Sunday, June 3, 2018
18.5 miles: Port Clinton to Jim Dietrich Park, Muhlenberg Twp.
Lunch: 12:30 at Peter Yarnell Park. Singer/songwriter Haley Sheeler, long popular
among sojourners, will perform her original music.
Evening: Sojourners camp at Jim Dietrich Park. Sojourner Rob Kuhlman, who is a
Schuylkill River Greenways board member and a retired geology professor, will discuss
the geology of the Schuylkill River region

Day 3–Monday, June 4, 2018
16.3 miles: Jim Dietrich Park to Gibraltar
Monday is Crazy Hat Day! Sojourners wear their craziest hats.
Lunch: Noon at Reading Riverfront Park. Sojourners will learn about invasive plants
from Schuylkill County Conservancy Board Member Sue Reier. Sue will give a
workshop on how to identify invasive plants and will also discuss changes over the past
20 years regarding invasives and how we fight them.
Evening: Allegheny Aqueduct Park 7:30 p.m. Albright Professor David Osgood will
give a presentation entitled Dams Along the Schuylkill River. He’ll discuss the history of
Schuylkill River dams, their environmental implications, and possible future changes.

Day 4 – Tuesday, June 5, 2018
13.9 miles: Gibraltar to Pottstown
Lunch: Noon at Historic Morlatton Village. Schuylkill River Greenways Trail Manager
Bob Folwell will give an overview of the Schuylkill River Trail, how it has changed over
the last 20 years, and what he anticipates the next 20 years will bring.
Evening: Pottstown’s Riverfront Park. We will have a special 20-year sojourn
celebration, with a delicious dinner by the river followed by live music from 7-9pm.

Day 5–Wednesday, June 6, 2018
17.8 miles: Pottstown to Mont Clare Lock 60
Lunch: Noon at Victory Park in Royersford. Speaker TBD.
Evening: Always a sojourn highlight for both participants and onlookers, the paddlers
will end their day by locking through Lock 60, the Schuylkill Canal’s only fully restored,
operating lock.
The Otterbein United Methodist Church will serve a spaghetti dinner at 6 p.m. at St.
Michael’s Park. At 7:00 p.m., sojourners will hear from the John Jackson of the Stroud
Research Center who will speak about the health of the river over the last 20 years,
current challenges to river health, and how individuals can help protect the watershed.

Day 6–Thursday, June 7, 2018
14 miles: Mont Clare to West Conshohocken
Lunch: 1:00 p.m. at Valley Forge National Historical Park. Sojourners will hear from
Josh Nims of the Schuylkill River Development Corp. He will discuss how Schuylkill
Banks in Philadelphia has changed over the past 20 years, and what changes are foreseen
over the next 20 years.
Evening: 7:30 p.m. West Conshohocken. Hear from the Schuylkill Action Network’s
Sojourn Steward about lessons learned throughout the week.

Day 7–Friday, June 8, 2018
16 miles: West Conshohocken to Philadelphia
Lunch: 12:15 at the Philadelphia Canoe Club. Final remarks and recognition of full-trip
sojourners.
Final take out: Approximately 3:30 p.m. Lloyd Hall, Boathouse Row