This weekend I went canoeing down the Juniata River with my girlfriend, Erin. We had a blast. We only got rained on once while on the water, and then we waited it out under a tree to minimize the soaking. We put in at the riverside park in Huntingdon, PA and took out about twenty miles downstream at Newton Hamilton. See the map. Look at the river rather than the road.
The wildlife was awesome. I had 44 bird species. Highlights include a Bald Eagle, 24 Common Merganser, and lots of Wood Ducks. We also saw a family of River Otter playing on some fallen trees along the bank. They were cute.
We camped on islands in the river. The first night we were sandwiched between the road and the railroad. Trains kept coming by every 10 minutes or so. Really, I think I’ve seen more trains that day than in my entire life. The second night was much quieter. There was a party going on upstream with a live band. We could hear them pretty well and they were playing good music too. It was a nice treat.
The trip was so much fun and I hope to be able to ride the river again before heading up north.