Rushing water and some cold winds help push the captains of around 40 kayaks and canoes down the Lackawanna River on Saturday.
They took to the water on a chilly but sometimes sunny January day in Scranton to celebrate the Lackawanna River Conservation Association’s (LRCA) annual ShiverFest.
"This is such a great turnout," said Tara Jones. She stepped into the role of executive director of the LRCA on January 1. “This is, this is a great day to make connections with people who are so dedicated and so in to it that they're coming out in January like this.”
Saturday marked Jones' first ShiverFest in the role and her first winter paddle.
The paddlers launched at high noon from the Parker Street Landing in Scranton. The fast, almost 3-mile float took around 20 minutes to get to Sweeney’s Beach where volunteers helped pull the boats out of the water. Part of the gravel beach was hidden beneath a high river. The paddlers had to pivot their boats quickly to get to shore. Scranton firefighters were stationed along the Lackawanna in case of an emergency.
Corri Franchetti is from Peckville. She’s faithfully done the float since it started 10 years ago.
“It's a lot faster than normal," she said on shore at Sweeney's Beach. "It was really nice because you didn't get stuck on any rocks."
Everything Franchetti was wearing, including her dry suit, was waterproof. Some paddlers wore shorts and sneakers, others wore snow pants and snow boots. Someone was in a cowboy hat and another kayaker floated down the river in a pink kayak wearing a red Chinese dragon. It was to celebrate the lunar new year.
Bernie McGurl, the longtime executive director, retired from the role but not the organization.
“It was a lot less stress," he said, "and, you know, a little bit exciting with the weather and in the wind and the depth of the water in the current.”
