Boating

Paddling and Boating…because “There’s nothing . . . absolutely nothing . . . half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats.”
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (River Rat to Mole)

Lehigh River nearly Mega Release

Lehigh with a dog and a raft and a stand up paddle boarder at 3k

After much back and forth we hiked down the damn dam (aka F. E Walter Dam) and launched in the rapids of doom which proved to be almost nothing, though certainly enough to wake you up and probably the steepest … Read more and see pictures

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Hackensack River Fireworks

fireworks from hackensack

Well, it wasn’t my most successful trip, what with vast unexpected crowds in Johnson Park, rain, darkness. Still 7 of us managed to hit the water and see the fireworks after a quick trip home for extra rain gear. At … Read more and see pictures

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Mother’s Day America’s Cup racing on the Hudson

emerites trying to stay up on their foils.

Spent Mother’s Day with my mother and a few hundred thousand others watching the foiling catamarans get foiled by the funky winds and tides of the Hudson. With the river barely a mile wide and 50 story buildings to windward … Read more and see pictures

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Vast crowds on the Great Swamp

Beautiful day, beautiful trip, thanks once again Bob. Swelled by resent rains, the Great Swamp was several feet above it’s usually muddy early summer levels, allowing us to short cut a few of the s-bends, but also making us deal … Read more and see pictures

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Re-enactors bringing to life the running battles for Bergen County around Hackensack

battoe moon at new bridge

Another well done event by the Bergen County Historical Society highlighted by the Battoe ‘Moon’, a replica 18th Century bateau brought down to Hackensack by Cap’n Scott Monro. Nice to have a boat back at New Bridge Landing as the site is … Read more and see pictures

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Housatonic with HRCKC

approaching the west cornwall covered bridge

Another great trip led by Bob Rancan. Really beautiful country which is the biggest reason I’m posting this. With him mountains all around it’s the prettiest river I’ve  floating within driving distance. Originally Bob had planned to lead a trip … Read more and see pictures

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Ramapo River post Irene

Log jam on the Ramapo

Like visiting an old friend whose changed a lot….probably don’t need to tell any North Jersey Paddles that Irene made some changes. The old broken dam south of Suffern has a bad sweeper in the fast water. It is viable from the approach. I … Read more and see pictures

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Wallkill River Saturday Sept. 17th with HRCKC

Saturday the 17th promised to be a beautiful day,  so despite Martin’s warnings seven of us showed up at the Sussex Queen diner. In Martin’s words “it’s high but ok. but with probable carrying/climbing/dragging over blowdowns and strainers – may … Read more and see pictures

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Irene in Vermont

Tree down on Otter Creek north of Wallingford Vermont

Visited Vermont and also saw some destruction and good examples of how natural systems can recover more quickly. Parks are a great thing to put in a flood prone area….tennis court is full of dried mud, a few muddy places … Read more and see pictures

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Passiac River Flooding thru Paterson and Fairlawn, NJ

Paddled down the Passiac thru Paterson just as it was coming down. Though I saw (and shot) a few flooding homes mostly I saw inconvenience, not destruction, with streets blocked off, parks, yards  and swimming pools flooding. When floodplains contain … Read more and see pictures

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