Brady's Lake Is For The Birds

Great Blue Heron Enjoying Some Lunch

As the crow flies; Brady’s Lake is just over 10 miles from Moscow, PA. To get there via vehicle, it becomes a little bit of a longer journey; 17.5 miles from the intersection of PA-435 and the Clifton Beach/River Rd in Clifton township. It might take close to a half-an-hour to get there, but Brady’s Lake is large enough to warrant several hours of exploration and/or good fishing.

Getting There:

Looking at a map, Brady’s Lake appears to be just a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the several communities in southern Lackawanna County. While it is in Monroe County, it lies close enough to that corner of the world where three counties meet, thus acting as a draw for people from all three areas. While woods roads that cut through State Game Lands #127 seem like shortcuts, they are gated and usually locked. If towing a trailer or toting a boat on roofracks, those roads aren’t going to be of much good anyway. From the intersection of PA-435 and Clifton Beach/River Rd, drive towards Thornhurst and then bear right on to Locust Ridge Rd. and follow that until it ends on PA-940. Travel 1.3 miles East on PA-940 to Brady’s Lake Rd, a gravel road, and then follow that for about 3.0 miles until reaching the parking lot.

On The Water:

The launch is solid asphalt ramp and can allow for trailers to unload. Powered boats are allowed, but must run electric engines only. Paddlers can enter at the same place as well and getting going is easy. The dam which contains the lake dates back to 1915 and can be viewed before heading up-lake. Stubbly remains of saplings protrude along the west side of the lake and can cause some havoc for kayaks and canoes and should be avoided by larger boats. It’s best to stick to the center. The lake narrows about a 1/3 of the way back and after that the shoreline in the west opens up more and getting close to the edge is easier and offers more opportunity to view wildlife and plants. On the east side, lilies and other emergent plants can become thick in places but a keen eye might spot a wading heron or sunning turtles. Scanning the trees, it’s not out of the question to see an eagle perched, looking for a meal. An eagle nest is also located among the branches closer to the north end of the lake as well. Should eaglets or juveniles be present, their shrill cries are easy to identify and can be heard often. A camera, especially one that has a good zoom lens, would be worth bringing as would be binoculars. If fishing, the waters hold bass and panfish. Murky and brown from the high amounts of tannin, seeing anything below the water is tough. Submergent plants such as Coontail can provide good cover for fish, but can also swallow lures, so use caution when casting and reeling in the bait.

Bald Eagle Taking Flight

Round trip distance on the lake is about 3.5 miles. Whether fishing or spotting wildlife, allow for at least three hours, but it is very easy to spend more there if the fish are hitting and the birds are flying. Many people visit the lake simply to explore by foot or fish from shore, so a packed parking lot may not signify great traffic on the water. The three mile dirt road approach and the accessibility of other public and private lakes in the area probably deter many casual outdoorsmen, but don’t be daunted. Go explore and enjoy Brady’s Lake.

What's SUP on the Delaware River?

Sometime about three years ago I was browsing through an issue of a monthly outdoor trade magazine and briefly skimmed a couple of reviews on Stand-Up Paddleboards. I was skeptical about SUP. I had only left outdoor retail a couple of years prior and on a good day I was selling three to four kayaks with ease. SUP wasn't even on the radar and even as of 2010 my friends still in sales weren't buzzing about this new sport. One day last year on a kayaking tour one of my clients recounted to me her experience with paddleboards and it sparked my curiosity.

Finding a local watersports shop that either had SUPs for rent or gave lessons was rather difficult. However, an employee at one shop gave me a small pamphlet about a place in Shawnee on Delaware that gave SUP lessons and tours. I called them immediately and soon enough I had my first meeting with Fran and Scott Huber of Mauka Nalu Paddleboarding. Fran, a native Hawaiian, and Scott a Long Islander who spent many years surfing the West Coast, discovered SUP a few years ago and in 2010 decided to bring it to the Delaware River. Here is where my initial adventure took place.

I approached this activity with some trepidation. I watched Fran and Scott get on their boards. It seemed simple enough, kneel on the deck, get some balance, and stand up. I barely got on the board when I rolled right off, making a loud splashing sound as I entered the water. Fran gave me some more instruction and on my second attempt I was able to stand up and started paddling up river. Almost immediately I discovered how this was so much different from kayaking or canoeing. Not only was this a means of recreational water transportation, it was also a workout! My legs were quivering in the attempt to stay balanced and my torso and arms were getting fatigued from fighting the current as I moved upriver. However I got the hang of it and found myself enjoying the downriver trip. Okay, I’m now a fan.

A few weeks later I convinced Fran and Scott to bring some boards to a lake and we gave it a try on flat water. Knowing what to expect, I was better prepared for the exercise and was able to focus on the view. The lake we were paddling on was one I had kayaked countless times before, but because I was now looking at it from a higher angle it was though I was seeing it for the very first time. A few seasoned kayakers were with us and they all enjoyed the opportunity to give SUP a try. A few tried doing handstands and some basic Pilates movements on the boards. Fran is also a Pilates instructor and Mauka Nalu even offers SUP Pilates in addition to SUP instruction and nature tours both on the Delaware River and at local lakes.

Admittedly, it took me a while to warm up to the SUP. While I'm a kayaker at heart, I eventually broke down and bought a paddleboard. I'm by far no means an expert yet, but I'm getting the hand of it. I like the idea of being a few feet higher off the water, the workout is great, and if I want to take a quick swim on a hot day, getting back on a SUP is easier than getting into a kayak while on the water. So if you are looking for something new to do on the water, consider paddleboarding and explore the water with Mauka Nalu. 

Mauka Nalu Paddleboarding: http://www.maukanalu.com/paddle/
Phone: 570.420.1905

History & Adventure Along the Upper Delaware River

A view of Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct from the river

When most people hear the words “Delaware River” it conjures up an image of George Washington standing in a boat, surrounded by ice, while his troops did all the rowing. Let’s flash forward about 230 years and head upriver about 150 miles…oh yeah, and make it summertime. Here, the river cuts through a canopy of green trees, the water is cool and refreshing, and peoples’ interests lie in attacking whitewater rapids, not German mercenaries. Here the river is a place of respite and recreation.

Every summer hundreds of thousands of people flock to the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River for boating, fishing, camping, and wildlife viewing. On any given summer day, rafts, canoes, and kayaks mingle with anglers, swimmers, and spectators on the water and around the shore. With about a half-a-dozen touring companies each with as many bases and campgrounds, about 15 public launches for privately owned boats and off-river based guiding companies, and all the private homes along the river with their own launch areas, one would think the river would be anything but tranquil. Guess again. Anyone with the will and means to make a few small sacrifices can enjoy blissful tranquility on the Delaware just about any day of the summer, even on peak holiday weekends.

Timing is usually the key. Starting a run at 9:00am almost ensures a full two hours of having the river to yourself. Start early and paddle past the crowded campgrounds still waking up from the previous night’s revelry. More times than not, the only other folks on the river this early are fishermen and park rangers. The average start times for most of the people using the commercial outfitters seem to fall between 11am and 1pm. A short 6 mile run means you will be pulling out at 11am and packing up just as the crowds begin to muster. Similarly, postponing your put-in time until after 2:00pm can often mean the crowds are 30-60 minutes ahead of you. Since kayaks and canoes are much faster than river rafts, expect to pass a few of these along the way. Unless the rafts are full of noisy partiers, once you pass them you tend to forget they are even behind you, after all, you are facing downstream.

Rachel Waters from Waymart, PA kayaks frequently on the river

Location is also another important factor. The bulk of the rapids fall between Narrowsburg and Pond Eddy. In fact the elevation change in the 26 miles from Narrowsburg to Pond Eddy is 160 feet, the bulk of it occurring in the first 10 miles. Under the right conditions a paddler at the head of a rapids section can look at another boat only a few hundred feet downstream and actually get a sense of feeling higher than the boat in front. While this area does remain wildly popular, a greater number of starting points are 12 miles south of Narrowsburg, past, what is arguably, the best section of the river.

Pick up a map from the National Park Service before your trip. A number of outfitters offer
kayaks, canoes, and rafts for rental. http://www.nps.gov/upde/planyourvisit/boatrentals.htm
If you are venturing on your own, be sure to plan accordingly and check the river
conditions on the hotline: 845-252-7100

The Ten Mile River launch is one of the best places to start a trip down river. It is an easy launch with lots of room for unloading and it is fairly calm, so getting into the water is a breeze. Additionally, directly across the river lie a small set of riffles that can be reached by paddling upstream just a little ways. This is a good place for a novice to give it a try. If you are a first-timer, try the riffles. If it proves to not be for you, paddle back to the shore and it is an easy out. If you continue downstream you will encounter more rapids, each set getting slightly more difficult until reaching the Zane Grey launch in Lackawaxen. Also along this section are some great rock formations that are perfect for a picnic, sunning, or swimming. Between the Kunkeli Rapids and the Zane Grey launch, Minisink Falls drops to the river from the left. You can explore the falls if you can park your boat and if you are willing to make the short trek up to the falls via the tunnel under the highway. 

To get up close and personal with Minisink Falls
means getting out of your boat and venturing through
a concrete conduit

Below Lackawaxen, Cedar Rapids, Stairway Rapids, and Mongaup Rapids also offer some fun. Even these rapids are definitely worth hitting, tacking them on from a launch at Ten Mile means a very long day on the water. Additionally, they are spaced a good distance apart from each other, so there are some monotonous stretches of river, especially at Pond Eddy, in this area. Likewise, the further south you go towards Matamoras, the busier the river gets. For whatever reasons, proportionally more paddlers tend to tackle the Pond Eddy to Matamoras section than they do points further north. 

No matter where you paddle, wildlife sightings are common. Mallard Ducks, Canada Geese, and Common Mergansers can be spotted with little effort. Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles are almost as common. Aquatic mammals such as Beaver, Otter, and Muskrat are less commonly seen, but no stranger to the river by any means. Similarly, non-aquatic birds such as Tanagers, Blackbirds, Waxwings, and Swallows can all be seen perching along the banks.

Mother Mallard and her ducklings. The Upper Delaware is a great location
for bird watching either in a boat or from the banks

The historians and geologists can also find plenty of things to spark their curiosity along this section of river. Rock formations carved out by eons of rushing water can be explored up and down the banks. Several waterfalls can be seen from the river here as well, most cascading down craggy cliffs from some unknown source far above the river. Old rock quarries dot the landscape. Long abandoned, only piles of rock tailings are left to tell where they once were. These quarries served to provide Bluestone a growing country from the colonial period through the 1930s. A few are still in operation today, but operate on a very large capacity within eyesight of the river. It may be a wild and scenic river now, but at one time this was a highway on industry. Rafts of felled timber floated down this river well into the mid 20^th century and along the shores canal boats hauled tons of Anthracite Coal from Scranton to the markets in New York. Remnants of the canal system can still be seen below Lackawaxen where John Roebling was commissioned to build an aqueduct to alleviate canal traffic that crossed over the river (see photo above.) Now a bridge for vehicles, Roebling’s aqueduct still stands today as the oldest suspension bridge in the country. The aqueduct was built just a few hundred yards downstream from the Minisink Ford, a natural low water section in the river, where, two-and-a-half years after Washington made his famous crossing 150 miles downstream, another lesser known figure of the Revolutionary War made his own crossing. Here, in 1779, Joseph Brant, a Mohawk, lead a mixed force of Loyalist militiamen and Iroquois warriors across the river after decisively defeating a contingent of New York militia on the hills just outside of Lackawaxen. History, it seems, is not without a sense of irony. The site of Washington’s crossing is managed by state agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While it is a National Landmark, this designation is generally considered lesser in precedence than a National River since a landmark may be established by the Secretary of the Interior, whereas a National Scenic and Wild River can only be established by the President or Congress and is managed by the National Park Service.

Please check out these National Park Service webpages prior to your adventure. 

Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River

River Safety

Equipment & River Distances

The Wild Life at Lake Shohola

The Wild Life at Shohola Lake, Pike County, Pennsylvania

About halfway between Hawley and Milford on the south side of US Route 6 lies Shohola Lake. I'm not sure when Shohola Creek was dammed to form the lake, or if it was done primarily for flood control or to enhance wildlife habitat (or both.) In any event, the lake and the surrounding area has become a home for mammals, reptiles, and birds of all sorts.

Immediately below the lake is the waterfall, the usual attraction. The fast water crashing over the rocks and splashing into a gorge is allegorical to the amount of excitement it provides. Although it is definitely a must-see while there, the quiet vastness of the lake offers more in the long run.

There are two launch areas on the lake. The first one has a large paved lot and easy ramp access for boaters with trailers. It is very close to the dam at the north end of the lake. I rarely use this launch since it makes for an extremely long trip up the lake and back. It is good if you have more than four hours to paddle or if you are using a motor. If you lack that sort of time or use manpower to move your craft, choose the second launch further up the lake. It too has a ramp, but the launch area is dirt and you must move your vehicle about 100 yards up to the parking area before embarking on your journey. I prefer the second launch because it puts me closer to the better wildlife viewing areas and I generally paddle for about two hours when I go there.

Early season explorers will find the water fairly open in most sections of

the lake. Lake level and plant growth contribute significantly to where you can easily travel later in the season. Subsurface and emergent plants can dominate the lake at times leaving only a defined channel where the creek flows through the lake. Overall, the lake is fairly shallow allowing Watershield to blanket much of the water. Spatterdock and White Lillies make occasional appearances, poking out of the water here and there.

The shallow water does make for some tricky paddling at times. Many stumps and bog mats protrude here and there throughout the lake. However, these obstacles generally serve as excellent perches for birds and reptiles.

Painted turtles catch some afternoon sun .

Cormorants frequently take up summer residence at the lake.

The reasons the lake has such an abundant population of wildlife has a lot to do with the fact that much of the lake is a designated propagation area. One side of the lake is practically inaccessible by foot, and observation areas for those without boats are located far from the lakeshore. Additionally, power restrictions for watercraft make the area a welcome place for nesting, breeding, and residency. Similarly, standing dead trees act as great hunting perches for Osprey and Bald Eagles and nests for cavity dwelling waterfowl, such as Wood Ducks and Woodpeckers.

A trip here on any given day from May through October should yield at least one Bald Eagle sighting. Wintertime viewing may not be as successful if the lake is frozen over. While eagles have been know to stay in the area through the winter mating season, often the birds will fly a few miles to the Delaware River to fish during the daytime.

To get to Lake Shohola, take Exit 34 off Interstate 84 to State Route 739. Travel north on 739 for 0.7 miles to Well Road. Turn right on Well Road and travel 3.8 miles to U.S. Route 6. Turn right onto Route 6 and travel east two miles to the Shohola Falls Water-fowl Management Area. An access road to the boat launches can be found just west of the large parking area on Route 6.

Map of State Game Lands 180

South Jersey Paddling & More

My wife, Nancy, and I headed to southern New Jersey the last week in September for some R&R. She, having grown up in north Jersey, was a beach-brat as a kid. I can count the amount of times I have touched salt water using only single digits. I'm a lousy swimmer and the thought of sitting around on the sand day-after-day or prowling the boardwalk night-after-night really didn't do much for me as a kid nor does it do too much for me now. But now I have a kayak, so I have something to do while Nancy does her things.

We checked into our hotel in Wildwood on a Sunday afternoon. It was three weeks after Labor Day, so it was more like "Mild"wood. A few families were still here for a late season getaway, but mostly it was dead except for the dozen or so buses filled senior citizen tour groups. OK, maybe not dead, but close enough. We arrived just in time for one roller coaster ride before that too closed for the season and managed to get some fries at Curly's before they too closed up shop. Thankfully there were twenty to thirty stores on the Boardwalk still open this late on a Sunday to make my "Wildwood '09" T-shirt buying needs quite uncomplicated!


We were actually staying about 100 feet from Wildwood. Our hotel was in Wildwood Crest which is not the same thing. Judging by the signs on the beach I get the feeling that the town fathers are people who have never had a day of fun in their whole lives.

Thankfully the sign didn't say anything about kayaks. (Although if it did I would have definitely put-in just to get a ticket.)

Monday was a non-kayaking day as well. This was recon day and I also wanted to take in some of the local flavor, so we headed down to Cape May, climbed up the lighthouse, and I got some info about the local kayaking opportunities from the nice ranger-lady at the park. She told me about some places in the estuary where I could see a lot of birds and would have nice easy paddle. Perfect! Just what I wanted. Although the ocean was only a few hundred yards across the street and over the sand, there was a small storm off the coast and the waves were still pretty strong. A leisurely paddle through the estuary looking at herons and egrets what just what I wanted. I also stopped in a bookstore in Cape May hoping to find a local paddling guidebook, but to no avail. All I found was a useful book on Sea Kayaking. I wasn't going to drop $30 on the book, but I did refresh my memory on some techniques while I paged through it.

It's always good to find a winery when scoping out
kayaking locations!

We browsed shop after shop in Cape May, which was surprisingly busy this late in the season. Purchases were made, Lunch was eaten, Skee-Ball was played, and we stopped by the Cape May Winery. I'm not a wine connoisseur by any means. I find most wines a wine-snob would prefer to be too dry for my palate. I'm a cheap, fruity wine kinda guy, and Nancy isn't a big wine drinker either, but the winery had some Concord and Riesling styles we enjoyed and found refreshing. I met one of the owners who happens to be the niece of a man who owns a bakery close to my hometown which is known for its boxed pizza. (That would be Senape's Pitza of Hazleton, PA fame....another story for another day.) On the way back to Wildwood we stopped by a kayak rental place suggested by the ranger-lady and I spoke to the woman there about launching my boat there the next day. She told me they would be closed on Tuesday but I could pay $5 now and sign the required release now and just show up whenever I wanted the next day. Good enough for me.

Tuesday morning came quickly and Nancy dropped me off at the launch while she headed off to a day spa for a manicure and pedicure. She would be back in three hours or so pick me up and we would get some lunch. Fair enough. I quickly unloaded the boat and got my gear together blissfully ready to hit the water. The woman at the launch had given me a map the day before and had drawn out some routes she suggested. I used that as reference material, but was determined to get somewhat lost in the marshes anyway. I marked the launch spot on my GPS just in case I really did get lost, but primarily kept the GPS on only so I could track my route and see how far I paddled.

Clam beds are easy to find in the marsh

I had to paddle over an open expanse of water for a few hundred yards to get to the grassy marshes. This was rather easy because the wind was at my back and I closed the distance from the launch to the first channel in no time. The sun was out, the sky was clear, it was warm for the last week of September as well and once I was in the channels and blocked from the wind by the high grasses I didn't need the windbreaker I was wearing. I also stashed my spray skirt. It proved to be unnecessary and I wanted easier access to my camera (which was stowed in a dry bag.) The water in the channels was a lot shallower than I expected it to be. I checked the depth several times with my paddle and mostly found it to be only two or three feet deep. The mud on the bottom no doubt was probably several feet thick, so dumping my kayak was still something I wanted to avoid. While there was exposed soil in a lot of places where the grasses were, it was mostly soft mud and home to hundreds of clams.

Great Egret wading along the shore

Some of the channels were narrow and the saw grasses and reeds brushed up against me as I paddled by, others were wide and allowed for a lot of leeway as cruised up and down them. Some led to other channels and some were dead-ends that forced me to backtrack. Eventually I made it back to the main channel. While wading birds and waterfowl were frequent sightings in the narrower channels, they were abundant in the main channel. Most of the species were unknown to me and I had to consult a bird guidebook after the trip. Great Egrets seemed to dominate the marshes. Much like their cousins, the Great Blue Herons, they are hard to get close to for great observation. Watching them wade through the water and then take flight as I came too close was still a very neat thing. I would try to steer clear of them much of the time because I get annoyed when someone bothers me while I'm eating, so I figured the egrets rightfully would be annoyed as well. In addition to the egrets and sandpipers I had some ducks fly-by several times, of course never when I had my camera ready, and I could only assume they were Black Ducks. I eventually paddled under the Garden State Parkway and took a look at the GPS to see how far I was away from the launch. I had been out for about two hours and was only a mile from where I started, however after checking the route noticed I had paddled close to three miles. These channels meander quite a bit so I calculated it would take me about an hour to get back to the launch site. I stopped a few times on the way back noting the human-constructed platforms where eagles had built nests and I stopped to view some more egrets. As the channel opened up I became exposed to the breeze blowing in from the ocean, so my paddling was now more laborious than it was on the way out, but I returned to the launch without event and about five minutes later my chauffeur/wife arrived, I loaded the boat, and we headed off to lunch.

The next day we biked around Wildwood in the morning and headed over to Stone Harbor for some shopping in early afternoon. The surf had calmed down from what it had been when we arrived. It was now Wednesday and I was determined to at least get out into the ocean at least once. It was late in the afternoon by the time I got my stuff together. I hadn't planned to stay out very long, but years of survival training had me in a paranoid mindset. I packed two quarts of water, a GPS, a flashlight with a strobe, and a few Clif bars into one dry bag and my cell phone and my MP3 player/FM radio into an other dry bag. I don't know what I was planning to use the MP3 player for. Possibly to have something to listen to while I ate a Clif bar as the Search & Rescue helicopter comes to pick me up after the tide washes me out to sea and if the batteries in the GPS go dead?

I drug my boat and all the gear across the wide spance of beach. Two hundred yards to the surf and I would be there. I put my gear in the kayak, pulled my spray skirt over my waist and secured my paddle leash to the boat. I sat in the kayak and began to fasten the spray skirt as the inbound waves surrounded the hull. I set the paddle across the cockpit and placed my hands on the sand, lifting the boat just a few inches while the surf came in again. Little by little I inched my way into the ocean, lifting and pushing towards the sea and then quickly grabbing the paddle to push out even further. This sequence repeated itself several times until I actually drew enough water to just be able to paddle. Things however don't quite go as I plan.

Most people, even if they aren't good swimmers, would scoff at being intimidated by a three-foot wave. For most adults a wave this size would come up to the hips. That same wave takes on an entire different look when you are sitting on the beach as opposed to wading in the surf. CRASH!

No sooner had I made it into water deep enough to not be stuck in the sand, then was I hit by a wave and quickly swamped by the salty water. Rolling the kayak really wasn't an option since I was only in water a foot deep and before I knew what had happened I was already being pushed onto the beach by the waves. I staggered undaunted out of the water pulling my boat behind me. After a few minutes to take stock of the situation (and allow the water to drain out of the boat) I readied myself for take #2.

With my boat pointed to the sea I entered the cockpit while the hull of the kayak was still safely on the sand. The water lapped at the bow as I secured the spray skirt yet again. Once snug, I slowly pushed my way towards the surf another time. Little by little I inched into the water quickly switching from pushing the kayak with my hands to paddling and then quickly switching back to pushing. This went on for a minute or so until I could get deep enough into the ocean so I could just paddle. Eventually I cleared the first set of breakers, then the trough, and then the second set of breakers. Phew! Fighting the waves was a chore. I seriously doubt that the people I've encountered who go to the beach once a year and tell me, "Oh, we kayak in the ocean all the time" actually do this. Most of them I've met can barely manage a kayak on flat water. My arms were beat and I paddle almost daily. Once I cleared the breakers I was elated and I turned my boat parallel to the coast and headed south.

My respite lasted all but a few minutes. I was able to paddle a few minutes before I started noting the rolling waves were getting larger and I was drifting closer to the shore. First a wave rolled harmlessly under me, then a second one, and then a third. Each time I seemed to rise and fall just a bit further than the last. This was starting to feel like the roller coaster from Sunday! I continued on, dropping and rising just a bit more. Then I peered out to the sea and noticed a very large wave rolling my way. Somehow I knew this sucker was going to get me. I thought it would roll over me, so prepared to get swamped. I positioned myself to roll with the wave and use my momentum to pop back up, but the wave broke right under me and instead of rolling to my right, I was tossed to my left and was no where close to being in a position to roll the kayak. Before I could get myself twisted around under the water, another wave pushed me closer to the beach. Rolling was no longer an option since my face was now in the sand. Time to unceremoniously wet-exit.

By now I was spent. Once again I dragged my butt and boat back to the beach.

Atlantic Ocean:2, Bill:0

Oh well....live and learn. The North Atlantic is no place for a 12.5 foot kayak and the Jersey shore is no place for a mountain boy.

Paddling in the Bashakill Wildlife Refuge, New York

Sometime in early July I found myself cruising the backroads of southern Orange county New York when, thanks to a detour, I found the Walkill National Wildlife Refuge. I eagerly looked up info on this area as soon as I got home, and filed it for future reference. In my research I also discovered the Bashakill Wildlife Preserve, just slightly to the north of the Walkill. I thought that paddling both of these areas in the same day sounded like a good idea. Two somewhat lazy rivers ripe with birds and wetland plants each only a few miles long would make for a great day of discovery.

My friend Rachel had been asking me to take her on some sort of an adventure for a few weeks. Several attempts were made throughout the summer but between the cold, rainy summer weather and my crazy schedule, I still wasn't able to do anything with her. Thankfully she didn't have to start her fall semester until after Labor Day, and few days before I had some time in my schedule and we had a break in the weather.

Few of my trips ever seem to go off without a hitch. Thanks to some delays courtesy of my ill dog, my morning plans went haywire. I had planned to leave around 8am, it was now close to 11am as we got on the road. Thankfully, we encountered no traffic and made it to the Bashakill area sometime around noon. The put-in spots weren't very well marked. I had just been over this way a few weeks earlier when traveling to the Shawanagunks and didn't even realize that the wildlife area was here. It's kind of hidden in plain sight, thus I think it gets overlooked quite often. My plan was to put-in at the south end of the refuge and paddle upstream to the north. Instead, I nearly missed the road at the northern end as well.

There was fairly large parking area a few hundred feet away from the put-in spot, a gravel and mud embankment off the side of a bridge. Some colorful locals were there fishing and a few of them had parked at the launch spot, thus not leaving a lot of room. After unloading and moving the car to the lot, we shoved off. Rachel had only been kayaking a few times before and didn't want to do something dangerous, but at the same time she had grown bored with the Upper Delaware. So had I, so this worked out well.

Initially, we encountered some expected litter. A plastic bottle here and a bait container there, not to mention the expected lost bobbers and some tangled fishing line, but after we paddled around the first bend it became fairly pristine and after only a hundred yards we spotted a Painted Turtle taking in some late summer rays. It was a nice day. The summer had been exceptionally cool and rainy and a sunny day with highs in the low 70s was a very welcome change.

A trip here a few weeks earlier would have had us paddling the channel during the height of Pickerelweed season. Most of the blue/purple stalks had started to wilt by the time we got there, but nonetheless they were still fairly full and gave harbor to several Great Blue Herons. We saw several throughout the day.

We zig-zagged back and forth through the wetland for about two hours, stopping frequently to gaze upon more herons, turtles, lilies, and other plants that are found in abundance along the Bashakill. It was by no means a challenging river, but I don't think that's why people come to this place. We passed only two other boats the whole day, both on the way downstream. We could hear a few people making some noise at one of the launches near the southern end of this section, but we didn't paddle down that channel to explore who was there or what we might find. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, so we figured why should we spoil it? Granted it was a weekday and most of the schools had already started back, but I have the feeling that this place doesn't see much traffic to begin with.

NY-17 (The Quickway) skirts the north end of the preserve near Wurtsboro and US-209 runs parallel to the river to the west. My guess is most people on The Quickway are too busy wondering what in the hell they are doing on it in the first place and aren't thinking about the wetland in the valley below them. Sullivan County is a relatively forgotten place. It's Drive-By country nowadays. Much of the once majestic Catskill resorts are closed or have been turned into summer camps run by people who either don't have the fiscal means for the upkeep or simply lack the skills to properly use power tools. It doesn't surpise me that many people don't visit the preserve. I too myself am guilty of driving right by the place on more than one occasion, this morning included.


Due to the canine related morning mishaps and the amount of time we lollygagged on the Bashakill, there was no time left that day to head south to the Walkill. That will remain an exploration for another day and I'll undoubtedly return to the Bashakill as well.


For more information visit: http://www.thebashakill.org