2009-10-21 Passaic River Solo from Essex Co. Environmental Center

A lonely, solo kayak ready for the Passaic River

When we purchased the kayaks back in April 2009 we decided we would paddle this year in lieu of a vacation.  Our plan was to try to take advantage of nice days and kayak.  Being a long-time public servant I have lots of vacation built up and am forced to take some at the end of the year.  I saw that this Wednesday and Thursday were going to be unseasonable warm and nice so I decided to take the days off and kayak.  This was to be my first solo paddle as you can tell by seeing only one kayak loaded up on Kathy’s car.

Heron reflecting in the autumn colors

I was hoping the autumn colors would be out in force, but unfortunately, the full colors were still a week or two away with many trees on the river colors green to light green.  There was the occasional speckle of red, yellow and orange but green was the rule of the day.  In any case the weather was perfect, in the upper 60s with no wind, no chill and no threat of rain.  It was more overcast than I expected but there were time the sun peaked through the clouds and for an hour or two in the middle of the day the clouds disappeared providing bright sunlight.  It was so nice that in late October I was still very comfortable in a bathing suit, sandals and a cooling shirt.

If you refer to the timeline below, I started paddling at 11:25 and I got out at 3:45.  That is just over four hours without getting out of the cock pit.  My bottom was a bit sore at the end of the trip and my bladder needed a relief by the end of the trip, but the entire thing was comfortable and relaxing.

View Larger Map

Click here to view the photos I took in a Picasa Google Web Album.

I got to the parking lot of the Essex County Environmental Center at 11:00 and it was pretty crowded.  There was apparently a meeting going on in the old building by the launch ramp.  I walked in the front door looking to use a bathroom and the entire meeting looked back at me and I wasn’t a pretty sight in by kayaking garb and all.  It felt like a scene in a movie where someone opens the door at the back of a church trying to stop a wedding at the last moment.  I found my way to the bathroom using the side entrance and off I went.  May I add that it was a beautifully remodeled bathroom for an old building.

I was psyched to launch into the trip.  I got unloaded and ready by the riverside.  I got all the electronics stowed away in waterproof bags, I got the bilge pump out and had my snake shaped sponge ready to go.  You never know how elegantly you are going to enter the water. Especially when trying to launch without stepping into the water or mud.  The step in and scoot method.

The riverside looked good for the step in a scoot method .  The shore was relatively un-muddy with some pebbles to drain the water. The angle of approach and slipperiness of the pebbly mud looked good for the step in and scoot method.  I stepped in and didn’t need to scoot because the weight of my body pushed the kayak down the bank sharply into the river.   The nose went under and I began to list to the left badly.  I almost flipped the kayak but managed to stave off total humiliation and got into the river.  I did manage to take on a good inch of water or two during the listing so I spent the first 10 minutes of the trip pumping and sponging the water out of the boat.  Not a big deal and all the valuables were unharmed but it once again teaches me to respect the perilous nature of being in a kayak.  Needless to say, I was happy I had the pump and sponge at the ready.

You can see the Rt 280 bridge in the back

Paddling upstream toward the Eagle Rock Ave. bridge.

After the pain in the a$$ launch, I headed downstream.  I went under the Eagle Rock Ave. bridge and headed toward 280.  I got there in about 20 minutes so it was close.  While there was no current to think about.  I was paranoid about going past Rt 280 and encountering a current I wouldn’t be able to paddle upstream on.  This was as far downstream as I would go.  I then turned and headed southbound.  First I went back under the Eagle Rock Ave. bridge, past the environmental center, past the abandoned railroad bridge and finally, toward and past the Rt 10 / Mt. Pleasant bridge combo.

Chasing a blue heron under the abandoned railroad bridge.

Approaching the Rt 10 bridge.

Debris in the river

Going upstream this entire length was quite easy and battling a current wasn’t an issue.  In addition, while the water was shallow, navigating it until the ultimate blockage was very accessible.  While there were down trees all over the place, none of them, until the turn around, were substantial enough to block the river.  It’s one of the things that makes the Passaic an enjoyable paddle, the natural debris that you encounter.  The only bummer is the unnatural debris that the downed branches gather.  I thought there was less litter, primarily water bottles, this trip than I have witnessed on previous paddles down the Passaic.

I saw some good wildlife on the trip.  This included and extended photo session with two blue herons that leaped-frogged just in front of me for a while on the upstream leg.  I was able to get several pictures.  I would once again find these two herons on the rebound and get some good pictures of them on the way back.

I also saw a deer quietly observing me on the Essex County bank on the way back.  He didn’t prance off for a while so I was able to get some shots of this deer up close.  I then noticed 4 deer jumping on the Morris side of the river an few moments later, but my camera was set right and I wasn’t able to get any pictures of those deer.

On my was back I did see a turtle basking in the sunlight on branch hanging just above the river.  The turtle was calm enough to never jump off the log and let me get some good close-ups.  He was the size of an upside down salad bowl.  I also saw at the turn-around site a migration of black birds darting through the trees and across the river that went on for at least 20 minutes and included what must have been hundreds if not thousands of birds.

I was observing these birds during the turn-around, lunch break.  At about 1:40 I arrived a a downed tree in the river that would haven required portaging to navigate around.  Being that my rump was getting sore, I decided this was a good point to stop, turn around, observe the migrating birds in the trees and eat my sandwich.   This downed tree in the river spanned the entire river and it looked like it had been there for a while and will probably be there for a while.  This makes a South Orange Ave. to Eagle Rock Ave. paddle without portaging impossible.  Too bad, but at least I now know something new about navigating the Passaic River.   For the record, the blockage was just about 1/10th of a mile south of a the Cedar Ridge County Club golf course that is on the river on the Essex County side.

Cedar Ridge County Club

I ate a sandwich at this turn around that I purchased at Sorrento Bakery/Deli located in East Hanover on Eagle Rock Ave.  It is very close to the environmental center and convenient for a kayak trip.  A good thing to know.  It’s a real Italian bakery, much like Calandras and it also sport a deli.  I got a roast beef sandwich and a croissant and  the bill was only $5.00 after tax.  This really was a great bargain and both items were very good and fresh.  I would recommend going there again even if it wasn’t for a kayak trip.

That way downstream on the way home was a paddle the whole way.  Don’t let the term downstream fool you into thinking there is any current.  I was a battle between wanting to stay out, take pictures and enjoy the time o the river and my bladder.  For the most part, my bladder lost the battle and was forced to suffer.  We slowly paddled our way back home, taking time to photograph was was interesting.  The sun was behind me on the way home and gave me better coloration in the trees than we had on the way up stream.

I found a blue heron hanging out on the riverside right as we approached the environmental center and took my last shots of the excursion.  After that I stowed the Nikon D200 away and prepared for my landing.  I decided to video the landing but it was uneventful.  I rammed the shoreline, stepped out of the boat, only getting one foot wet and I was done.  I quickly loaded the car and went home.  This was my first solo paddle and I survived it.  Another one to report on for the Blog-o-sphere.

The timeline, based on phots taken goes like this:

• 10:45 – Car is loaded in driveway
• 11:24 – At bank of river with kayak unloaded.
• 11:26 – I email Kathy “I’m on Passaic about to go toward 280 then I’ll turn around and go toward rt 10. Bonn voyage”
• 11:41 – In the water, heading toward Rt. 280 taking pictures
• 11:48 – I see the Rt 289 bridge
• 11:54 – North of Rt 280 bridge
• 12:05 – Turned around and going back under Eagle Rock Ave. bridge.
• 12:13 – I email Kathy that I’m back at the Environmental Center
• 12:23 – I start following and photographing a blue heron as he evades me going up the river.
• 12:27 – I see the abandoned railroad bridge.
• 12:51 – The heron finally pulls a U-turn on me as we say “See you on the rebound”
• 1:23 – I email Kathy that I just past Rt. 10
• 1:55 – I begin the downriver leg after the turn around just past the golf course on the Essex County side.
• 2:10 – I go under Mt. Pleasant/Rt. 10 bridge Combo
• 2:18 – I start taking picture of heron on the branches
• 2:28 – I spot deer on Essex County bank.
• 

  Home at last.

  2:29 – I email Kathy that I am 30 minutes past Rt. 10 on the way home.

• 2:49 – I photograph a turtle on a log.
• 3:20 – I photograph a flying heron
• 3:30 – I pass under the abandoned railroad bridge.
• 3:34 – I begin photographing a heron close on the Essex County bank.
• 3:36 – I see the Environmental Center
• 3:37 – I email Kathy that I will be disembarking.
• 3:45 – I’m on the shore and out of the boat.