Passaic River, Florham Park to Summit - 5/30/11

After working on the yard and doing the family thing this weekend, I wanted to paddle for Memorial Day.   It was raining this morning but I knew it would pass soon so I set out to hit the river at 9:00.  I got to the launch area on Columbia Turnpike in Florham Park and it was a nice easy launch.  It was a bit muddy but it was easy access and soon I was on my way.  I headed upstream and all of a sudden found myself in, what appeared to be, a lake.  


That wasn't too bad except for the fact that it was really shallow and I couldn't find the channel to the river.  Everywhere I went I just ran aground and had to push myself to get going.  I had my GPS with me and it was hard to navigate by GPS AND paddle.  I eventually found my way into a narrow channel and slowly paddled my way between high weeds until I came to the river again.  I turned right and headed back upstream. By now it was much easier going to find the channel.


I certainly did see my share of wildlife.  It started with me following a snake that was swimming in the river.  I saw a bunch of ducks, including several flocks of ducklings that would almost skitter on top of the water as I approached.  I also saw a lot of deer.  Many ran away as soon as they saw me coming but a few stood long enough for me to take a picture or two.  At one point, I heard a turkey gobbling.  When I got to the area that I heard him I tried to call him just using my voice.  It worked once but not any more after that.  On the way back downstream, I saw an animal that resembles an otter.  Not quiet sure what it was.  


I did see some interesting "stuff" while I was paddling.  At one point in the trip I saw an old, I don't know, "house".  It was in the middle of no-where and I am not sure what kind of building it was. I also saw, a company that seemed to have a gas powered pump with a hose into the river. I am tempted to call the DEP to see if it's ok that this company does this.  Here are some pictures that I took while I was out there.

Passaic River - 5/30/11

So that is how I spent my Memorial Day.  It was a lot of fun.  All in all I went 11.6 miles.  I went from Florham Park almost to Route 24 in Summit.  I stopped just short.  Here is the map for the route I took:



View Florham Park to Summit - 5/30/11 in a larger map