Cold reception on the Toms

Here I am, bobbing along the Toms River after falling off an overhanging tree.






















Put-in: Winding River Park
Take-out: East side of the Garden State Parkway at a business park off of Rt. 166. Temp: Near 60 / Trip time: 2 hours / 4.75'' at 500+cfs

OK, SO I FELL IN. Midway through our trip on the Toms River, I decided to climb onto a tree that hung over the river, and ham it up for a photo. As I walked up the tree my boat began to float away. I told Baker not to sweat it; he could grab it after the photo. He took the shot, but was unable to paddle back upstream with my boat. He decided to head back with some sort of plan of me sitting on his lap.

Snap! The branch I was holding on to gave way, and I went in feet first (after a fancy little spin, I'm told). It was freezing! Took the breath right out of me. I swam about 20 yards downstream – with Baker snapping pics along the way – got back into my boat, and finished the trip soaked. Thank God it was so warm outside. Lost: 1 black Adidas ball cap.

Lots of maple to see here with a mix of pine and cedar. Unfortunately, lots of trash too. Second dirtiest river I've ever paddled (Browns Mills section of the Rancocas Creek earns an easy first). Lots of plastic bottles at strainers. Even counted a few propane tanks along the way. River has been groomed at most spots, with only 1 or 2 fresh deadfalls on this trip. (Gotta start packing a saw!) Approaching the Parkway, the scenery is more industrial with buildings, bridges and powerlines ushering you into the downtown area as the Toms turns tidal.

Otherwise, it was a perfect trip. Water was deeper than the length of my paddle at a few check points, and pushing really good.

Baker negotiates a web of branches along the lower Toms.

FOAM! Ridiculous day on the Oswego

Chris paddles through the foam at the put-in, just after the spillway.

It was a record high day on the Oswego (4.58' @ 404 cfs). Me and Chris were welcomed with rumbling foam from the spillway at the put-in -- I was plain giddy. It's been awhile since we've had a down river trip here. Last day of shotgun season today, but we didn't see any hunters along the river (that extended far into the woodline). Spooked up about a dozen ducks (either black ducks or mallards). Temps were in the 30s, but we passed on spray skirts. Even with gloves our fingertips were numb at the end, though. We took a few long breaks, so the trip took about 3 1/2 hours. We could have done it under 2 if we wanted.

 

Chris heading downriver on a bed of foam.

Heading home down Red Road with AC~DC.

Upper Oswego (new discoveries)

Me and Chris Sunday, Nov. 9 at a newly discovered bridge to the Upper Oswego. We took the canal it crossed over (to the left) to the Upstream.





Chris unloads my boat Sunday, Nov. 9, while I lazily squat and take photos.

 

Trip: Secret Landing (sssh...) upward through Upstream Oswego

Conditions: In the 60s; sunny, no wind, beautiful

Gauge reading (downstream): 2.89 at 50 cfs

Time: About a few hours (hiccup!)

Man, talk about a fresh approach to a tired trip.

We've been tripping this baby for years; an old standby. But today was different. We found new routes; chutes parallel to the Upper -- maybe for cranberry harvesting -- that made for good, deep paddling. Grasses were high, perhaps from a relatively dry season, so paths were tight and narrow but passable.

Flora: A few ripe cranberries and some green, water-filled pitchers on the sod banks.

The Old Cranberry Bog was washed over by about 6 inches in the middle. (We've walked across it at times.) We headed left after the Old Bog and headed upstream for about 15-20 mins. until we hit a dead end. Water was clear, with deep, clear spots throughout. Some fresh saw trimmings on dead cedar indicated, perhaps, canoe club folks had somewhat recently groomed the stream.

Abby paddles the Oswego

Abby treading water Aug. 8, 2008 at the first beach upstream Oswego.





Me and Abby mug it up at the first beach upstream Oswego -- we had the place to ourselves today.

 

Abby paddles in the sandy shallows just before the mouth of the Oswego -- that's my girl!

Trip: Harrisville Lake upstream Oswego

What a great day. Loaded my blue single into the truck, packed some snacks and a beach chair, and then me and Abby were off to Harrisville. Not too many people at the beach (it was a Friday). Just the usual suspects: crazy eccentrics, pineys and bikers.

We launched into the lake with Abby in front of me in the cockpit. Lots of tree swallows dipping into the lake. Once we got to the mouth of the river we hit some shallow spots, so Abby had the chance to paddle a little by herself as I pushed her along to deeper water -- she's a natural. We spotted a black snake -- maybe a northern black racer or black rat snake -- on a small branch on the riverbank. I spooked it and it slithered into the river before I could get a good ID.

We stopped at the first beach (with the rope swing). Abby had a blast swimming! The water was crystal clear and we had the beach to ourselves. We paddled back to Harrisville and had a "picnic" in the back of my truck. Took Red Road home, passed no other cars. Cranberry farmers are reworking the bogs flanking the dike.

Firsts on the Fourth

Carolyn makes her way down the Oswego, toward Harrisville. It was her first solo trip.

Me and Abby on the lower Oswego July 4, 2008. It was Abby's first day out on the kayak.

A few firsts on this holiday: First time Carolyn paddled solo, first time Abby was out on the water and first time I caught a lady pooping in the woods (sorry, no photo). 

We put in at Harrisville and made our way across the lake toward the mouth of the Oswego. The first beach on the river was a mob scene. Our destination, Baker's Beach, was slightly less polluted with bennies. Both beaches can be accessed by dirt road. (I guess the secret's out.)

It was at Baker's Beach that, to my horror, I was greeted at the top of the hill by a full moon in broad daylight. It's not the first naked person I've come across in the wild. Although, before this, all of my run-ins have been with skinny dippers. At first my theory was that all of these naked folks just didn't realize that other people may be sharing the same remote trail/river. But lately my feeling is they just don't give a damn; they're just enjoying that sense of lawlessness that comes along with being in the Pines (or at Burning Man). Although I should note, word on the river is that rangers regularly patrol the beaches and are handing out fines in the range of $250 for drinking alcoholic beverages. (Fines are doubled if it's Budweiser.)

At Baker's Beach, Abby had fun playing in the water, while Carolyn kept herself occupied by swatting pine flies. We were semi-entertained by a drunken group of paddlers who made a few successful runs down Baker's Bluff.

We spotted a great blue heron, multiple turtles and many bennies. We missed pitcher plants in bloom (late May to mid-June). At the end of the day, Abby was beat and passed out in her car seat on the way home down Red Road (where we did not pass a single car in that 9-mile stretch).

A benny makes a run down Baker's Bluff.

Oswego (downstream)

Big ham passing through Martha Pond Jan. 12, 2008.

Trip: Oswego downstream to Harrisville (me and Chris)
Put-in: 10:10 a.m. / Take-out: 12:20 p.m. / 3.07' / 84 cfs /Outside temp: 40s 

After this summer's drought, this was a welcome winter trip. Little slow, little low, but overall a great day on the Oswego (really, I didn't mean for that to rhyme).

Sightings: Several beaver houses, white-tailed deer (1) and the usual riverside growth of cedar, pine, inkberry, cranberry, sheep's laurel, sphagnum moss, pitcher plants (withered).

Passing through Martha Pond was slow going, longer than I had remembered. See here for more about Martha Furnace http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nj/martha.html