Kayaking on the Delaware River

Katie's Delaware River Kayak Trip
June 25th, 2006

I spent Sunday afternoon kayaking on the Delaware River with my father. Because I had been away at the University of Pittsburgh it was the first time we had paddled together in over five years. We paddled our normal short trip from Dingman's Ferry to Bushkill. In the past we used to paddle by canoe from Dingman's Ferry to the Bushkill access. It's a short trip but we used to extend the trip by fishing, cooking lunch, and exploring the area throughout the day. But this past trip was different than the normal trip we were used to. This time we elected to paddle our new recreational kayaks. This trip was different because we were not fishing, we had no lunch planned, the weather forecast called for rain and we were in a race to get on and off the river as quickly as possible - we were desperate to try out our kayaks.

This particular day the weather was very muggy, the skies were cloudy, and we seemed to have the river to ourselves because there were no other boaters in sight. Normally when we launch from the Dingman's Ferry boat access we would have to fight traffic and other boaters at the ramp. This day there were only several automobiles in the parking lot, and they were all pulling trailers. I knew we were the only kayakers on the river. I have launched on multi day canoe trips in the rain and had feeling of had a feeling doom and misery. But this time I was upbeat and excited about paddling in the rain because I knew we would be getting off the river in a few hours.

We parked the car and began our short journey to Bushkill. With the Dingman's bridge still in sight the rain started to fall. It started as a light sprinkle and lasted about thirty minutes until breaking into a major rainfall that I didn't mind at all. We paddled in the heavy rain for about ten or fifteen minutes. Our pace was only average speed, and to my surprise we passes by a paddler who was enjoying the rainfall as much as we were. He was anchored near the shore and casting his fishing rod with no worry of the rain.

We paddled a few minutes beyond the fisherman before deciding to pick up the pace - the storm was having its impact on our morale. Then we heard the distant rumble of thunder. Several minutes later the thunder grew closer and we decided to pull off the river and wait out the storm. I knew it would be a long wait but I didn't want to take my chances with lightning. We hung out near an old stone building foundation high up on the river bank for about thirty minutes.The rain did not ease at all but we heard no thunder since we got off the river so we decided to head down river again.

Upon walking over to the bank I had an unwanted surprise. My kayak was missing and nowhere in sight on the river. I walked the river shore for sometime while my father paddled ahead scouting for the kayak. It wasn't long before he spotted the kayak along the river shore - on the opposite side of the river. After recovering my kayak we continued to our destination Bushkill access. When we arrived at the ramp the rain was heavier than I could ever remember seeing. We arrived in time because I was bedraggled and tired. We loaded the kayaks and headed home. It was still raining when we arrived at the house.

Paddling with my father has always been a favorite activity for me because something memorable always seems to happen This trip will be the same. Three days after our trip we had major flooding that affected communities along the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers.

Despite the rain I can't wait for our next trip.