Delaware Water Gap Over Night - 07-23-2013

Introduction

I've been wanting to do an overnight kayaking trip for quite some time.  I started gathering the basic supplies at the end of 2012.  The basic items are tent, camp tools (shovel, axe, saw), dry sack/compression bags, compact first aid kit, fire starter, water proof matches, section of rope, and waterproof camp lights.  This year, I added few more items such sleeping pads, water  filtration, water pump for kayak, and compressible pillows.  I thought that the sleeping pads would be smaller and eliminate the need to take bulky sleeping bags during the summer.  Fortunately, I didn't try to go without sleeping bags as it hit 50 degrees over night.  Of course, you need a boat big enough to carry this much gear plus food.

Our 2 day route

Day 1

My youngest daughter Justine and I were ready to go in the morning.  Van was already loaded up with the supplies so both kayak's were loaded onto the roof and we hit the road.  It took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get up to Dingman's Ferry toward the northern tip of the Gap.  We'd originally intended to put in at Caddoo access which is a free access point in NJ directly across from Milford, PA.  However, since we'd gotten off to bit of late start, we put in at Dingman's Ferry.  The access point in right next to the toll bridge.  It costs $7 to put the boats into the river.  Interestingly there was a group from the Flemington Parks putting in at exactly the same time.

Saving the ~8 miles made a nice difference in the travel time.  We did a mix of hard paddling, nature watching, and light paddles.  We were moving nicely with the river.  On the first part of the trip, we were lucky enough to see a Bald Eagle overhead.  Definitely one of the highlights of the trip besides camping with Justine.  Unfortunately I was not quick enough to capture a photo.  

Looking down the Delaware

We also so a couple of hawks and blue heron.  I think we traveled about 12 miles before we stopped for the night.  There were several mini rapids.  The most noteworthy was on the hard turn of the river after Buck Bar (Google Maps).  Going through this section I hit a couple of waves and got to enjoy a refreshing splash.  It was warm so it cooled me off a bit.  My boat was so loaded down with camping equipment that I running a bit low in the water.  Justine's kayak only had 1 small storage compartment so I ended up carrying most of the gear.  

View of Delaware from our camp site

We ended up staying around the first bend in the river which is listed as being Peters, NJ on the National Park Service Map (http://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/upload/River2012COLOR.pdf).  It was very nice site about 20 feet above the river.  The site was very large and the previous people had left quite a bit of wood gathered from the forest.  These sites are listed on the map as having a toilet.  This was appealing to me since I was traveling with my daughter.

Our camp setup

 The sign pointed into the woods and I looked everywhere for it.  On returning to the site, I stumbled on the toilet off to the right of the site.  Basically a plastic john with cover without any walls, however, better than the alternative.  

 Justine amused herself down by the river while I made the fire and made camp.  We roasted marsh mellows and had a light meal.   I didn't worry about cooking hot food for our first over night trip.  Many people told me this is 1/2 the fun, but I didn't want to start to complex.  We used an inexpensive Coleman Hooligan 2 tent which was great.  Overall, we sleep well.....

Day 2

Day 2 started early with birds around 6 am.  Justine stayed asleep until just after 8.  I was in no hurry to get up as it was in the low 50's.  I figured that I'd let the sun come up a bit although it was over cast in the morning.  I heard numerous boaters go by and this continued to about 10 am while I broke camp.  Justine and I had the boats loaded and pushed off just at noon.  I told Justine that we should be embarrassed that we could drive almost 2 hours and start earlier than when we are 75 ft from the river.  It didn't really matter as we didn't have a set agenda and this was just having relaxing fun.

Justine coasting

There were a series of small rapids as we when through the long S curve, but nothing really much.  This whole section of the Delaware is really very easy at least at these water levels.  I think we were in the "Average" flows.  

Justine in fast moving water

Justine and I took it easy the second day.  We saw another huge hawk and several heron.  We called for our ride and continue to move down the river.  We exited at Smithfield Beach.  This is another PA access that charges.  We paid $7.

One of the hawks

Overall, the 2 days were very fun and educational for us.  We'd never taken a overnight trip where we had to basically bring all of our supplies.  We learned a lot about this type of camping as well as having a nice paddle.  My key learnings:

1. Don't over pack food.  We had way too much.
2. Sunscreen or gloves for tops of your hands.
3. Kayak cockpit cover would be nice as 1st day took on a bit of water through rapids and also t protect legs from sun.
4. Sleeping Bags > recommend a hiking sleeping bag.  We used car camping bags which were heavy and took up a lot of room in my boat.
5. Try to be efficient in what you pack.  Extra weight makes the boat deeper in the water and slower.
6. Don't rely on mobile coverage.  Take either old GPS or use maps program with downloadable maps.

I'm up for it again and hope Justine is as well.

Scott