If last year was any indication, this will be my last kayaking trip of the season before the water get too cold. The long awaited Fall Folliage trip up the Hudson strip come at last. This year we are doing thing a bit differencely. We are not taking the trailer up so all the boat would have to be cartop. I get to the club at 8AM on the dot, meeting 4 other people there. Stevie, Tony, Michael and Tom are already there loading up the boat.
We get everything loaded up and left at 8:45AM. Tony give Michael a left up to the lauch site at Atlantic Kayak in the Peekskill, across from Bear Mountain. Tony have his own route up there that I am not familiar with so I did not follow him. Me, Pete and Stevie left a couple of minutes after Tony did. We went straight up Flatbush to Brooklyn Bridge. I never understand why Pete always insist on cutting through the local street, through all the stoplights and double parked cars when we could have just went on the highway. Needless to say we were the last to arrive, by at least 30 minutes if not more.
We unload and change at AKT. Atlantic is tour and kayaking training outfit that we have extend and good relationship with. We were in the water by 11:30. I was a bit uncertain when I side down the lauch slot at the dock. I have not be in my kayak for almost a month.
Contrary to weather report there was not gale force wind. It is too bad that the false report lead to so may cancelation. Tony, who organized the trip expected at least 20 people to come but all toget only 7 people actually show up. Beside the 5 of us that come up from Sebago, there is Josh - a new member I have not meet till today, and Hally(don't know if that her actual name)-nice lady. We paddled down river along the cost till the red buoy, cross that and went along the coast to the foot of Bear Mountain Bridge. On the other side is a railroad bridge. We went under it and come across to a quiet brook. We paddled up the brook, under a suspended foot bridge and further upriver under another highway bridge till we get to a loud, raging rapid. Further up pass that rapid is the water fall that we come all the way down the rive to see. It was an impressive site but we can't get close enough to see it. The running water and no landing site force us to go back down river to find landable site for lunch. We Come back to the footbridge anchorage to find a place to beach. The only place was not ideal but just barely doable. I cringe when I though of the dange that the rocks could do to my delicated boat(problem with have a pretty fiberglass boat).
We landed, and sit down for lunch next to the bridge ramp when Tony come up and make us repack our lunch. We were made to walk up a steep hill bath(with water running down on part of it) to a hold fort, Frt Mongomery and Frt Clinton. There was not much of a fort. We walk up to the present day wooden platform with on big cannon and two smaller cannon. It do not do the site justice. From the randering, the fort was much more impressive then the historic recontraction show. We have lunch there, most of the crop sitting on the rock next the the platform. I used the platform itself as my table, take off my water boots and drain out the water. I am glad that I brough hot tea. It was cold after the heat of paddle wear off.
After lunch we paddle back, retracing our routes. I did lead us into a couple of turn off just to see where it would goes. Nothing interesting. We get back to AKT by 3:30PM. We change and load up our boats. Tony make reservation for dinner at a local dinner at 5:45PM so we have time to waste. AKT also run a store so we were were 7 adults in a candy store. I manage to just get two essential items, a paddled keeper and a sponge - $40.05. The dinner was just around the traffic circle. I get there without and mishap - I hate traffic circle.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Thursday, October 27, 2005
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