Paddling the Passaic

Last night we were out paddling again on the Passaic River. It was really still high from the rain but it gave the boys good experience with paddling against the current and finding eddies where there was less current. Brother Rick Rodriguez assisted Eric and I in supervising the boys in the higher current. We reviewed all of our safety protocols and headed out

 We paddled as far as we could upstream from the Elmwood Park launch toward the Route 4 bridge. The closer we got the stronger the current got. Finally about 100 yards from the bridge we turned around and went downstream. I would guess the current was at least 2 mph which meant we were going about 1 mph upstream and about 5 mph downstream. Everybody liked downstream better.  From the pictures you can see how high the water is. We celebrated the beauty of God's creation and the blessing of water to paddle, drink and bring life to our world.

Instructor Eric White

 We paddled downstream toward the Market Street Bridge and turned around before it while behind Lowes.  The current under the bridges got very vast since the river is the narrowest there. We pulled together into a float for a few minutes to talk and review safety procedures while we were tucked away in on of the eddies along shore. However soon the current caught us and downstream we went.

all together in a "float"

 We paddled for a shorter length of time and the boys practiced working together getting the kayaks cleaned and loaded in an efficient manner. Since they did so well we all went out for ice cream at Guernsey Crest Ice Cream. Yum Yum.

River of God School of Paddling

Last night we were out for the second time with our River of God School of Paddling. It was a beautiful night on the Passaic River. Due to all of the rain the river was up but our boys did a terrific job even paddling back upstream.

 We paddled downstream from the Elmwood Park launch to the Dundee Dam. On the way we met Rick Rodriguez and a friend who were out paddling. We met Rick last year on the river and have gotten to know each other well this past year.

 We paddled under the Route 80, Route 46 and Garden State Parkway Bridges. We saw two snowy egrets as well as some type of a hawk. There were also lots of ducks and geese around and an occasional turtle sunning itself on a log.

 A beautiful night on the river.