On May 11, 2025, after a week of heavy rain, which filled up the Patterson Great Swamp basin, legends tell the earnest story of "The Old Man and the Kee."
Nestled in the Harlem Valley and covering over 6,000 acres in New York’s eastern Putnam and Dutchess Counties is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the state, the Great Swamp Watershed. It's sort of centralized around Patterson, NY, and is often called the Patterson Great Swamp. It comprises two rivers, which flow into different watersheds. Go south from Patterson and the water flows south as the East Branch of the Croton River. Go north a ways from Patterson and the water suddenly will begin flowing north as the Swamp River, emptying into the Ten Mile River, which empties into the Housatonic River.
Much info about the swamp is provided by the organization that conserves it: the Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS). Here is their website:
Here is a topo map of the Great Swamp posted by @Hanz in a 2013 thread reporting on his trip through the swamp:
The best run is to put in at Patterson, NY (the "H" on the topo), and run completely downstream to Green Chimneys School (the "I"). The school allows the public to use their parking, picnic and put-in facilities on the weekends when classes aren't in session. However, that downstream run requires a shuttle, which I didn't have. So, I put in at Green Chimneys, paddled upstream a few miles and then paddled back.
Here is the old man's Kee at the Green Chimneys put-in. You can tell the water is high because there is a footpath to that arched bridge over the river channel, which is supposed to be on dry land but is now submerged. I brought three paddles along, my 48.5" ZRE bent, my 57" ZRE straight, and my 48" Camp foam blade paddle, about which @MyKneesHurt inquired in a recent thread.
Paddling through the swamped forest to the right of the bridge, one can stay among the flooded trees or go over to the main river channel.
Getting bored with the channel, and to take advantage of the slalom potential of the drowned forest, I moved into a more treed and vegetated area.
After blundering around, semi-lost in the vegetation, I had to blast through reeds and grasses to reach a huge stretch of open water. This picture also shows my new orange day bag and green sponge, thrown into the bow because I had been paddling into headwinds.
In the relatively open water area I saw a beaver lodge.
And a swan fishing.
Then, what's that structure over my shoulder?
It's some sort of a hunting shack or duck blind. (Hunter's, of which I am not, please chime in.) So, I decided to approach it and take a look.
Here it is from another angle as I passed it.
Paddling on, what do I see in the distance, beyond the bending trunks and grassy reeds?
Another hunting Taj Mahal. These must still be in use since they are camouflaged with grasses and have locks on them.
After the large open water area, the swamp got very channelized and twisty with many downed trees and submerged logs, but I didn't take any pictures of that section. After getting checkmated by a sweeper tree and not wanting to get out of the canoe, I turned back after a few hours. Going downstream was much faster. I reached the drowned forest and channelized section south of the open water, the paddling pleasure of which triggered soft cushions of mental endorphins in my dreamy lizard brain.
Amidst a hailstorm of winged maple seeds helicoptering through the air and onto the water, I approached the flooded footbridge at Green Chimneys.
And, here, the Old Man and the Kee are back at Green Chimneys, looking toward the picnic area, beyond which is the school parking lot. All the kayaks and canoes belong to the school
A closer look.
Meanwhile, the Old Man and the See looks back upstream, planning to run the north-flowing Swamp River, which he never has, while the water is still high the next day on May 12.
However, he has forgotten that May 12 is a 36th anniversary of sorts, which is a wholly different story, so accessing the Swamp River from Wingdale, NY, must await the man . . . if not time and tide.
Nestled in the Harlem Valley and covering over 6,000 acres in New York’s eastern Putnam and Dutchess Counties is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the state, the Great Swamp Watershed. It's sort of centralized around Patterson, NY, and is often called the Patterson Great Swamp. It comprises two rivers, which flow into different watersheds. Go south from Patterson and the water flows south as the East Branch of the Croton River. Go north a ways from Patterson and the water suddenly will begin flowing north as the Swamp River, emptying into the Ten Mile River, which empties into the Housatonic River.
Much info about the swamp is provided by the organization that conserves it: the Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS). Here is their website:
Here is a topo map of the Great Swamp posted by @Hanz in a 2013 thread reporting on his trip through the swamp:
The best run is to put in at Patterson, NY (the "H" on the topo), and run completely downstream to Green Chimneys School (the "I"). The school allows the public to use their parking, picnic and put-in facilities on the weekends when classes aren't in session. However, that downstream run requires a shuttle, which I didn't have. So, I put in at Green Chimneys, paddled upstream a few miles and then paddled back.
Here is the old man's Kee at the Green Chimneys put-in. You can tell the water is high because there is a footpath to that arched bridge over the river channel, which is supposed to be on dry land but is now submerged. I brought three paddles along, my 48.5" ZRE bent, my 57" ZRE straight, and my 48" Camp foam blade paddle, about which @MyKneesHurt inquired in a recent thread.
Paddling through the swamped forest to the right of the bridge, one can stay among the flooded trees or go over to the main river channel.
Getting bored with the channel, and to take advantage of the slalom potential of the drowned forest, I moved into a more treed and vegetated area.
After blundering around, semi-lost in the vegetation, I had to blast through reeds and grasses to reach a huge stretch of open water. This picture also shows my new orange day bag and green sponge, thrown into the bow because I had been paddling into headwinds.
In the relatively open water area I saw a beaver lodge.
And a swan fishing.
Then, what's that structure over my shoulder?
It's some sort of a hunting shack or duck blind. (Hunter's, of which I am not, please chime in.) So, I decided to approach it and take a look.
Here it is from another angle as I passed it.
Paddling on, what do I see in the distance, beyond the bending trunks and grassy reeds?
Another hunting Taj Mahal. These must still be in use since they are camouflaged with grasses and have locks on them.
After the large open water area, the swamp got very channelized and twisty with many downed trees and submerged logs, but I didn't take any pictures of that section. After getting checkmated by a sweeper tree and not wanting to get out of the canoe, I turned back after a few hours. Going downstream was much faster. I reached the drowned forest and channelized section south of the open water, the paddling pleasure of which triggered soft cushions of mental endorphins in my dreamy lizard brain.
Amidst a hailstorm of winged maple seeds helicoptering through the air and onto the water, I approached the flooded footbridge at Green Chimneys.
And, here, the Old Man and the Kee are back at Green Chimneys, looking toward the picnic area, beyond which is the school parking lot. All the kayaks and canoes belong to the school
A closer look.
Meanwhile, the Old Man and the See looks back upstream, planning to run the north-flowing Swamp River, which he never has, while the water is still high the next day on May 12.
However, he has forgotten that May 12 is a 36th anniversary of sorts, which is a wholly different story, so accessing the Swamp River from Wingdale, NY, must await the man . . . if not time and tide.
