Great Swamp NY Spring paddle

[coldfeet]

Always have a back up plan and a different boat for that plan. That's what I told my wife. Hmmm, Plan A, B, C,...

Plan A was to kayak on the Long Island Sound on the CT side to the Norwalk islands and camp out. NOT! Waves predicted 5-6 ft and wind gusts up to 25mph. Small craft advisory. Switch to plan B, canoe day trip! Whoo hoo!

I took my friend up to Patterson NY to paddle the Great Swamp. We drove 2 cars and had to spot them at the put in and take out, app 7-9 miles apart. There are some notices up about having to get a permit for non residents from the local town clerk, didn't spot those until we finished the paddle, will find out more info for next time.

This was my 3rd time going there and the first in Spring. Wow, was it flooded! Must have been all the snow that they received this winter. Usually it's a bit narrow and 2-3 beaver dams in the late summer early fall. A birding paradise. Saw a few herons, osprey, tons of red wing black birds and some yellowish ones. Then we paddled into an area where little white belly bluish birds were skimming the water catching little flies that looked like termites. They must have hatched recently in the previous warm days. With all the sounds of the geese, ducks and other birds I felt like I was in a rain forest. Just so cool. I took a video but it's not uploading from my new camera. If I get it going I will add it to the link. Just so nice, and the weather was cool and rainy like predicted but we were sheltered. Not to many places to take out for a bathroom break or eat, but I remembered a small area where we set up a tart and had a left over holiday feast! I just love those cast iron skillets and stoves! Best to all!

Oh yea, I practiced my canoe stroke, needs work (a lot) so I took the kayak paddle to make sure I got back to the take out with some day light left over. Will continue to practice, I promise.



https://picasaweb.google.com/109787809032966769551/GreatSwampNYSpring2015

 

[Robin]

Nice cast iron frying pans and the food looked delicious.Thanks for sharing a nice trip.

 

[coldfeet]

Thanks, just sent you a pm

 

[Odyssey]

Whoa! Those waters were high! Nice trip though. How was the current? Did it push you around at all?
You sure eat well! Yum.
Thanks for the paddle coldfeet.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

That's a local paddle for me and one of my favorites anywhere, especially when it's high. The Patterson Great Swamp is the only river I know that flows in both directions. It flows south in the section you paddled, but begins to flow north a few miles north of Patterson.

I've paddled it much higher than your trip. HERE are a bunch of photos when it was at a high level. Compare the "Asian" duck blind.

 

[coldfeet]

Holy Cow Glenn! The water is really high and in June? How was that possible? Must have been a rainy Spring that year. My sister lives in Danbury not to far away from there. During the summer months I work at a camp north of thee in Copake. Trip from my house on Long Island is app 80 miles away. Will send you a pm next time I'm going, hopefully before bugs are out.
ps, loved the frog and turtle pics

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

HERE is some info about the Great Swamp including a map showing the north flow into the Swamp River and the south flow into the East Branch of the Croton River.

The swamp will come up anytime there are two or more days of good rain.

HERE is the nearest river gauge. You can play with the flow graphs to show flows over the past weeks, months or years. Pick the day when you paddle it to get the flow, and that will help you judge how good the level is on any future day you check the gauge. During low flow the swamp is channelized like a creek. In high water the water flows out horizontally in the valley to become a flooded forest.

To answer Odyssey's question, the current becomes somewhat stronger at high water levels, but because of the tremendous horizontal spreading, I've never a time when you can't paddle upstream and back down again for a day trip. Of course, if you have two cars you can paddle from Patterson to Green Chimneys all downstream.

 

[coldfeet]

Thanks Glenn, very impressive charts. I did see the FROG's site last year when researching the area. They put up signs in Patterson at beginning of the dirt road about getting a permit from town clerk, especially if you have 20 or more people. Not to sure what they are talking about, will try to call today. I also wish they had a designated parking area at Green Chimney's for boaters. Wonder why not?

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I don't ever recall signs about permits, but I haven't been there in two years. Maybe it's a parking issue at the Patterson put-in, but it sounds more to me like a town government money grab. Anything that involves government or permits usually makes me run in the opposite direction or search for alternatives.

I've never had any parking difficulty in the lot by the Green Chimney's picnic and boat launch area, but maybe I've only been there on non-school or vacation days.

 

[Mama]

Nice pictures. But wow. That water sure was high.

 

[Adk Keith]

Nice report, thanks!

 

[southcove]

Was a kick for me to see your report...sure enjoyed your lunch too...was never that organized, been 20 years since my last trip there. Was rainy too as I remember. Great Swamp was a watershed of sorts for me (yeah, bad pun) as I left behind (figuratively, but almost literally too) a whiny fiancee and realized a better canoe and paddles were more likely to be my next big decision...