Pre-Picnic Paddle on the Lower Wappinger Creek

Leader: Jeanette TB
Sunday, May 22, 2022

Twelve kayakers gathered early on Sunday morning for our pre-picnic kayak outing. Most were so early they were in the water before we took attendance. This was the first time we signed the ADK sign-in sheet while floating in the water. Thank goodness for dry bags!

It was great to be in the cool waters of the Wappinger Creek on such a hot weekend. We started paddling upstream, passing the Market Street Industrial Park. The brick buildings were built in the early 1900’s to house the Dutchess Bleachery. We turned around and paddled downstream, toward the Hudson River Estuary. Dave noticed an eagle high in a tree; there’s supposedly a nest nearby, but we couldn’t find it. Then we passed under the railroad bridge into the Hudson to paddle around “Rabbit Island”. On our way back, we were surprised to discover four heron nests in a single tree; each nest had a large heron guarding it!

This is always an easy, enjoyable paddle. Total distance covered was 4.5 miles.

Paddlers included CharlotteM, MarthaR, JonathanB, JoAnnN, KathyS, DianeD, DeaM, DavidW, JoanB, JohnA, JudyA, and the leader, JeanetteTB.