Sat, Jun 13 – Paddle the Bashakill Wetlands
Leader: Russ Faller and Jeanette TB (co-leader)
This was a joint outing with AMC.
At 2,175 acres, the Bashakill Wetlands is the largest fresh water marsh in SE New York State. This was a joint outing sponsored by ADK & AMC. It was a very good turnout – 14 paddlers. The largest group this 40-year leader ever had. He was glad that he had Jeanette, an ADK Leader, for help.
It was a hot, but beautiful day with a clear blue sky and white cotton-puff clouds. The wetlands were lush. The water vegetation had filled in so that there was only one navigable stream winding, like a snake, NE. The last time the leader paddled there was in October 2012. The marsh was more like a lake then.
We launched from South Rd. and headed to the Haven Rd. bridge. About 1 to 1.5 mile from Haven Rd, we found an opening in the water vegetation where we could get to shore. There is a nice clearing with a bench. So we stopped for lunch. Some people ate in the clearing. The majority ate in their boats. After lunch, 5 paddlers joined Jeanette to go back to South Rd. The majority paddled to the Haven Rd. bridge.
As peaceful and quiet a place the Bashakill is now, it once was a hub of commerce and likely very noisy. From 1829-1898, the Delaware &Hudson Canal’s towpath was on the west shore, carrying coal from Honesdale, PA, to Kingston, NY, for shipment to NYC and Albany. The Ontario Western RR rattled on the east shore until the late 1950s, hauling lumber and coal to Monticello, NY. Today, both routes are hiking & x-c skiing trails.
After everyone got back to South Rd, four of us decided to go across South Rd. to the Bashakill Vineyards, for refreshments. The Vineyards offer much more than just wine. There are local beers, cola from Italy, light foods locally sourced and prepared creatively. There’s indoor seating and outdoor seating under gazebos.
Paddlers from AMC were Debra A, Brian A, Caroline B, Mary Ann H, Charles M, William L and Shankar T. Paddlers from ADK were Andrea N, Dea M, John S, Rick C, Sheryl R, and the leaders, Russ Faller and Jeanette TB.  Photos courtesy of Andrea Natalie.