Sun, Aug 9 – Paddle The Furgary Shacks in Hudson, N.Y.
Leaders: JeanetteTB and Jonathan Baker
It was a beautiful, partly sunny day when eight paddlers launched into the Hudson River in Hudson, NY just before high tide. Luckily the railroad bridges are very high; we had no trouble passing below them at high tide. We were happy to see that not all of the historic shacks in the Furgary (or “Shantytown”)  were demolished; two were still standing! While paddling past the shacks, we noticed many tiny fish jumping out of the water. (We were thinking perhaps these were baby shad, since this area had been a popular area to catch shad.) Annette tried to catch one, but they were too slippery. Linda noticed several bright orange, stringy, spaghetti-like masses tangled over some plants; we later identified this as dodder, a parasitic vine. We then paddled into North Bay, then crossed the river and found a lovely, sandy beach for lunch. It was a warm day, so several paddlers decided to take a swim in the Hudson. After lunch we paddled around the Hudson Athens Lighthouse, built in 1874 to mark the hazardous Middle Ground Flats. When we were done paddling, Veronica noticed one of the tiny fish in the bottom of her boat. We later learned it was not a shad, but a Seminole Killifish. (Who would have guessed?) The total trip was about 6 miles. Paddlers included ADK members Dea M, Annette C, Veronica O, Cindy T, Dave W, Linda H, and the leaders Jeanette TB and Jonathan Baker. Photos by Linda, Cindy and Jeanette.