Day 192

Daily stats
Start: 11:00 AM - Tellers Point - Crotonville, NY
Finish: 4:30 PM - Newburgh, NY
Time: 5:30
Daily dist: 23 miles
Total dist: 3600+ miles
Companions: Bill Quick joined me at about mid day.
Weather: Clear with a nice NW breeze about 80 degrees
Notes: Hung out with the set crew waiting for the tide to change.

Yesterday was a lesson that the tidal currents on the Hudson (at least on the lower half) can make or break your daily progress. Today, by making sure I caught the flooding current, further reinforced that truth. In a little over eight hours of heads-up paddling yesterday I went only 27 miles. In only five and a half hours of easy paddling today I went 23 miles (only 4 miles less). You gotta love a nice ride.

Nat Stone do you recognize this woman?

Originating around Pete Seeger, one may imagine the interesting cast of characters that might volunteer two weeks of their time to help set up a benefit concert for an organization he started. With so many interesting people to hang out with in the concert site crew camp, it was easy to kill time this morning while I waited for the tide to switch. After eating breakfast I wandered back over to the mess hall where people were slowly rallying around the coffee pot. Coming from all over the area, many of the crew have volunteered their time every year for the last 20 to 30 years. With so many stories to be told about the old days the site crew has taken on a culture all its own. They were very interesting and fun folks that I could have easily spent more time with. However, by 11:00 the tide had switched and the river was calling.

Nancy from the site crew

With the humid haze gone (which muddied my view yesterday) I finally had a clear view of the rolling green mountain valley through which the Hudson River flows. The distant tree covered summits hint at what lies beyond the occasional turns of the river as it continues north. One can’t help but feel a sense of curiosity and desire to paddle on just to find out what is up there, and every time you round a bend you’re rewarded with vistas that urge you to paddle further still.

Many people have compared my trip to hiking the Appalachian trail. Today my path and the trail actually crossed when I passed under the Bear Mountain Bridge. Which I understand is close to the lowest elevation the trail crosses on it’s run from the mountains of Georgia all the way to Maine.

The Bear Mountain Bridge

Just a few miles past that bridge lies West Point (the famous Navy academy). I paused for a couple pictures there and noted in my mind that this was where a large chain was once strung across the river to prevent invading ships to continue down the river. With a tight turn to make, a chain to prevent your progress, and cannons above you on the hillside, it would have been a deadly place for any enemy boat. As I rounded the bend just past the academy I noticed a man in a kayaker hanging out amongst the rocks along eastern shore. He had a serious look about him, like a man on a mission, so I paddled toward him to say hello. As I approached to within ear shot I heard the man’s voice ask “Are you Jake?”… I had been found again.

Bill Quick

The man in the blue kayak turned out to be Bill Quick. Bill had e-mailed me a couple weeks ago about the prospect of meeting up for a day or two on the river, but in the rush of all the fun I was having in New York I failed to get back to him. Banking on the fact that I have always had a rater open invite to able kayakers to join me for a day or so, Bill figured he’d load his boat with a few days worth of supplies and see if he couldn’t find me, and sure enough, he did. It turns out that Bill has paddled the length of the Hudson River over a half dozen times carefully chronicling his travels every time. I’m not sure I’d be able to find a more knowledgeable person when it comes to where to camp and what to see as a kayaker along the river. He has enough time and supplies to escort me all the way to Albany and even a day or so up the Erie and I think it’s going to be fun to have him along for the ride.