Sunday, September 15, 2024
Bordentown Beach, Bordentown,
New Jersey, Central,
NJ
Paddle 6 ½ miles while following the tide out of the Crosswicks Creek from Groveville Rd at Groveville, NJ, to its mouth as it feeds into the Delaware River at Bordentown Beach. We will be on the water for about two to four hours, pending the amount of exploration of the marshes and wetlands along the way. Crosswicks Creek is a 25.3-mile-long tributary of the Delaware River that winds its way upriver through marshland and eventually narrows about 5 miles inland. See wide vistas and arrowhead-shaped aquatic plants. Hardwood uplands appear in the distance and close in as you travel upriver. The Atlantic Ocean, tidal freshwater marshes, found along Crosswicks Creek are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, rivaling tropical rainforests in the amount of plant production each year. This marsh hosts an abundance of plant and animal life, with more than 730 species of plants, 234 species of birds, and many fishes, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and insect species. Keep your eyes peeled for sunning turtles, swooping bald eagles, and swaying stems of wild rice. The creek has a long history, including sinking Revolutionary War boats in Crosswicks Creek to keep them from the British. It was also here that Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, lived from 1816 to 1837 at Point Breeze. The unraveling of the cultural history of the creek is ongoing. Native Americans have inhabited the Abbott Marshlands for as long as 13,000 years. Native Americans valued plants found here for medicine, food, and cultural rituals. There are physical remains of fish, tips of harpoons, fish gigs, and (starting about 1,000 years ago) fishhooks. REGISTRATION REQUIRED: A dope Sheet will be sent to those who are registered about one week before the paddle. Paddling is a water sport. The trip will go in light rain. The paddle will cancel if there is a prediction of a 70% chance of thunderstorms and/or hard rain. There is limited availability to arrive by NJ Transit Train with prior arrangements. Contact leader for more details.
Free
Points of Interest along the paddle
List of birds sighted at Abbott Marshland
Currents around bridge
REGISTRATION REQUIRED: A dope Sheet will be sent to those who are registered about one week before the paddle.
