Constitution Marsh

Look closely. There is a waterfall on that mountain.

Kayaking in the marsh

Storm King and Taurus

Boardwalk under water.

This route dead ended.



Yesterday the weather let us know it was no longer summer and autumn arrived. The wind howled and the rain poured. First day in a long while, it was difficult to keep warm. Thankfully, the weather forecasters do a lousy job (actually not true). Today was supposed to be much like yesterday. It was not. The sun came out and a blue sky was visible.

This made for a perfect day to do some kayacking. Constitution Marsh, right near Cold Spring is a great spot for a beginner such as myself. It immediately started out with a bit of craziness. To get to the marsh from the Hudson River, one must kayak under the rail bridge. This becomes impossible at high tide. Our guide informed us to start early enough so we could get under and also let us know it'd be late when we leave. Just after entering the kayak, I found myself leaning as far forward as I possibly could to prevent myself from being decapitated. Unfortunately, this did not occur and I made it to the other side.

But this would turn out to be a good thing. It was strange that something so beautiful lied so close to roaring trains. The marsh was filled with many little "canals" to discover. Geese and Herons could be seen. As we approached, they flew away. We stopped for lunch at a nice little waterfall that would be hard to reach on foot.

After that, we paddled to the Audubon Society. Unfortunately, their exhibit was closed. They maintained some walking trails that we took advantage of. There were boardwalks that can take you through the marsh. We could get a nice close peak at tadpoles and wild chestnuts. Due to recent flooding, high tide was up to where the boardwalk had 6 inches of water above it.

On the way out, we had the same problem getting out that we did getting in. The water this time appeared to be much higher. There were quite a few other kayakers waiting for the tide to go out. We eventually all made it out. But, one of the guys in our group made it across, but not before capsizing. He ended up getting his kayak caught side ways then grabbed the bridge. Next thing you know, he's under. Luckily, he made it out fairly easily and our guide helped him back in. This same guy, years ago while smoking a lot of pot, sunk a sailboat and setting an island on fire. Great story. He said that led him to giving up grass. I told him I've done so many stupid things while sober, that I'll never have a reason to give anything up. He laughed.