THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 1

MOHAWK CANOE CLUB “Good Fellowship”

From the Lead Canoe: Easter season this year got me thinking about other Easter paddling trips over many years. Some are quite memorable including the many Easter trips to Vermont rivers. 1981 was another memorable Easter trip. We camped sort of in the back yard of a gas station, adjacent to a local tavern, in the miniscule community of Dent’s Run, PA. Bill Kruder was trip leader and some of the other paddlers were Charlie Houson, Jack Mellor and daughters, Dave Prugh and a couple of gals from NYC who in their own way added to the memories. We paddled the Driftwood Branch of the Sinamahoning, the Bennetts Branch and part of the main stem Sinamahoning. Two of us also paddled late one day on Dent’s Run, which is about wide enough to almost put one foot on each bank, and you pray as you madly bash boulders and avoid serious partial strainers. What a great weekend – exciting water each day, the Bar at night (Charlie drank straight through all three days) and comic relief only NYC people can rovide. p

Another great Easter Weekend was the “Muncy Creek” weekend. We stayed at Rickett’s Glen State Park. Phil Esty had a son in Muncy, and that’s how we learned about the creek. We paddled almost 15 miles on it – partly in the upper sections along Highway 220, pedestrian through Muncy, muddy with amazing debris piles in the lower stretches. But the memorable part of that trip was the return to the campground (after almost losing Michael Paul on the shuttle). As we drove into camp the light rain that had begun started to freeze – seriously freeze. It soon collected heavily on tree limbs to the point where we decided to pack up and escape before serious problems occurred. Dave Hurley moved his car just before a huge limb crashed down where it had been. Michael Paul’s tent got crushed before he could get it down. We “camped” that night at the Red Roof Inn at Danville. Ate a humble estaurant dinner and did paddle the next day on Fishing creek. r

Muncy Creek I’ve only paddled once – Would I do it again? Sure, but it’s not likely. Some of the other streams I’ve only done once: Otter Creek in Vermont, the section flowing northerly to Rutland from So. Walingford. This promised to be great for scenery, as it’s in a beautiful mountain-ringed valley – all we saw were steep muddy banks with scenery like the gosh-awful Millstone. Anthy Creek in W. VA, the section which ends at the world’s prettiest campground. A nice exciting stream low on water and great on scenery. Upper North Fork Shenandoah in Virginia – swift, smallish, only average scenery and the world’s highest awful smell from the chicken processing plant at Timberville. Often when I travel to other areas I like to attend local dinners (church, or school, or Grange or Fire Department). That night, along the river, there was a school offering a baked Virginia ham dinner. Here I am in the very heartland of Virginia baked ham! Dinner was from 5 to 8 p.m. I got there at 6, by myself, waited through 3 or 4 consecutive seatings until about 7:30 when I got seated and was told they had run out of ham, were getting more, and please eat the salad. I’m glad I took their advice, for when the ham arrived, at about 8:30, I could not eat it. It was as salty as the Baltic Sea (which sounds like the pit of saltiness!). I’d do this stream again, but no more VA chool dinners. s

Other one-time trips: Lower Nescopeck in PA. Unrewarding scenery, but a gold mine if you are seeking all of the world’s trash. Lower Loyalsock, from the covered bridge about a mile or more below World’s End State Park – very reminiscent of parts of Pine Creek between Blackwell and Slate Run – sure, I’ll go back some day! Upper Catskill Creek (NY), which I’ve recounted as to how beautiful the dangling ice formations along the banks delighted us. This one is remote-seeming, despite the closeness of a main road, and I’d love to go back. West Br Susquehanna – Shawville to Karthus – truly pretty and remote feeling, maybe the East’s best place to canoe camp. The Wallkill River from Wallkill to New Paltz, NY. We had a huge group of Mohawkers on this. I expected to see great scenery, as it parallels the Shwangunk Mountains to the west, but overcast skies did us in. Still a nice, somewhat muddy bank-type stream – I’d go back. The Rappahannock River, VA. Only did it once in fairly cold weather. At the time it disappointed me, but I’d go back. High muddy banks, the triviality of highly touted Kelly’s Ford Rapids, al sort of turned me off. One nice thing that weekend: I stopped to buy a paddle at a highway store selling guns and canoes (why not?) and had a really nice conversation with the son of Randy Carter, who wrote the VA-WVA guide book:

anoeing White Water – River Guide. This book was my southern rivers bible for many years – still is. C There are other one-time streams – many others – but I’ll leave that for another time. Actually, all of them are worth

oing at least once. d Welcome to new members: Lucille & Eugene Barisonek, Jeff Hackett, Dale Herrick & Teresa Brieck, Michael Jackowski, Flo Labenski, Scott Schmitt, Nick & Kathy Sperduto and Jan Walters. Chris Nielsen, Commodore

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 2 “Club Four” Canoe Race:

A Club Four Canoe as raced by the Toronto Canoe Club, taken from a Peterborough

anoes ad in the 1910 ACA Yearbook. C As the guest speaker at our Centennial dinner observed, Canoe clubs of that period were more than just paddling groups, they were social organizations as well. One part of this, within and between athletic clubs

as some form of competition. w We have bits and pieces of evidence that Mohawk was no exception. There are notes of competitions between

renton area clubs, including related activities such as rifle shooting. T One of the major early functions of the American Canoe Association was to foster healthy competition, and to act as a governing body for this aspect of paddlesport. There were some standards for the kinds of boats used in ompetition, and one of these was called the “Club Four”, shown in the picture above. c

Around 1906 to 1914, our Club was quite active in both cruising and racing. We bought a "Club Fours" racing canoe and in 1910, the crew participated in various regattas and entered 11 races, both single and double blades, and won 7 Firsts and 4 Seconds. We also won the American Canoe Association Championship for Club Fours that same year. Also, in the Atlantic Division Championships, we won the Club Four competitions in both single and

ouble blade categories. We know that the team members were D.S. Hill, R.R. Anderson, C. Tyson, and W. Kuhn. d In other kinds of races they won or placed in the Race around Burlington Island (2nd & 3rd), Maclister Trophy Race (2nd), Tandem ½ mile (2nd), Solo Single Blade ½ mile (1st & 3rd), and won one of the heats in the Tilting Tourney. In 1911 Kuhn and F. McIlvane took 2nd in the tandem single-blades and Bill Kuhn won the Solo Double-blades races. Our Club also held the A.C.A. Championships for tandem single blades and one-man double blade, won in 1914. That was our peak year. Mohawk is listed as a competitor in subsequent years at the Sugar Island Regattas held by the ACA each August, but not as winners… Then, after the First World War, we seem to have retired from ompetition. In the 1960s Mohawk once again became active in racing, but that will be covered in another article. c

As can be seen in the picture, the racing stance was the classic “High Kneel” position, alternating left and right paddle sides for stability. Racers would lean forward over the leading knee, catch the water with their paddle, and draw back shifting their bodies back over the rearward knee. In that fashion they could achieve the longest power draw of their paddle against the water. They probably kept a high paddle rate as well, one the order of 80-120 trokes per minute. The standard race distance was half a mile. s

If you would like to try this out, there will be an opportunity in May at the DVD/ACA’s Round Valley Roundup. Four-person Canoe races were instituted last year and will be repeated this year. All local clubs have been invited to compete and it would be great if we could once again do this kind of racing in this, our centennial year. It was fun

st year, let’s see if we can field a team or two and re-create a piece of our history! la J oe Pylka

Skidplate Workshop ?!?: I need skidplates on my canoe. First step is to buy a kit (wonder if one is better than another?), but after that it gets

timidating and confusing. Anyone else in the same boat? (ha, ha) in What if I set up a workshop on “How to do your own skidplates”. I envision it in someone’s centrally located backyard with a couple of experts or knowledgeable folks on hand who have applied skidplates successfully. (Here, successful means a long-lasting and aesthetically pleasing job.) Of course, the event is a buobb (bring your own battered boat). I figure the experts can give a start-up lecture/demonstration and can then roam amongst us

ovices as we muck up our own boats. n The deal is – this is worth the effort if enough of you are truly interested. It would have to be a Sat or Sun; probably in June. That way we get any actual workshop info in the June Postcard and get our boats fixed-up in the first half f the paddling season. Email me if interested in: 1) fixing your boat, or 2) teaching the art of skidplate application. o

Linda Straus frosted@blast.net

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 3

From the Sweep Canoe: T he heading of this article makes it a very appropriate place for this very serious set of thoughts. One of the most important and toughest duties in club and group paddling is the role of the Sweep Boats. I used the plural form because I am firmly convinced that it should be a duty shared by two boats for any large group. The reason is simple – there should be somebody there to help the Sweep if the Sweep gets into trouble. Also if the Sweep stops to assist another paddler or merely to keep someone company while they “take a break”, or just goes very slowly to accompany a slower boat, the Sweep Partner can go ahead and inform the Lead Boat. The Buddy

ystem is vital. S It is extremely hard for many people to maintain Sweep discipline. It is more social to be in the middle of the pack. It is tempting to get in front and show the rest of the group the “best way”, and some of us just like to paddle at a brisk and consistent pace. Those of us who like doing rescues want to be the first ones through the difficult spots o we can be there to do the quick rescue of those who dump going through. s

However it is vital that the Sweeps have the speed to “catch up” to the main body when needed, and that they have the skill (and equipment) to rescue the people that get stuck on the rock at the top of the rapid. Remember in many

laces paddling up the rapid is not a good option. p The Sweep also has to have the “people skills” to encourage tired or less skilled paddlers, or paddlers with less of a roup mind set, to move up to the main body. g

T he Sweep needs to have constant vigilance to not let any boats get behind them. One of the Rules of the River is that the reassignment of Sweep during a trip needs to be done only by the Lead Boat. The rationale for that rule is very simple. When the Lead looks back and sees the boat he/she designated as Sweep it communicates to the Lead that all boats are between them, all present and accounted for. With the

weep in sight the Lead will probably justifiably feel it is fine to continue to take the group downstream. S It is really a great HONOR to be asked to be Sweep. It means that the Leader trusts you with the safety of the roup. That is a most sacred trust. g

Let us all celebrate the birth of www.mohawkcanoeclub.org. She was launched on April 9, 2003 at 1500 hours (3pm for the landlubbers). For our members who have been using www.mohawkcc.com to access George & Leona’s Website, they have established a link to our club’s new “Official” MCC Website on their home page. In

ddition, where applicable, there are references to our new Website in their sub menus. a From George & Leona’s home page at www.mohawkcc.com, just point and click on the MCC Logo in the lower right corner. A very special thank you goes to Al Bartl’s daughter Janice for her web design work and to Dennis Albisser for maintaining the new Website on a day to day basis. We all owe George and Leona Fluck a debt of gratitude for their financial contributions and hard work on their Website during the past 4 years supporting the

ohawk Canoe Club and for showing us how useful and vital a well-maintained Website is to our club. M www.mohawkcanoeclub.org is now the “Official” Website and is in its infancy. Watch it grow and help it grow

y using it and contributing to it. b My hat is off to Kevin McCarthy for another delightful program night. Nineteen Mohawkers enjoyed the history lesson and slide presentation of Linda Barth on the Delaware and Raritan Canal. I know that many of us have shared the experience of paddling down the canal and looking at an area of interest and thinking “ I wish I could have seen what this was like 100 years ago”. On April 9th, Linda Barth gave us that vision. If you missed her presentation, don’t be too upset, you can enjoy and savor the Images of America “The Delaware and Raritan Canal” authored by Linda J. Barth. It is published by Arcadia. I have not read it all as of this writing, but I was more han pleased to see a picture credited to one of the early figures in Mohawk History – James Cawley. t

If you think that Linda is familiar to you it may be because she was our neighbor when we had the clubhouse in Griggstown. She was the curator of the Mule Tenders Barracks Museum. Part of Linda’s message to us was that if we love the canal and it’s history we have to speak out and step up to let the proper politicians know that we want not only to preserve that history but also to improve our access to that wonderful resource. Some of our “doublebladers” may want to lobby for kayak friendly launch and take out points. For some of us, “handicapped

ccessible” launch and take out points would be a worthwhile cause. a The recent rains have raised the rivers and the paddling in the next few weeks will be delightful, but if the river is going through the trees getting out is extremely dangerous. You may want to paddle one of the delightful stretches

f the canal while you give the river a chance to drop to a safer level. “Paddle happy, Paddle with Mohawk”. o

Ken Heaphy, Vice-Commodore

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 4

Trip Reports: Cedar Creek “Earth Day Cleanup” – Tuesday, April 22, 2002 (7 miles) We met at Double Trouble Park but something seemed amiss…. Bob LeDuc was without a boat! Even though Bob had other commitments and couldn’t paddle, he was kind enough to surprise us and run the shuttle. And Bob took ome fabulous pictures as the group started off at the old girl scout camp. s

Soon after we put-in, the gray sky turned a beautiful blue and the sun shone over Cedar Creek for 6 paddlers on a very “productive” cleanup day: Fred Gaghan, Jennifer and Guy Percival, our guest Jack Jarvis with pooches Precious and Sandy in life vests, and yours truly. Twelve bags of garbage filled our boats by the end of the trip at Dudley Park. The water was high and we enjoyed fun rides over the beaver dams. The sun warmed a large turtle and 2 black tracer snakes. One snake tried to hitch a ride with the Percival’s. We saw a great blue and several eer along the way. The Percival’s found a few cranberries at our lunch stop. d

Jennifer and Guy definitely won the award for collecting the most “treasure”. Jennifer was relentless in her quest to cleanup Cedar and climbed out of the canoe over and over to pickup cans and bottles amidst the catbriers along the riverbank. This was the Percival’s first paddle on Cedar Creek. Those who love this waterway will see the difference made on just one day. Yours truly took a dip and Fred quickly rescued one of our filled garbage bags loating down the river. No changing needed because the day was warm. f

After almost 6 hours we arrived at Dudley just in time to see a wedding party emerge from their limousine to have ictures taken along Cedar Creek. Interesting – never know what you’ll see on a paddle! p

Leona & George Fluck, trip leaders W . Branch Susquehanna Tributaries - Easter Weekend – April 18, 19 & 20 (32 miles) This year’s Easter trip was to the W. Branch Susquehanna River, out in the Renovo, PA area, where we planned to do the smaller tributaries. There are enough small streams in that area to provide different trips for a week or 10 days, all very pretty. We had excellent water levels but a rather skeptical feel for what the weather would bring. Even with some people backing out, we still had 4 boaters on Good Friday, 6 on Saturday and Sunday, all with ood weather. g

Friday’s trip was on the Sinnamahoning River, from the town of Sinnamahoning, PA to almost its confluence at eating, PA, a distance of 12 miles by road and maybe a lot more by canoe. K

The entire area out there consists of forested slopes and plateaus interspersed with deep Valleys cut over time by the streams. There are very few people or cars or houses. Towns are really hamlets left over from yesteryear. Because of this all one sees, mostly, is their splendid, vast, expanse of hillsides (mt. side?), one after another, dense with hardwoods, rhododendron, hemlock, pines and other evergreens. Much of the waters are acidic, have a deep green hue, are rather poor fishing resources, and flow over cobbles, gravel and in places startlingly bright orange painted rocks (iron?). Some places have bands of milky color from the treatments to offset the acidic

ature. n

The Sinnamahoning has an overall gradient of about 6 ft per mile, slightly more than the Delaware, but more remote feeling and, I think, far prettier. We did have a fairly constant headwind and the skies remained grayish but no sprinkles. The temperature got up to almost 44 – not bad for wearing wet or dry suits. We did the 12 or so miles in about 4 – 4 ½ hours.

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 5 Our base for the weekend was the Hyner Run campground near the hamlet of No. Bend, PA (no post office). Its claim to fame really is the wondrous overlook and picnic area at Hyner View. From here, hang gliders often take off to soar over the narrow steep hillsided river valley. One can see well over 2 dozen ridge tops from up here and

uch of the winding river valley – really impressive. m The campground is somewhat primitive, about 40 or 50 sites on a smallish area at the base of the surrounding mts and dense with 60 or 70 ft tall evergreens (hemlock). There is running water, pit toilets, a swimming pool (not open on Easter, of course) and a beautiful stream winding thru the camping area where we were. At night one can xpect an occasional bear visit, howls from coyotes, and other things of the night. e

The ranger Thursday night, warned of hordes coming in for the weekend. Someone in our group mistook the meaning of the word (as it sounds). Anyway, we six pretty much had the place to ourselves all weekend. Saturday’s trip (4/19) was very special to me since it duplicated the Easter trip on Saturday in April of 1981. We canoed the Bennets Branch of the Sinnamahoning from Medix Run to about 2 miles down from Dent’s Run. Dent’s Run is where we stayed in 1981, in a small backyard behind a gas station/country store, next to an antique bar (gin mill) and next to a small house with a fairly small covered pavilion which we could use. It was sad to see the gas tation closed, the pavilion sort of trashed, and no sign of the gals from NYC or no Charlie Howson! s

Anyway, the Bennets Branch is prettier, more lively (gradient of 11 ft per mile), has numerous gravel bars and several easy rapids. We did see one Elk, but mostly they are in the preserve area near Benegette & Dent’s Run. Deer were along the banks and I believe one eagle was sighted along with all sorts of birds. We were truly lucky to have found water in the Bennets Branch because the nearby Driftwood Branch was rather low. Downstream from

here we took out is the famous homestead of world renowned Tom Mix! We canoed about 13 miles on Saturday. w On Sunday I had originally planned to canoe a short stretch of lower Pine Creek which is near our campground. Instead we decided to try Kettle Creek and luckily it had water. The gauge read 2.9. Kettle has a 13 ft per mile gradient, and is almost totally lined, on both shores, with dense rhododendron and Hemlock with interspersed hardwoods. Truly beautiful. It has numerous easy rapids and several that are class two. It also has many oulders and dozens of high rocks, truck size, often in the water or close to shore. It is so special! b

We enjoyed campfires each night, had a delicious group dinner Saturday night (we all had brought spaghetti) and topped things off with breakfasts at Yesterdays (formerly the Kingsley), dinner at the Old Kingsley on Thursday (their famous chicken and biscuits) and dinner at the River View Inn, at the base of Hyner View. Sunday’s trip on he Kettle was about 7 miles, so we got an early start home. (NJ about 5:30 PM)! t

T hose who weren’t with us missed a great one. Why not try one of these away from home trips with us? Chris Nielsen, Commodore Crosswicks Creek – Sunday, April 13, 2002 (8 miles) There were 9 of us, Joel Reger, Mary D'Onofrio, Michael Paul, June Bente and two guests JoAnn and Colleen Cooper in solo kayaks, Ruth Gibson, Bruce Wyman and I in solo canoes. This was Bruce’s first trip with the Mohawk, Welcome Aboard! Also, JoAnn and Colleen are looking forward to joining after river training. So it was nice to have some 'new' faces along. We launched at 11, it was sunny and some fair winds blew across the creek and the river. Looked a lot worse than it was. But the wind did slow us down going into the marsh, so I decided to divert to the Watson Creek and await the tide change at the picnic grounds. Although the marsh had not yet started to bloom, it was still in its own beauty. The lazy tide overpowered the current so we could drift in. Some hawks and a blue heron flew past to brighten the day and a walk at the park helped to warm us up and decramp some legs. Again, we rode the tide out. Several of us picked up some trash that was floating and I was able to drag out a barrel and a beer keg. Anything to help Mother Nature. In all we did 41/2 hours on the river and as always, there wasn’t any shuttle.

Tom Wilkins, trip leader

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 6

Passaic River - Millington Gorge – Sunday, April 13, 2003 (about 10 miles) I had planned to do the Catawissa with Chris, but with the miserable weather report Chris changed it to a day trip- Since that was too far for me to go. I looked around for other ideas. Since my last 2 attempts to do the Millington gorge were frozen out- I decided this was the time and the place. Thank goodness for e-mails! I sent out as many notices as I could to local folks who lived nearby. Terrific- 15 paddlers showed up with 12 boats. It was really a super Sunday and if you all remember- the sun shone in all its glory. It made up for the days and days of teeming rain. We lunched twice- once in the gorge, because it is so pretty and once at the edge of a beautiful old dairy farm. Water was plentiful and we enjoyed paddling in and out of the many flooded trees on the way. There was one downed tree that almost blocked the way. One of our very able paddlers leaned upstream instead of downstream and oops! in the water he went. The rest made it thru (even yours truly, who usually messes up in strainer sites) and we were all off again. Thanks to all for making such a nice day. Kevin, Mary, Jim, David, Sybil, Norm, Ruth, Denis, Anne, Harry, Sylvia, Fred, Lee and Bill. The Millington Gorge and this stretch of the Passaic is co close to millions of residents- and yet it is quiet and most of the time the banks are crowded with trees and you cannot see any houses. One of the many surprises of New Jersey's little rivers. The Passaic has an interesting history and one day soon, I will quote some information about this river, which I believe is the longest in NJ. Jeanne Epstein, trip leader Catawissa Creek - April 12-13, 2003 (12 miles) Predictions of a wet, showery weekend had disastrous effects on this long-planned and much look forwarded to trip. It had to be cancelled mostly because people dropped out. Then to everyone’s surprise the weather was just perfect on both days. I did combine the Sunday portion of the trip with the Ahwaga Canoe Club trip on the Chemung River in NY. I had done the Chemung once from Corning, NY to its confluence with the No. Branch Susquehanna back in 1996 or 1997 and enjoyed the stream. We met at the put-in; an area called Lowman just off an exit on Rt 17 and setup our shuttle to Waverly, NY. We had 22 boats of all descriptions and 28 people. The water was fairly high so we had a fast trip despite some moderate headwinds. The Southern Tier section of NY is abundant with low-lying hillsides and fairly nice scenery. The stream flows under Rt 17 several times, so there is some highway noise not a real intrusion however. For my first trip of the year it was quite enjoyable. We did the entire 12 miles, including a leisurely lunch in just over 3 ½ hours. Chris Nielsen, trip leader Oswego River – Sunday, April 6, 2003 (7 miles) Rain on Friday, rain on Saturday, snow on Monday but spring happened on Sunday. Bird songs, bright sunshine and bubbling, clear water greeted nine Mohawk paddlers on a cool and breezy morning. Across Oswego Lake with the wind following, over the sand road and into the real river to get underway. The level was a bit low. We think water had been taken to protect the cranberry bogs from a freeze. Good work, considering what happened the next day. We slipped along to see deer crossing ahead of us, geese setting up housekeeping and a group of red-bellied turtles basking on a warm hummock at Martha. A red tailed hawk startled a blue heron into flight and an olive sided flycatcher perched on a low bush and allowed me to come within a canoe length for a really good look.

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 7

Most noticeable was the lack of chatter. For weeks we have been saturated with the violence and noise of war news but today the peace of the forest and the river soothed our souls and rested our ears and nerves. The soft gurgle of our bow waves and the bubbling inflows to the river were a priceless tonic. The Oswego is almost unobstructed, only a few squeeze throughs or small carry-overs and we crossed Harrisville Lake without wind. NONE. There was another first for me, on this my second trip of the year. I left my lunch in the car. Could this be a "senior moment?" No-not me. The generosity of Ursula Roy who provided an energy bar and many other offers for sustenance kept me from utter starvation. This is Mohawk good fellowship at work and besides, we can't have a hungry, grouchy trip leader. What a nice day for Ursula Roy, Michael Paul, Bill Mallack, Howard Molisee, Tom Wilkins, Donna Hall, Looie Voorhees and her guest, Mike Calabrese, who babysat the boats and gear for us while we shuttled. Thanks Mike and thanks Looie for bringing him along. You should have paddled with us - We had FUN! Ruth Gibson, trip leader.

2003 RIVER CLEANUPS: Hackensack River Cleanups – May thru October 2003 Hackensack Riverkeeper, in its mission to protect, preserve and restore the Hackensack River and its living resources, announces its river cleanup schedule planned for the 2003 season. They invite the community to come together to actively work on restoring the beauty and health of the Hackensack River watershed. In most cases, they will be cleaning the banks of the river in various areas and trails by foot, as well as pulling trash out of the river from canoes. The cleanups generally run from 9am-1pm and will be followed by lunch, except for May 17th, which is held in conjunction with the River Edge Environmental Commission. Refreshments, lunch, garbage bags, gloves, trash pick-up sticks, rakes and shovels will be provided. For more information, or to be on the contact list contact Kathy Urffer at 201-968-0808, or kathyu@hackensackriverkeeper.org May 17 River Edge 8am to 4pm

June 28 Hack River County Park 9am to 1pm

July 19 Lincoln Park 9am to 1pm

August 16 Pascack Brook County Park 9am to 1pm

September 6 Overpeck Creek County Park 9am to 1pm

September 27 Snipes Park, Secaucus 9am to 1pm

October 25 Ridgefield Park DPW 9am to 1pm

I st Annual Pine Barrens Cleanup Day – Saturday, May 24, 2003

Volunteers are needed to spend a day in the Pinelands. We will meet 9 am at the Atsion Ranger Station on Rt. 206. The Cleanup Day is sponsored by the Blanda Mutimedia Group. Other sponsors are welcome. This is a land-based cleanup and we will begin along Quaker Bridge Rd. For more info contact Leona Fluck at lfluck@pineypaddlers.com or 609-259-3734. You can also contact Robert Blanda 856-719-0273 or

fo@eblanda.com in

You can also sign up at The Pine Barrens Enthusiasts website www.thepinebarrens.com

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 8

Upcoming Events: Run for the Musconetcong River – Sunday, May 4, 2003 The Musconetcong Watershed Association is holding a 4.0 Mile Run for the River on Sunday May 4th 2003. The Run for the River will take place in the village of Asbury (Warren County). Runners will pass streams, pastures, historic buildings, and of course the beautiful Musconetcong River on this mostly flat, fast course. Free bagels and ottled water will be available for all participants. Lots of awards! Ample parking, great flat fast course. b

Race applications can be obtained by calling (908) 537-7060 or you can register on race day at 8:30am. For info about the event or the Musconetcong Watershed Association, contact 908-537-7060 beth@musconetcong.org B uild a Skin on Frame Kayak – May 10 - 12, 2003 Bob Foote is leading a 3-day class to build a skin on frame boat. This is a non-traditional craft utilizing modern materials allowing for the quick build time of 24 hours. You will leave with a customized craft ready for waterproofing of your choice at your home location. Our building shop is located on the Crosswicks Creek in Bordentown. Not only will you have a great shop facility at your disposal but we will also have boats available when you need a break and want to get out on the water. For more details check the Paint Island Canoe & Kayak website under Building and Repair www.paintisland.com C anoe Freestyle Clinic – Saturday/Sunday, May 24 & 25, 2003 On May 24 and 25, Karen Knight, international women's freestyle champion will hold a two day freestyle clinic, at Mercer Lake in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. Karen is featured in Kent Fords "Drill Time" video. This is an excellent chance to get paddling instruction from one of the best in the country. No prior freestyle experience is

ecessary. The class will run from 9 to 4 each day and the cost is $130 per person. n This class is limited to eight people, so reserve your spot now. For information please contact David Coleman at (609)771-3680 or padlcnu@comcast.net S outh Jersey Canoe and Kayak Classic – Saturday, June 7, 2003 - 10am – 4pm Basic canoeing and kayaking, canoe camping, kayak rolling, assisted rescues, kayak fishing, birding and eco tour paddling are some of the activities that will be offered at this free event sponsored by Ocean County Parks & Recreation. Everyone is welcome to try their paddling skills and try a variety of canoes and kayaks in the lake. Over 100 models of canoes & kayaks; clinics & demonstrations; antique canoes; many manufacturers & canoe clubs; accessories; races and much, much more! Unlimited test paddling - $2.00 per person. Ocean County Park is located on State Highway 88 in Lakewood, NJ which can be easily reached from the Garden State Parkway, Route 9 or Route 70. For more info check the website www.co.ocean.nj.us/parks/classic.html The Delaware River Sojourn 2003 – June 13 – 21, 2003 Join the Sojourn and discover why the Delaware is More Than A River. The Delaware River Sojourn is an 8–day one–hundred mile paddle that provides a journey full of happy memories, good exercise, new friends and a wonderful appreciation for a wonderful resource. Travelers can sign up for the entire trip or for the section or day(s) of their choice. The registration deadline is May 31, 2003. For info about the Sojourn contact Leona Fluck at 609-259-3734 or lfluck@mohawkcc.com. For Day Plan information or to register please visit www.drbc.net

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 9

Mohawk River Training Course – June 14 - 15 & June 21 – 22

Improve your canoe and kayak paddling skills with Ken Heaphy’s four-day Mohawk River Training Course offered on June 14-15 and June 21-22. The course is a sequence of paddling instruction designed to take the participant from an Introductory level to a Class II level of paddling. Even if you have taken the course before, we recommend taking it again. The program covers Safety, Rescue, Equipment, River Features, Basic and Advanced Strokes, Eddy Turns, Peel Outs, Front and Back Ferries, and Surfing standing waves in rivers. Applications are in “Forms” section at www.mohawkcc.com

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY UPDATES: New Members Lucille & Eugene Barisonek, 510 Elizabeth AVE, Somerset NJ 08873-5200, 732-873-2217, luci@soneko.com Jeff Hackett, 420 Skyline Lake DR, Ringwood NJ 07456-1957, 973-839-8265, jhackettfamily@cs.com Dale Herrick & Teresa Brieck, 230 W Durand ST, Philadelphia PA 19119-2505, 215-848-2235, kayakkats@juno.com Michael Jackowski, 376 Ramtown Greenville RD, Howell NJ 07731-2789, 732-370-0347, mcky-@yahoo.com Flo Labenski, 53 Newman AVE, Nutley NJ 07110-2125, 973-235-1073 Scott Schmitt, 140 Stephan RD, Brick NJ 08724-7040, 732-206-9744, mid@att.net Nick & Kathy Sperduto, 4 Chipmunk Pass, Glen Gardner NJ 08826-3100, 908-537-0739, drt-rdr@att.net J an Walters, 49 Jasons Way, Richboro PA 18954-1727, 215-953-8916, janiwalt@aol.com

MCC RECIPE OF THE MONTH:

Barbara Shanko’s Sweet Potato Salad recipe is absolutely delicious. Barbara brought this salad to the August 13, 2002 covered dish supper enjoyed by paddlers on the Lenape Rising Nation Journey down the Delaware. Try it for your Memorial Day picnic!

SWEET POTATO SALAD 2 lbs sweet potatoes 1 ½ cups mayonnaise 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ¼ teaspoon salt 4 hard cooked eggs, chopped 1 ½ cups finely chopped celery 8 green onions, sliced

Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover with a lid and boil gently until the potatoes can easily be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30-45 minutes. Drain. When potatoes are cool, peel and dice. In a large bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard and salt. Stir in eggs, celery and green onions. Add potatoes; stir gently to mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 – 4 hours. YIELD: 8 – 10 servings

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 10

CLASSIFIED SECTION: F OR SALE 1st MONTH: Mohawk 17ft. Blazer Tandem Canoe: yellow fiberglass in good condition. It is also rigged for competition sailing. 5 meter sail complete with lee boards and all rigging. Meets ACA sailing regulations with 4 batten sail. Boat has been raced on the Navesink River and Lake George. $400. Call Gerry Pidcock at 609-654-3028. F OR SALE 2nd MONTH: Perception/Acadia Kayak: 12.5 ft, solo with hatches and fitted spray skirt $600. Call Dale Brooks 410-398-8456

r e-mail brooks21921@yahoo.com o Please let me know if or when your equipment sells. Leona Fluck 609-259-3734 or lfluck@mohawkcc.com

MOHAWK CENTENNIAL Logo Clothing:

Indicate size & quantity. Orders filed monthly throughout centennial year. Date: _________________________

Name: _________________________

Ship Address: ___________________

_______________________________

Phone:

__________________________

Email: __________________________

Send order and payment (check to Mohawk Canoe Club) to:

Linda Straus 110 Foothill Rd. Flemington, NJ 08822 (908) 782-8677 Frosted@blast.net

(Prices are at cost.)

Book Sales: Canoeing with Mohawk Canoe Club: the First Hundred Years is available for all members to order: The book is $15.00 plus $2.00 for postage. Please send check (payable to Mohawk Canoe Club) to Jeanne Epstein, 10 Sarazen Court, Florham Park, NJ 07932. Jeanne Epstein, Book Committee Co-Chair MOHAWK CANOE CLUB FLAG ORDER: In our by-laws our flag is described as "a pennant with a red field and yellow ball in the center there of ". The ennant will be 10" tall and 15" long. The cost is $19.95 each. p

To order: Make check payable to Mohawk Canoe Club. Mail to: Al Bartl 3372 Hemlock Farms Lords Valley, PA 18428

Outer Banks Polo Shirts; 100% cotton pique, red w/gold logo size quantity price Mens short sleeve S-2XL $22.00 Womens short sleeve S-XL $22.00 Mens long sleeve M-2XL $25.50 Mens short sleeve - slightly heavier weight w/side vents and back tail

S-3XL $25.00

Three Rivers Denim Long Sleeve Shirt; light blue w/gold logo Mens w/pocket S-2XL $27.00 Womens S-XL $27.00

Land’s End Aircore-200 Polartec; red w/gold logo (warmer than original Polartec 200, more compressible, DriOff finish makes light rain roll off) Mens vest S-XXL $48 Mens Big vest 2XL, 3XL $53 Womens vest S-XL $48

Logo (gold) your own clothing

$ 9.00

TOTAL:

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 11

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE May 3, 2003 thru June 29, 2003

* Denotes Trip of the Month

“ Count the day lost, whose low descending sun sees no fall leaped, no foamy rapids run ”

Sat 5/3 Sun 5/4 ACA Camping Weekend: Narrowsburg, NY Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

* Sat 5/3 Delaware River, NY 1,2 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Sat 5/3 Toms River, NJ 1 George & Ginny Carty 732-286-5116

Sun 5/4 Delaware River, NY 1,2 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Sun 5/4 Paulins Kill, NJ 1,2 Dave Prugh 732-951-9239

Wed 5/7 Cedar Creek, NJ 1 A. Hood/J. Epstein 215-968-3598

Fri 5/9 Sun 5/11 Round Valley Roundup Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Sun 5/11 South Branch Raritan, NJ 1 Kathleen Heaphy 908-526-0943

* Wed 5/14 Moonlight Canoe Trip 1 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Sat 5/17 Upper Delaware River, NY 1,2 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Sun 5/18 Susquehanna River, PA 1 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Mon 5/19 Great Egg Harbor River, NJ 1 George & Leona Fluck 609-259-3734

Thu 5/22 Sun 5/25 3rd Annual Juniata River Sojourn, PA 1 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

* Fri 5/23 Mon 5/26 Memorial Day Weekend Clarion River, PA 1 Denis Albisser 908-537-2501

Sat 5/24 Delaware River, NJ 1 leader needed -

Sun 5/25 Shrewsbury River, NJ 1 Bill Mallack 732-382-9041

Mon 5/26 Delaware River, NJ 1 Ruth Gibson 609-586-0588

Wed 5/28 Raritan River, NJ (canceled) 1 George & Leona Fluck 609-259-3734

Wed 5/28 Grice School Trip, Oswego River (added) 1 Tom Wilkins 609-585-6233

Fri 5/30 Grice School Trip, Oswego River (added) 1 Tom Wilkins 609-585-6233

Fri 5/30 Lackawaxen River, PA 1,2 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Sat 5/31 W. Branch Delaware River, NY 1 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Sun 6/1 Esopus Creek, NY 2,3 Chris Daul 908-782-9731

* Sun 6/1 E. Branch Delaware River, NY 1 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

Sun 6/1 Cedar Creek, NJ 1 Jeanne Epstein 973-377-7475

Sat 6/7 Batsto River, NJ 1 Kevin McCarthy 908-879-4158

Sat 6/7 Ocean County Canoe Classic, NJ Ruth Gibson 609-586-0588

Sun 6/8 Cedar Creek, NJ 1 George & Ginny Carty 732-286-5116

Sun 6/8 MCC River Training Graduates Refresher 1,2 Ken Heaphy 908-526-0943

Thu 6/12 Moonlight Canoe Trip, NJ 1 Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454

* Sat 6/14 Sun 6/15 Lehigh River Release, PA 3 leader needed -

Sat 6/14 Sun 6/15 Mohawk River Training Day 1 & 2 Ken Heaphy 908-526-0943

Sat 6/14 Fri 6/20 Delaware River Sojourn 1,2 George & Leona Fluck 609-259-3734

Sun 6/15 Delaware River, NJ 1,2 Michael Paul 609-333-8640

Sat 6/21 Sun 6/22 Mohawk River Training Day 3 & 4 Ken Heaphy 908-526-0943

Sat 6/21 Fri 6/27 Susquehanna Sojourn - Chenango R., NY 1 . .

Sun 6/22 Mullica River, NJ 1 George & Leona Fluck 609-259-3734

* Sun 6/22 Lower Delaware River, NJ 1 George & Ginny Carty 732-286-5116

Thu 6/26 Raritan River - New Brunswick to Amboy 1,1+ George & Leona Fluck 609-259-3734

Sat 6/28 6/29 Lehigh River Release, PA 3 leader needed -

Sun 6/29 Delaware River, NJ 1 Michael Paul 609-333-8640

THE POSTCARD MAY 2003 12

MOHAWK CANOE CLUB c/o Leona Z. Fluck 229 Sharon Road Robbinsville NJ 08691-2314 Exp. Date (m-yy) Dec-99 (F) MOHAWK CANOE CLUB ELECTRONIC DELIVERED POSTCARD ADOBE PDF VERSION 08691-2314

Vol. 100●No5●(32)●(229,39,150,154.1)

YEAR 2003 MOHAWK CANOE CLUB

COMMODORE Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454 cnielsen@mohawkcc.com VICE COMMODORE Ken Heaphy 908-526-0943 kheaphy@mohawkcc.com TREASURER Al Bartl 570-775-1540 ambartl@msn.com RECORDING SECRETARY Linda Straus 908-782-8677 frosted@blast.net CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Ruth Gibson 609-586-0588 rgibson@mohawkcc.com ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR Chris Nielsen 908-876-3454 cnielsen@mohawkcc.com CRUISER CHAIR Jeanne Epstein 973-377-7475 jaalms@aol.com HISTORIAN Dorothy Dreas 609-586-0588 ddreas@mohawkcc.com POSTCARD Leona Fluck 609-259-3734 lfluck@mohawkcc.com

Official Website at: www.mohawkcanoeclub.org