Kayaking the Great Egg Harbor River

With my Dave Gentry Designed Chuckanut 12S kayak completed, I had the bright idea of going to lake Lenape in Mays Landing to do her (and mine!) maiden voyage.  Having new Kayaked before, I can't say I knew what to expect, but I did come away feeling worn out, sore, burnt, and accomplished.

I imagine more sane people would have just paddled to the far end of the lake and returned,  but I never claimed to be sane.  Lake Lenape was formed by damming up the Great Egg Harbor River about mid-way along it's path to the sea.  This was done to power a mill that stands vacant next to the dam itself.  While not very deep or large, it is the closest body of freshwater to home and one I am more familiar with.

So, having established that I am not totally sane, what did this neophyte kayaker do?  I paddled to the far end of the lake and kept going, a good mile and a half upstream on the river.  I made it to the approximate halfway point to the Weymouth Furnace before realizing it was getting late and turning about to head home.  This was a good thing as the very last mile back to the launch area was pure torture.

If you ever needed proof that the Southern Half of New Jersey is mostly swamp and forest land, here it is:

​I also discovered a new pet peeve.  I wound up following a group of three kayakers back down to the lake.  I paused a long time to let them get out of earshot as I was tired of hearing them blast their music through this pristine looking river.