Paddling News-- River Run Reports

On October 5, 2009, three members of Friends of the Kayaderosseras and Taconic Hiking Club made an informal paddling trip to try again to cut a passage through the major tree-down blockage we have previously reported about two miles downstream from the Grays Crossing (Burl Trail) boat launch. We and others have been working on this blockage periodically all summer but had not been able to get a passage through. The blockage consisted of several large trees and an accumulation of branches and trash. Paddlers had been dragging boats around the blockage to a difficult high-bank relaunch. On this trip we had two canoes, a hand winch and cable, a wet suit, and various other tools.  Colin Campbell and Peter Pfaffenbach did a marvelously skillful job of cutting through sections of major trees in and above the water. The winch was used to lift one tree high enough above the water to permit cutting.  At the end of the day there was an approximately eight foot wide passage through the blockage along the north bank. This is more than adequate for boat passage but will need to be inspected regularly in case trees or branches coming downstream block it again. Based on this days experience and other recent trips, we believe the entire Kayaderosseras from Kelley Park to Saratoga Lake is now open for paddling.   We collected two large bags of trash from the obstacle, but there is a lot more trash remaining. The water level this day was at the bottom of the drainage pipe across from Kelley Park we use as a gage. This is higher than the usual summertime level. We had few if any problems with boat dragging even as we approached Route 9. We pulled out at Nelson Avenue Extension.                                                                                                    

Jan O'Hare and Will Holt

On July 10, 2009 five members of Friends of the Kayaderosseras and Taconic Hiking club made a informal paddling trip to clear out a tree fallen in the "chute". This potentially dangerous tree was identified by Bob Kennedy who noted it had caused at least one capsize. The chute is at a sharp left turn and often surprises paddlers who might not see it in time to avoid a fallen tree. The trip consisted of two canoes and one kayak. We launched at the Grays Crossing (Burl Trail) Access point and pulled out at Nelson Avenue Extension. We found the tree as reported and cut into several sections which we mostly threw up on the left bank. The chute is now open and clear. On the way to the chute we found two additional locations needing work to clear Tree-down obstacles, and we cut passages through both. The water level this day was at the bottom of the drainage pipe we use as a gage across the creek from Kelley Park. The water level was adequate in the section covered by this trip except there was some scraping as we approached Route 9.  The major tree-down obstacle we have previously been working on (a bit upstream from the chute) is still there and still requires dragging around it. So far it has defeated our attempts to cut a passage through it, but we have not given up.                          

Jan O'Hare and Will Holt.

On June 7, 2009 several members of Friends of the Kayaderosseras and Taconic Hiking Club made an informal paddling trip to try a second  time to cut a passage through the multi-tree obstacle upstream from the chute. We launched at the Grays Crossing (Burl Trail) Launch Site and pulled out at Driscoll Road. We had two Grumman Canoes which we assembled into a stable platform for  cutting. We moved several large logs out of their position upstream from the obstacle on river right. We then tried to penetrate the brush and trash buildup on the upstream side of the obstacle. We also did some cutting and trash pickup on the downstream side but, in several hours of work, did not complete a passage. This is a difficult obstacle. Future attempts to cut through it may have to wait for very low water. During the work a man and woman kayakers stopped and took away a considerable quantity of trash we had collected. A man kayaker also stopped and went to work on the effort. These helping hands were much appreciated. This obstacle has a carry-path on river left but the path has a difficult relaunching place because of the high bank.   
The water level this day at Kelley Park was about eight inches below the bottom of the drainage pipe in the opposite bank we use as a gage. This is a significantly low level, but was mostly adequate on this trip except there was some scraping just upstream from Driscoll Road. We collected three bags of trash, plus what the Kayakers took, but there is a lot more to be collected at this obstacle. The pull-out spot at Driscoll Road is very awkward with a steep bank and slippery mud. Efforts to improve this are being considered. 
Jan OHare & Will Holt.

June 1, 2009

Here is a status report on tree-down obstacles in the Kayaderosseras. We have reported on three impassable obstacles between Kelley Park and Saratoga Lake. The first, near the Mourning Kill, is now open as of May 31, due to efforts by Friends of the Kayaderosseras and other unknown paddlers. The second, a multi-tree obstacle just above the chute, is still not passable as of May 31, in spite of work by people from Friends of the Kayaderosseras and the Taconic Hiking club and other paddlers. The third, a multi-tree obstacle near Saratoga Lake, has been cleared as of May 28, mostly by unknown paddlers. Other than the second obstacle, the creek is now passable from Kelley Park to the lake. We will continue to work on this second obstacle. There is currently a carry-path around it.
Jan O' Hare      Will Holt

On May 23, 2009 some members of Friends of the Kayaderosseras and the Taconic Hiking Club ran an informal paddling trip to cut passages through previously identified tree-down obstacles in the Kayaderosseras.

We launched at the Gray's Crossing (Burl Trail) Launch Site. We were intending to further open up the large obstacle near the Mourning Kill (some work had been done here earlier), but we found a lot of recent work had been done by other (unknown) paddlers, and the obstacle had been cleared. So we continued downstream to a previously identified multi-tree obstacle a short distance before the "chute".

This obstacle was still completely blocking the creek requiring a difficult drag-around on river left. We started to cut through this obstacle, and had made some progress, when we were joined by four young men in kayaks. We worked together for some time, but eventually our group had to leave, but the kayakers continued to work.  They were hoping to get a passage through this obstacle. If they succeeded, there are now no prohibitive obstacles between Kelley Park and Saratoga Lake, although there is one obstacle shortly before the lake that is passable, but needs more work. If the kayakers did not finish this obstacle, we will return to it in the next few weeks. We mounted a sign identifying the entrance of Geyser Brook for Kayaderosseras paddlers.        

We pulled out at the Driscoll Road launch site. We picked up 3 or 4 bags of trash as we paddled along the Kayaderosseras. The multi-tree obstacle discussed above had trapped a large quantity of trash and we did not get most of this. The trash problem in the Kayaderosseras seems better than in previous years, but is still significant.  The river level this day was six or eight inches below the bottom of the drainage pipe we use as a gauge in the bank across from Kelley Park. This is a distinctly low level. Paddling from Kelley Park to the Gray's Crossing (Burl Trail) Launch Site would not be possible at this level without severe scraping. But this trip had adequate water depth from Gray's Crossing (Burl Trail) to Driscoll Road, although there was some scraping just before Driscoll Road. We would expect the water depth from Route 9 to the lake to be very adequate at this level.

Report submitted by Jan O'Hare and Will Holt 

On May 2, 2009 we ran our second Kayaderosseras scouting trip of the 2009 season.  This one was a round trip from Nelson Avenue Extension to Saratoga Lake and back.  We also paddled up the Lake Lonely outlet and back.  Five boats made the trip; three kayaks and a solo and tandem canoe.

We found only one major obstacle, a collection of downed trees and branches blocking the Kayaderosseras a few hundred yards from the lake.  We joined another canoeist trying to find a way through this, and we managed to squeeze beneath a major log and then the other canoeist cut several branches with our saw to clear a passage.  This passage got us through but needs more work.  Note that this obstacle is several hundred yards downstream from the very large obstacle removed a few years ago.  Logs are beginning to also gather again at this location.  The Lake Lonely outlet was clear; someone else had apparently cleared a passage through.

We picked up trash as we paddled along the Kayaderosseras.  Most of the distance was only slightly littered, but two locations were badly so.  The two locations were the major obstacles mentioned above, which had litter throughout, and the shoreline at the entrance to the lake.  We cleaned up the entrance to the lake on the river left side, several bags worth, but the river right shoreline was occupied by tents and other property.  We did not attempt to clear litter there or in the major obstacle.

One other thing was accomplished; we attached a sign to a tree identifying the Lake Lonely outlet for paddlers on the Kayaderosseras.

We are planning to do more passage cutting to two obstacles in the section from Kelley Park to Nelson Avenue Extension, and also at the major obstacle near the lake discussed above.  We will also work with others to pick up litter in this obstacle.  If this litter escapes from the obstacle, it will be out in the lake.

The water level the day of this trip was just at the bottom of the eight inch drainage pipe across from Kelley Park.  The level was good in the section we paddled. 

Report submitted by Jan O'Hare and Will Holt 

On April 15, 2009 Friends of the Kayaderosseras ran a scouting canoe trip on the Kayaderosseras from Kelley Park to Nelson Ave. Extension.  The purpose was to identify any obstacles to canoe passage and to trim out passages where possible.  Three canoes and one kayak launched from the new pool-side area across from Kelley Park and found several obstacles as follows: 

1. A major build-up of trees, branches and debris near the junction with the Mourning Kill.  The river was completely blocked to canoe passage.  The crew of seven worked on this build-up for two hours or more and managed to make two passages of sorts.  One is a drag-thru passage on river left.  The other is a tricky passage at the center.
    

2. Three or four miles downstream from the Northline Rd. Bridge they found three separate tree-down obstacles across the river.  The first and third tree obstacles had areas where it was possible to paddle underneath at the water level they were running.  The second tree-down obstacle had several trees together completely blocking the river to canoe passage.  They dragged around on the left side and found relaunching on the downstream side difficult because of the high bank.
    

3. A tree-down into the river immediately above the “chute” restricts approach to the chute and, while not dangerous at this time, it could become so if the tree moved downstream just a little.

 The river level was a bit low for this time of year.  It was about three inches on a recently installed temporary wooden gauge nailed to a tree on the pool side of the river across from Kelley Park.  A more permanent reference is a drainage pipe entering from the pool side.  The water line was just below the center of this pipe.  There was some minor scraping of the boats in the first mile below Kelley Park.   

Report submitted by Will Holt, paddling project leader