Some of the locals and old-timers out in Pemberton, after viewing the recent video, opened their files and repository of Rancocas Creek Water Trail heritage. As the central thesis of the Rancocas Creek Water Trail is heritage. No where else in NJ and for that matter in the Mid-Atlantic is it as well documented public access for leisure and recreation being documented back to the early 1700’s. Prior to this date Indians canoed the Rancocas, from the Pines to the Tide.

After the Civil War canoeing became a well defined activity. In the 1870’s NJ State’s Cartographer documented a 3 day paddle down the Rancocas. The American Canoe Association wrote up numerous paddles on the Rancocas in the 1880’s and 1890’s. Photo were taken as evidenced by the Canby Collection of black and white photos of people canoeing in and about the same era. The Appalachian Mountain Club photos bridged into the 1950’s.

Hacks’s Canoe Retreat in Mount Holly ran from 1900 to about 1975. The gem of all maps and photos is the 1941 Cawley Map of the Rancocas River. See enclosed. The 9-10 page trail guide found w the map is very descriptive of all the places to visit and tour along the Rancocas Creek Water Trail. mega tip of the hat to leetta tamn for helping bring this together.

Hindsight being 20/20, it’s not too early to begin planning your vacation for the ’20 summer season. Rancocas Pathways is offering kayaking/rafting and nature adventures up in Maine’s famed Moosehead Lake Region. Cruise aboard the steamer Katahdin or explore some of the 6 million acres of the Great North Woods. Trek along the Appalachian Trail Club’s 100-Mile Wilderness into Baxter State Park and Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. Daily or multi-day guided tours are available. Check out the recreational options up where ‘The way life should be.‘ https://destinationmooseheadlake.com/

Reviewing a report issued by McKinsey & Company on the role of “disruptive” business models got me thinking about the potential role of non-profits. This necessarily raises iquestions about the potential impact of the Rancocas Creek as a national water trail. While progress has been made in recent months with the NWT Initiative, there is always room for refinement which necessarily flows from the constructive input of fully engaged citizens and community-based organizations. This is particularly true of various recommendations that have urged a disruption of the status quo thinking that too often constrains our field of vision. Local communities throughout the Delaware River Valley can be the beneficiaries of ‘outside the box’ thinking by interjecting new ways of rediscovering various advantages accompanying NJ’s well-earned ‘Crossroads of the Revolution.’ Similarly, friends of Rancocas Creek can justifiably argue that it has long served as the veritable heartbeat running through the historic county seat of Burlington County from the earliest days of old West Jersey.

Sunday October 20, 2019 – Rancocas Pathways hosting a Barnegat Bay Salt Marsh Field trip brings paddlers into the interwoven connections of NJ’s back-bay salt water tidal marsh ecosystem. The allure of the Barnegat Bay tidal marsh is a cherished landscape characterized by expansive October beauty. A vibrant interplay of sunlight, water, marsh, forest, bay, wind and tides. From your kayak you encounter many parts of the salt marsh up close and personal. Paddlers touch a serene beautiful view steeped in mystical heritage, a natural aura and an energetic ever-changing tidal marsh that never ceases to impress.

Registration Required. text 609-876-3086 Meet Parkertown Public Launch, Dock Street, Parkertown, NJ (RT 9 South) 10 AM. Shuttle from Mount Holly available.