First Paddle Of The Season

It’s always nice when a warm day pops up in early spring and you can take the kayak out a little earlier in the season than usual. Today, that happened.

My friend Rich and I hit the water early afternoon and paddled up the Manasquan River. We launched from the Manasquan River State Wildlife Management Area and navigated upstream past the Garden State Parkway and into the limits of Allaire State Park. We had to sneak past a few downed trees and ultimately had to turn around when it became too much to navigate without a serious portage.

We got some good birding in - Osprey, Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Great Egret, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, among others. Rich, the environmentalist he is (and a fellow geologist), went after a piece of litter I saw thrown over a bridge by a car passing by. It was an empty Natty Daddy.

The views were serene, the weather was great, the road noise was suboptimal. But all-in-all it was a good first outing on the kayak… photos below. Enjoy!