| If you're looking for a new and unusual way to explore the Poconos, I have
the perfect suggestion. If you're interested in trying something different to complement
your hiking and canoeing experiences in our wonderfully diverse outdoor region, then visit
Peck's Pond Store, where Roger Wirth has devised an exciting series of adventures into the
waterways of Pike County. His lightweight outback floats enable you to reach wilderness streams and lakes where there is no boat access. Weighing only 21 pounds, each pontoon-like device consists of two torpedo-shaped, plastic floats joined together in the center by a comfortable mesh seat with a back rest. Straps and harnesses convert the entire apparatus to a backpack which can be easily carried through the woods along rough trails to selected waterways to which any other types of water-traveling device would be very difficult, if not impossible, to carry. A single paddle is carried by hand, while a pair of frog-flippers supplies all the kicking power necessary to propel the float quietly through the water. Last month I joined Roger and his two colleagues, Tony and Dean, for my maiden voyage along one of the most beautiful backwaters in the Delaware State Forest near Peck's Pond. A short backpacking hike through the forest brought us to the banks of the stream, whose waters were high and fast after 12 straight days of rain in May. It was a warm, sunny, delightful day to be outdoors, and after lowering the pontoons into the stream and floating away from shore, the cool waters couldn't have felt more refreshing against my bare legs. We floated downstream for about an hour and a half, identifying the plants, birds and insects that shared this wild, serene and environment with us. The forests bordering the stream were dominated by red maples, with just a few shagbark hickories and white oaks among them. The shrub layer was a lot more diversified, with blooming high bush blueberry, arrowwood, silky dogwood, black elderberry and meadowsweet (spiraea) the most common bushes. Beneath these grew lots of skunk cabbage and hellebore, with their huge, wide leaves, and countless chumps of the graceful royal fern emerging right from the water. |
Farther back in the woods were several species of late spring wildflowers,
including foamflowers and white starflower. The trees and shrubs along the stream were full of birds, and we tried to identify as many as possible by both sight and sound. The most common bird was the colorful yellow warbler, which darted back and forth across the stream and sang from the tops of shrubs like a wild canary. Other warblers included the yellowthroat, restart, golden-winged, chestnut-sided and Canada warblers - a gorgeous assemblage of these multi-colored nesting birds that return to tropical forests at the end of the summer. We also saw brilliant scarlet tanagers, tree swallows, rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles; melodious veeries; cedar waxwings, redwinged blackbirds, swamp sparrows, cat-birds and other songbirds. Mallard ducks swam along with us, broad-winged hawks and turkey vultures soared overhead, and a huge great blue heron kept skipping ahead of us each time we approached too closely. Green frogs croaked from the shoreline vegetation, and red-spotted newts wriggled underwater near our feet. A painted turtle basked in the sun on a half-submerged log. Dragonflies were everywhere, as were tiger swallowtail butterflies. Beneath underwater stones we also found many other species of aquatic insects like stoneflies and caddisflies, testifying to the purity and health of the aquatic ecosystem. It was a perfect way to spend a nice day in the Poconos, and I look forward to doing it again on yet another waterway. Roger offers guided nature and fishing trips (for native trout, pickerel and bass) into a variety of sites in the state-owned forests and natural areas of the Poconos. Both three-hour and six-hour trips (including lunch) can be arranged, with a minimum of two people per trip. The only prerequisite is the ability to carry the 21-pound float and be in good-enough physical condition to leisurely kick through the water to propel the float.
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