EASTON, Pa. — The Delaware River was quiet and calm Wednesday afternoon at the Sandt's Eddy Boat Launch – until one bright orange kayak rounded a bend, its pilot paddling in the sunshine.
Another kayak appeared, then another, then dozens, all aiming for the ramp that would be their lunch stop on the day’s paddling stretch during this year’s Delaware River Sojourn.
“I’ve been sojourning for about 13 years,” said Beth Walter Honadle, of the southern Finger Lakes region of New York. “This is by far the best one.
“The Delaware is absolutely gorgeous, with fast water, slow water and beautiful scenery.”
The Delaware River Sojourners are here!!
— Molly Bilinski, artisanal sentence crafter (@MollyBilinski) June 19, 2024
Seventy-nine paddlers have made it to the boat launch. pic.twitter.com/ijRPPvn2dC
For the 29th year, the Delaware River Sojourn, an eight-day guided paddling and camping trip, is underway, with about 100 paddlers participating. Starting in Lackawaxen Township, Pike County, participants travel more than 85 miles before ending in Bordentown Beach, N.J.
While the multi-day event is an opportunity for residents and visitors to experience the river, officials said, it also works to bolster awareness for conservation efforts, as well as foster stewardship.
“We have the best food of any sojourn,” said 70-year-old Walter Honadle, who this year marked her fifth Delaware River Sojourn. “But, it’s really the people that make it so great. It’s just so welcoming to everyone and they’re so accommodating.”
To coincide with this year’s theme, “River of Inspiration,” educational programming throughout the event highlights “stories of artists, outdoor enthusiasts, scientists and everyday people who are inspired by their experiences on or along the Delaware River,” officials said.
"The Sojourn is a wonderful way to learn about and discover the Delaware River," said Steve Tambini, executive director of the Delaware River Basin Commission and repeat sojourner. "By getting people out on the water and experiencing it first-hand, the sojourn helps create stewards of this important natural resource."
‘An outdoor adventure geared for everyone’
The Delaware River Sojourn began in 1995, with each day of the weeklong event planned out and scheduled. Every morning, there’s a mandatory safety briefing presented by a member of the National Canoe Safety Patrol.
“Special conditions to be encountered during the day will be covered in the briefing,” according to the sojourn’s safety plan, posted online. “For example, possible hazards, stream etiquette, and sharing the river with anglers and other recreational users will be discussed.
“If the river is flowing well above average, sojourners will be given the option of using rafts instead of canoes/kayaks; conditions will dictate how the trip is to be run.”
A member of the patrol leads the trip, setting the pace and ensuring no sojourner is left behind by using paddle signals and whistles. There is also a safety patrol, planners, coordinators and ambassadors – all working together to make sure the trip runs smoothly.
"The sojourn is an outdoor adventure geared for everyone."Mark Zakutansky, chair of the Sojourn Steering Committee
"The sojourn is an outdoor adventure geared for everyone," said Mark Zakutansky, director of conservation policy engagement for the Appalachian Mountain Club and chair of the Sojourn Steering Committee, in a news release. "This year’s theme is ‘River of Inspiration’; generations of artists, outdoor enthusiasts, scientists and everyday people are inspired by their experiences on or along the Delaware River, and we plan to highlight these stories through our programming."
The Delaware River originates in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York and flows for more than 300 miles southward into Delaware Bay, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.
“The millions of people who cross it daily may be vaguely aware that George Washington made history when he crossed it once, but few recognize its importance to their daily lives,” according to the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, a nonprofit organization based in Bristol, Bucks County. “Though the watershed drains only four-tenths of one percent of the total continental U.S. land area, 15 million people — about 5 percent of the nation’s population — rely on the Delaware River Basin for their drinking water.
“This includes the largest and fifth largest cities in the nation — New York and Philadelphia.”
Camping, camaraderie
Andrea Alboretti Colman, of Pine Island, N.Y., for the past several years has been camping and kayaking alone, but she wanted to change that.
“For me, it’s about the camping and the camaraderie.”Andrea Alboretti Colman, of Pine Island, N.Y.
“I thought, ‘There's got to be a group of people who like to camp,’” she said, adding that an internet search led her to the sojourn. “For me, it’s about the camping and the camaraderie.”
For Wednesday’s paddle, sojourners began at the Martins Creek Boat Access in Lower Mount Bethel Township, stopping for lunch at Sandt's Eddy before continuing on to Phillipsburg, N.J., where kayaks were taken out of the river. It was a 10-mile trek, with Class 1 rapids, characterized by calm, fast-moving water with small waves.
During the break, officials acknowledged Northampton County Park and Recreation’s 50th anniversary, the 20th anniversary of the Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape Partnership and Mike Topping, a Valley conservationist, with “High Admiral” awards.
Awardees are selected each year “to honor those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to protect the health of the Delaware River and its environs,” according to the sojourn’s website.
Claire Sadler, executive director of the Delaware & Lehigh Heritage Corridor, accepted the award on behalf of the greenways conservation landscape partnership.
“Our goals have been to bring the organizations together and really amplify the work we’re doing by working together,” Sadler said. “I hope that you’ve seen the impact of all of that over the years and that you continue to see it, because it’s clearly not an initiative anymore, as it was back in 2004.”
“It is now a program that we hope stays in the state budget for years and brings that state funding to this region, and is able to continue the efforts we’re doing with outdoor recreation, land conservation, green infrastructure projects and more.”
