18 Miles of Kayak Camping
2020 | NY • PA • NJ 🇺🇸
Situated between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the Delaware Water Gap is a 40-mile long free-flowing river with more than 150 miles of surrounding trails.
Day 1
Parker and I stayed the first night camping by the Kittatinny Mountains. It was a hot summer day so we submerged ourselves at Catfish pond for relaxation. That evening we made Vietnamese noodle soup and stargazed with a bottle of top-shelf Bourbon, a smooth floral essence with gentle spice and honey.
Day 2
We woke up way before sunrise and walked through the forest fog to find Catfish Pond again. The mist hovering over the water gave it a mysterious vibe – such a peaceful sight. After that we traveled to our launch site, tied our lightly packed dry bags to our kayaks, and we were on the way.
The first stretch of kayaking was 9 miles, where we then reached the primitive campsite just before dark. We quickly set up camp in this area of Milford and prepped 2 pouches of Backpackers Pantry for dinner - it was extra delicious since I was already too hungry (and my arms were exhausted!).
I woke up in the middle of the night to the loud claps of thunder and flashes of lightning. It was pretty terrifying – I’ve never experienced this while camping before. I’m glad that the tent held up okay!
Day 3
Fast forward to the morning, I woke up cellar spiders crawling in the tent. I smelled the aroma of a beautiful post-storm sunny day. We laid out all our camping gear to dry in the warm sun while we served our bellies with a nutritious breakfast and filtered river water to refill our bottles for the day.
Another day was spent on the river–we paddled another 9 miles to reach our final stop. During lunchtime, we passed by really cool rock formations and ate our packed lunch under their shade. Once we got to Pond Eddy, we set up our campsite by the river and watched the sun set.
Day 4
We visited a few waterfalls before heading back home. What a dope first experience with kayak-camping as well as primitive camping, and I learned so much on how to use new outdoor gear, securing food from animals, and water filtration. I’ve only kayaked two times in my life before this and for a duration of less than an hour each time, so I am surprised how much I pushed myself past my limits. But, the most unforgettable feeling was when I went full-on nude and walked in the forest. It’s when I felt most grounded and free.
