Contributed photo National Park Service ranger Bob Kirby gives a talk about Delaware River history and habitat during the Sojourn. (Click for larger image)

River Sojourn is a learning experience

By DAVID HULSE

RIVER VALLEY — This weekend, June 15 to17, the Upper Delaware River will be hosting the first two days of the seventh annual Delaware River Sojourn, an eight-day, guided down river paddling tour of the Delaware River, stretching from Hancock to the Delaware Estuary on the Atlantic Ocean.

Members of Congress from three states and more than 2000 participants have paddled in Delaware Sojourns since 1995. So why is this canoe trip different from any other canoe trip?

Some of the answer is in the name itself. Sojourn, from the French, is today most often used in terms of traveling, but the dictionary defines it as taking up “a brief period of residence” in a new place. Sojourn organizers want participants to do more than look at the scenery, according to Laurie Ramie of the Upper Delaware Council (UDC).

Ramie says a Sojourn Steering Committee, including some two dozen public agencies, private organizations and businesses, plans the Sojourn on an almost year-round basis. The trip is a paddling experience for up to 100 persons on any given day, but it’s also planned to include frequent stops with programs that give participants a deeper understanding of the cultural and natural history of various sections of the river.

For example, this year, sojourners will see the sites during the trip and later hear campfire accounts of local history.

National Park Service and Upper Delaware Historian Mary Curtis will give a talk about the “Turnip Field Massacre” at the Cochecton settlement during the French and Indian War, and the Minisink Valley Historical Society’s Executive Director Peter Osborne will detail the New York-New Jersey boundary conflict of the colonial period.

	Contributed photo Camping along the Delaware adds to the river Sojourn experience. (Click for larger image)

Travelers will also hear of the conservation efforts of the Delaware Highlands Conservancy from organizer Barbara Yeaman at a stop in Milanville. At a Narrowsburg stop, they will learn about the UDC’s work from council officials, and explore the river’s deepest pool, the Big Eddy. A final stop in the two-day Upper Delaware segment will view the historic Tusten stone-arch bridge, which was damaged by flooding in 2000.

Meal breaks are taken often, at stops organized by local service organizations. “They’re fundraisers for the groups and they’re needed meals for us. Everybody benefits,” Ramie said.

While the river is more than 300 miles long, the trip, from June 15 to 23, includes about 100 miles of paddling in four different river sections: the Upper Delaware, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the newly created Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic River and the estuary. Boaters are shuttled between these boating areas and to nightly camping sites. About 20 persons make the entire eight days each year, Ramie said.

Aside from being a river adventure, the experience is an exercise in networking, designed to spread the word about the regional importance of the river. “The object is to showcase the river. Just the fact that we can paddle from end to end is impressive. The Delaware is the longest free-flowing river in the east. We also want to show that while we are diverse in many ways, we also have cohesiveness in efforts to protect the river,” said Ramie.

Aside from a one-time $10 registration fee, the Sojourn costs $55 per day ($37 for children 12 and under), which includes canoe rentals, overnight camping, most meals, a commemorative tee-shirt, shuttles, recreational and cultural programs. A $20 fee is charged to late registrants.

You can get more information by logging on to www.drbc.net and clicking “Delaware River Sojourn” link. Locally, call the UDC for more information at 845/252-3022 or e-mail Ramie at udcramie@ezaccess.net.