On 2-3 Dec. I did a canoe camper on the Mullica river in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Met Curt & Eileen at the Atsion ranger station on Rt 206 north of Hammonton, NJ, which is close to the put-in, on Friday evening, then went north a few miles to the Pic-a-Lili restaurant, a good place to eat and local hot spot. Camped at nearby Goshen Pond, primitive camping, close to Atsion. On Saturday morning another 6 paddlers from Mohawk and AMC showed up. The morning was sunny and rather warm but overcast moved in after noon, at which time it felt cool. Water levels were low, probably 50 cfs. It is tea colored, flowing at 1-2 mph. The river is often 15 feet wide or less. The channel twists and turns incessantly and you are continuously avoiding drowned wood in the channel or overhead. You work hard to make the 6 miles to camp. The banks are heavily wooded, often several feet higher than the water. There is a lot of white cedar, pine, maple, oak, but nothing in bloom. There is only a single approved camping location located on a sandy knoll, fairly open with pines and fire rings. There is a pump for drinking water and pit privys. Far more food was brought, and shared, than was needed: potatoes, brats, quiche, breads, cookies, chips and later the libations. The campfire lasted well into the night.
In the morning I was the first up, finding some red coals remaining in the fire pit, so had a fire going quickly. It was near freezing. We boiled water for oats, coffee & tea, and consumed leftovers from the previous evening. It was close to 10 before we were floating the river again. The character of the river changes little, though slowly widening. The woods continued to be very quiet. It took about 2 hrs to paddle to the take-out not far from the Batsto ranger station.
On Monday Curt, Jack and I launched at Oswego Lake, paddling across it and portaging over a dike next to a water control structure and into the river. It is likewise very small, perhaps only 50cfs, but clear water, and it looks different from the Mullica. Often the bottom is visible as are the grasses growing there. This is a 'short paddle' river, meaning that you dig into the bottom on nearly every paddle stroke. The scenery is somehow different: banks generally low, only a foot above the water, thus you can see back into the woods quite some distance. The woods is almost a monoculture of white cedar with a little maple and pine. There is frequently cranberry growing on the banks: I picked and ate a few berries. The channel winds about, and there is some down wood, but not bad. This continues for around 5 miles, at which point the channel disappears into a field of rushes, still 18” deep but with vegetation extending 18” above water level. You have to work to get thru here, until about mile 6, when it returns to being a river. After a few miles you find yourself in another lake, paddling across it for a half mile to take-out.
I found the information in Ed Gertler's guidebook to be right-on. If you like swamp paddling on very small streams in a wilderness setting, then Pine Barrens streams are your cup of tea. Tom McCloud
Mullica & Oswego, NJ
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