172 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Aug. io, 1912 
Canoeing Down the Ramapo River 
through to Pompton Lakes, where arrangements 
had been made for an unusually fine dinner to 
be served. 
the hills echoed with the pleadings of the un¬ 
fortunates to salvage this or that part of their 
outfit. This accident caused a delay of twenty 
minutes to enable the ‘‘early morning bathers” 
to don dry apparel, after which we were off 
and continued for quite some time, when an¬ 
other “lift” around a dam was necessary before 
we were able to make further progress. After 
this the river gave us splendid uninterrupted 
enjoyment in the way of rifts and fast water, 
By JOHN F. AHRENS, JR. (A. C. A. No. 5724) 
Photographs by D. J. Finn 
W ITH a loud shout of “Whoop-e-e-e” 
forty-five members of the Atlantic 
Division of the American Canoe Asso¬ 
ciation celebrated their arrival at Suffern, N. Y., 
the rendezvous for their annual cruise. 
We were directed to the freight house by 
Alfred D. Berning, or “Hike,” as he is better 
known to us, where we found our canoes and 
duffle in good order. After substituting our 
turned out to be the only place in the river to 
admit of passage, and all canoes maneuvered 
safely through, but one, which had aboard three 
members and their outfit. They were suddenly 
swept broadside against a tree and capsized with 
the result that their entire duffle, including some 
loosely packed clothing, a camera and various 
other articles that were lying in the boat, floated 
down stream. Instantly all was excitement and 
“among those present." 
READY FOR THE START. 
“glad rags” for the “ole clo,” we portaged the 
canoes and outfits to the Ramapo River, which 
at this point is about twelve feet wide and has 
a slow current. With the purchasing of “grub,” 
everything was ready, and in a few minutes we 
were away. 
Shortly after the start a canoe containing 
three members and their outfit came to grief 
while running a rapid, causing a series of rips 
in the canvas for about six feet. To save the 
outfit all three jumped into the water and suc¬ 
ceeded in dragging the canoe ashore. Luckily 
they were able to procure a strip of canvas, and 
with the aid of some glue, patched the boat and 
then proceeded on their way. With the excep¬ 
tion of a few slight scrapes from rocks all went 
well, until we had about reached our stopping 
place for the night, where a shallow rapid left 
several of the canoes hard aground in mid¬ 
stream, which necessitated wading. 
Having made camp and eaten our fill, we 
gathered around the camp-fire, singing songs 
and telling stories until half-past io o’clock, 
when we “turned in” with the prospects of a 
long day’s run ahead of us. 
We were awakened at daybreak by the 
quacking of ducks in a pond a short distance 
away. A shower during the night made the 
ground wet and soggy. With breakfast over we 
launched our canoes, and once more were afloat 
We soon reached the first carry, in reality 
only a “lift,” around a small dam. Here two 
canoeists were drenched, and their boat partly 
filled with water in attempting to run up close 
to the dam. Shouts of glee from their com¬ 
panions showed how sincerely their predicament 
was appreciated. 
With “plain sailing ahead” we steadied down 
to our usual cruising pace, when the first canoe 
was seen to swerve to the left bank and shoot 
through a space about six feet wide. This 
After dinner a group photograph was taken, 
and the spirit that prevailed is best shown by the 
illustration herewith. Proceeding to the river, 
almost everyone took two or more trips through 
the rapids below the Pompton Lakes Dam, the 
more expert ones doing such' stunts as stand¬ 
ing on their heads and on the gunwales. Some 
of the members, captivated by the excitement 
attending their experiences, became careless and 
three upsets occurred almost simultaneously. 
Within half an hour we arrived at a falls 
about five feet in height, and for some time we 
centered our efforts at this place, shooting the 
drop again and again. After all had obtained 
their fill of excitement, the number of upsets 
reached the grand total of fourteen, while one 
canoe recorded damages to the extent of twelve 
broken ribs and four split planks. 
With the exciting part of our trip over, we 
“laid to” the blades with increased effort, so 
as to reach Mountain View, the end of our jour¬ 
ney, before dark. The clouds, which had been 
threatening during the greater part of the day, 
now began to shower water upon us in torrents 
and continued for almost an hour, making it 
necessary for some canoes to be beached and 
emptied of their accumulating load. Of course 
everyone who had not taken the precaution to 
equip himself with a raincoat or poncho was 
thoroughly soaked. 
At the bridge crossing near Mountain View 
we were all glad to see George P. Douglass, an 
old member and enthusiastic participant in the 
doings of the American Canoe Association. 
We portaged our canoes and duffle a short 
distance and loaded them aboard a freight car 
for shipment home, after which Theodore Quase- 
bart invited us to his summer bungalow, where 
a most delightful luncheon was served and an 
enjoyable time was had by all. 
