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SECTION I
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THE BEAUTIFUL HEADWATERS
The Delaware River begins in the shadow of Point Mountain near Hancock, N.Y., where the East Branch and West Branch flow together. The headwaters section ends at Narrowsburg, N.Y., where the river narrows and deepens, forming a pool over 113 feet in depth. Between Point Mountain and Narrowsburg, the Delaware passes through near wilderness areas which today show few signs of man's earlier destruction of the forests.
The upper Delaware River is appreciated by paddlers, hunters, and fishermen alike, for it offers much to each of them. The hunters find duck and geese hunting to be rewarding; their decoys mark their shooting stands. The fishermen can catch their limit from the bank or from a boat floating with the current. The paddler can find riffles, swift water, and eel weirs to provide swift passage and mild challenges between long stretches of milder current.
The forests along the bank were cut by loggers during the 1800's to provide timber to build ships and houses at the downstream cities. The forests are now restored and abound with wildlife. White-tail deer are frequently seen from the river or the road and beaver are making a comeback. Black bears avoid people and are seldom seen, but they inhabit the mountainous forests.
Many of the towns along the Pennsylvania and New York banks have names with a musical ring, such as, Equinunk, Long Eddy, Callicoon, Cochecton, and Damascus. Other towns such as Lordville, Skinners Falls, and Milanville were named after early settlers. Virtually all of these towns provide public or private accesses to the river for paddlers.
The eel weirs, which date back over fifty years, were constructed to trap this undesirable type of fish. Paddlers must avoid entering the "Vee" which funnels water into a wooden structure that traps the eels. It would spoil your whole day to have a swamped canoe pressing you into the narrow slats of the wooden structure. The eel weirs are easily avoided by paddling to the far right or left of the low rock dams that form the "Vee", so plan to inspect these fascinating structures from the downstream side.
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