You took the words right out of my mouth, Ben! That's right, some 200 years ago Quakers drowned crossing the Basto at Quaker Bridge on their way to their meetings. They were on sort of a pilgrimmage from Mt Holly to someplace closer to the shore (the name escapes me). When I first read about the drownings I was bewildered. No one would drown in the water as low as I've seen it on different occasions. Unless you're Little John in Mel Brooks' ROBIN HOOD;MEN IN TIGHTS. In the movie, Robin Hood had a battle on a bridge with Little John, using big sticks, which got whittled down to a few inches during the fight. Robin knocked Little John off the bridge into a large puddle of water only a few inches deep when Little John cried out "help me Robin; I can't swim" as he lay in the puddle trashing about. Gratefull that he saved his life, Little John joined forces with Robin Hood.
You the picture, Ben, after a long dry spell. It would be interesting how much closer the water level is to that found in the photo you took several years ago, Guy. BTW, good to see you on this board, Guy. Maybe others from the Enthusiasts board will visit here.
It is probable that the water was deeper in the past. Perhaps because more people are drawing from the underground reservoir. Also, bodies of water naturally go through different stages of ecological succession. It could be a combination of different factors. At any rate, I really enjoy the Basto river and the area in the vicinity of Quaker Bridge. Although when I visited the area a few weeks ago I found some graffiti on the bridge (let's not take the Getto into the wilderness!), for the most part I found this to be a nice, not crowded area. The few people I have met were pleasant and found that when another vehicle comes the other way, the drivers were curteous, not just plowing through. The unwritten rule seems to be that the vehicle closest to an area to pull to the side pulls off to let the other car pass by. I've found that folks with ORV's tend to readily find a place to pull off to let me by, as their vehicle has less of a chance to get stuck in certain terrain.
Late this summer, my daughter and I hiked down to the Lower Forge Wilderness Camp from Quaker Bridge. The scenery was of a tenor to match a dutch landscape painting. My daughter, dog and I climbed out on a limb that reached across the Basto. My daughter found a clothesline and made a swing she sat and swung in over the water. We thought that it would be neat to raft from Lower Forge to Quaker Bridge, but we never got around to getting another raft.
I just hope the water level stays high enough for canoeing, kayacking, and tubing for years to come.
