The Great Swamp

[woodjin]

Kind of spur of the moment, I decided to take a hike into the great swamp today. I put on the hip waders and off I went. I should have worn chest waders, the water levels were very high. I went into the savanahs by way of the old cranberry bog down rockwood road, from 206. In hind sight I should have picked a day when the water levels were a bit lower. It was real tough going but I had a good time none the less.

I saw a lot of beaver activity, including a beaver lodge. A huge buck (near a cedar treeline by edge of savanha) and a few small fish. As anyone who has been in a pine barrens' swamp can testify, a few inches depth of water can be hiding 3 or more feet of much below it. I had to remain keenly aware of this and it was slow going. However, on returning to my truck I took a mis-step and ended up up to chest in muck. So much for the hip waders as I was submerged way above them. Further more, the suction was so much I could not free myself. neighboring plants provided no salvation. I literally could not go anywhere, and any attempt to shift weight between my feet sent me down deeper (amazon quick sand). I was begining to feel sorry for the poor guy that was going to find my body, half sticking out of the muck and partially devoured by turkey vultures, when I was able to find a cedar log within the muck that I was able to leverage myself out on.

Fortunitly that occured in the last 1/4 mile of my return so, while cold, I made it out alive. Aside from that it was a great day. I going to try to upload some pictures, hope I do it correctly.

Jeff

 

[woodjin]

okay, lets try this again, it says the pictures are too large.

 

[Ben Ruset]

You're lucky you got out of that sticky situation.

Seriously, though, I'm not sure I'd try crossing a swamp - much less the Great Swamp - alone. Forest -yes. Swamp - no.

 

[BEHR655]

Glad you made it out alive. Next time you have a hankering to do the Great Swamp give me a shout. It's on my to do list.

Steve

 

[wis bang]

First rule of Surrvival, never go alone.

Second rule, always make sure someone knows where you went & when you'll be back; hepls them find the body quicker...

Hypothermia is a REAL concern this time of the year; if your 'sinking' would have hapened farther away from your vehicle; you might have not made it back. Once your core body temp falls enough you will be unable to find your way and it would be rather hard to build a warming fire in the swamp unless you found alot of birchbark & still had the means to light it.

My family worked the Delaware Canal until it's closing so my father literally grew up on the river. I could never take the canoe out until after Memorial day. The Delaware gets at least one person each spring between Ice out & memorial day. Usually a Shad fisherman or an early canoeist.

Hypothermia can develope at 50 degrees and a slight wind think how quick it would be at 25 degrees and a 10 MPH wind.

I hope this was a 'learning experience'. glad you made it out.

 

[Teegate]

Jeff,

Please don't do that again. I hate to sound like the rest who posted, but they are so right.

Guy

 

[Teegate]

okay, lets try this again, it says the pictures are too large.

Did you try to put photo's in the post? If you did, make them less than 600 pixels across.

Guy

 

[Frolickin]

Interestingly, I tried to get there yesterday too. I did not fare well.

My first attempt in was on West Mill Rd. I did not get very far before a large puddle turned me around. I then went down Rockwood. I had never been past the fork before. I didn't make it much further than the fork as a lake stopped me. Okay, it was a large puddle but one would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Given I was still a couple miles from where I wanted to go, I turned around.

I abandoned the idea of getting into the Swamp, promising myself to wait for the dry season.

I then headed down Daves Rd. What an adventure that became. I took the fork over to Sleeper Branch Rd. I had gotten through numerous puddles, but there was one I knew I had to investigate. 'Twas much deeper than all the others and soft. I was going to hoof it from that point, but the entire area was wet and getting across was not going to happen without getting wet a bit. It was 26°. I had a mile to go. I was going to be wet the entire time and I wasn't certain what else was ahead. It was back down the puddle-ridden Daves Rd. I explored a drier area instead.

 

[Teegate]

Interestingly, I tried to get there yesterday too. I did not fare well.

My first attempt in was on West Mill Rd. I did not get very far before a large puddle turned me around. I then went down Rockwood. I had never been past the fork before. I didn't make it much further than the fork as a lake stopped me. Okay, it was a large puddle but one would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Given I was still a couple miles from where I wanted to go, I turned around.

I abandoned the idea of getting into the Swamp, promising myself to wait for the dry season.

I then headed down Daves Rd. What an adventure that became. I took the fork over to Sleeper Branch Rd. I had gotten through numerous puddles, but there was one I knew I had to investigate. 'Twas much deeper than all the others and soft. I was going to hoof it from that point, but the entire area was wet and getting across was not going to happen without getting wet a bit. It was 26°. I had a mile to go. I was going to be wet the entire time and I wasn't certain what else was ahead. It was back down the puddle-ridden Daves Rd. I explored a drier area instead.

When we walked down Rockwood road earlier this year, the area with the large puddles had something worse than the water, it was the sand. Around the edges of the puddles the sand seemed normal, but when you stepped in it you really sunk. I would suspect that a vehicle that was moving slowly would have a tough time getting out if they were not careful.

Guy

 

[BEHR655]

Around the edges of the puddles the sand seemed normal, but when you stepped in it you really sunk.Guy

It was the closest thing to quicksand I ever saw.

 

[BEHR655]

Second rule, always make sure someone knows where you went & when you'll be back; hepls them find the body quicker...

That is a good rule even if the area you are going to is not dangerous. Even a misstep on a twig could cause a broken ankle. I rarely go off trail by myself but when I have I've given the coords for the area to someone.

Steve

 

[woodjin]

I appreciate everyones' concern for my well being and health concerning this latest excursion of mine. I am concerned however that in an ill attempt at being humorous, I may have been misleading as to the true severity of the situation. At no point during the time I was stuck did I truly believe I was in mortal danger (or concerned about being devoured by vultures). True, I was immobilized, but the cedar log I used to free myself was one of several logs in the area. I wouldn't have attempted to cross this area without the knowledge that there would be some means of escape should I get stuck. I doubt that the whole incident took place in more than three minutes.

I also would not have risked getting wet (I had hip waders on so this was the first time I got seriously wet) without being as close as I was to my truck. Just in case. It was a mis-step which put me in that situation but I was far more cautious when I was further from home base. I avoided areas further back that posed a similar threat. Wis bang brought up a good point about hypothermia. That was a main concern of mine and I high tailed it back to the truck afterward.

I did show my wife ahead of time where I would be on a topo, and had a designated time to call her from my cellphone.

I concede that not going into the woods alone, especially a swamp, is a sound policy and ten fold safer. Some times there is that need for solitude (on occasion), and the great swamp, provides that kind of isolation.

Steve, always up for another trip to great swamp!

 

[wis bang]

woodjin, I was not trying to over react as I have seen your posts and it sounds like you had an idea of what was up. I do want any other readers who are not truly aware to learn the truth about hypothermia as water and cold make a mixture that kills the unaware.

Glad to hear that you took some precautions and had informed your wife where you were exploring. Your initial story does sound more dangerous than the later explaination.

We all have a responsibility to the persons, possibly less aware than the rest, reading these adventures to reflect the potential hazards in remote situations. 99% of the time nothing hapens BUT disaster can strike in a few seconds and I really don't want to see anyone become a statistic.

Part of my reaction is from my occupation, I'm the safety director of a trucking company which means that once I was the kind of driver that I would not hire now! I've also have received alot of training regarding personal protective equipment and chemical exposure and after 50 years on this planet i have learned to respect a lot of things that can keep me from returning to the warmth and happiness of my family. Looking back, there were alot of situations that I would not care to repeat, and I have the scars to prove it! I'm lucky to have made it this far and now I wish to be here for another 50 years...

Good luck and be safe.

 

[woodjin]

Wis Bang, I understand. Hypothermia is a very real concern I totally agree. As I recall, the onset of hypothermia is usually quite subtle and often goes unnoticed by the individual affected. Making it even more deadly. Is this true.

Guy, I tried to change the pixles on the pictures I have so I can load them but when I did it croped the picture in an alkward way. I'll have to keep on messing with it.

Jeff

 

[wis bang]

Wis Bang, I understand. Hypothermia is a very real concern I totally agree. As I recall, the onset of hypothermia is usually quite subtle and often goes unnoticed by the individual affected. Making it even more deadly. Is this true.
Jeff

Absolutely, the body is ruthless shutting down the extremities in an attempt to maintain the core body temp. As the limbs loose circulation the nervous system starts uncontrolled shivering in an attempt to generate some body heat. A persons reactions slow down to the point where only outside intervention can save the person's life.

Most first aid is directed to restoring body temp and circulation before the core temp drops too low. Successfully building a big fire as rapidly as possible is the only chance a solo person might have & that's not something easy to do once soaked & shivering your but off....

 

[jerimichelle]

Hey everybody

Newbie poster here. Lifetime MA resident who's always been fascinated by the NJ Pine Barrens. Actually have driven past em, but never explored! Would love to hike the Great Swamp someday, but would prefer to go with someone who knows the lay of the land. Hope to find lots of relevant info here, as to one day make a trip down for some quality time out in the woods

 

[jburd641]

Welcome to the site Swamper. You'll love this site if you have an interest in the Pines.