Kayaking & Canal Ruins

all right so greetings from pennsylvania once again we're out in the lake in blue marsh lake here in berks county and we're headed up there in the direction of that bridge way up there in the distance so at some point last fall i believe we were out this way when the lake levels were lower and we walked i parked further up we walked into that bridge we went looking for some remnants of the union canal that i had heard were still out there i'd heard that they were destroyed and other sources said they were still there remains of a lock and an aqueduct or something called a mule bridge too over the creek up here there's two creeks that flow into the lake up here the north kill creek and the tall pocket creek of course blue marsh lake is a man-made lake union canal went through here and we did find some of those ruins and i talked about coming back with a kayak to explore them some more so today is that day so this time i parked at the union canal paddle launch it's a newer like kayak canoe launch along route 183 the traffic which you can hear right there so we're gonna paddle up to that bridge paddle up the north kill creek a little bit see if we can see those ruins again see if we can get to the ones on the other side and then maybe paddle up the topahawk and creek a little bit just to see if there's anything up there to see so that is the plan today but first we gotta get we gotta get up there all right let me turn around again so we got a little ways to go i do see some other kayakers up there i saw fish jump out there all right time to get paddling sorry it's a little noisy from the traffic but it is what it is all right we're getting closer if you watch if you remember that video if you watched that video this area all in front of us was just mud because during the winter they lower the lake levels we need to walk it we walked onto the mud a little bit now it's all filled with water not terribly deep though get to the right of the screen all in the edge of the lake is where the union canal ran back in the day the early 1800s to i think about 1883 the union canal operated it connected the susquehanna and the schuylkill rivers where's this damn this lake was built in the 70s all right a little bit more ways to go yeah just on the other side of that bridge is where the two creeks kind of converge at the north end of the lake so [Music] yes so we're now under the bridge looking up that way is the topahawken creek off to our left if i paddle to the right up that way is the north kill creek so they both kind of meet right here but the union canal followed the topahawk and creek so up here a little ways up the north carol creek the canal actually had to cross the north kill creek that's why they had to build an aqueduct over this section so let's go up the north kill creek first like i said see if we get to those ruins and then the tobacco creek is looking pretty inviting too he just had a beautiful i think it was a black crown the night heron fly off keep it laughing we were out here last fall because when they low the lake levels the level is creekier is a much lower too it looks a lot different than when we were here we're not too far from those ruins we'll see how much we can see the raised water levels [Music] so down there is where he just paddled up and here here it is here's the lock and the part of the aqueduct that we explored last fall doesn't look like much right now because it's all overgrown i think i'm gonna try and get out here and walk around a little bit and then behind me on the other side of the creek is the other remains which we'll get to so let's uh try to find a place to get off here kind of making our way right in here [Music] yeah so here we are and you can kind of see the other side over there that's the side i hadn't explored when i was here last time we just kind of kayaked into the little cove here which is actually the union canal because i already got stabbed by some tricker bushes thorns and then right here it is you see the stone work beautiful it's more back there we'll walk up there a little bit more yeah this is where the boats this is the route the boats would follow of course they had to cross the north kill creek so this lock and aqueduct went over the creek took the union canal over the north hill creek over that way yes i'm walking through a piece of history because last time we came here we kind of came in from that way beautiful stone work still here a lot of it's gone though a lot of it got taken and used for other purposes and the bugs are pretty bad back here too all right cool check that out or we're gonna get back into kayak and head to the other side cause that side i have not explored at all yeah we just just kayaked into a piece of history here i will head to the other side you should be able to see some stonework over there like i said this is the side i did not explore yet we just saw it from the other side [Music] looks like we'll be able to paddle right into it a little bit should be able to see the stonework big tree growing over the rocks to your right there there's a log underneath here okay we crossed that yeah here we go and boom so yeah this here is the other side we're just over there a tree is kind of eating the ruins there there's some stone on this side covering the brush i don't see a whole lot of the stone work going into it there so i don't think i'm actually going to get out of the kayak here a little bit too deep to make it easy to get out right here but made it to the other side not the best time of year to go exploring either with all the underbrush and foliage up mid-summer but cool and that might be an explorer for some other time like in the late fall or winter anyway we're going to turn around head back and go up to tulpa hawkins creek a bit see if we can find because that's where the union can now follow the topahawk and creek i just want to see how far we can paddle up and see if we can see any other remains of any other locks or union canalish type stuff up that way i've never paddled up there um when they when they lower the lake levels you can't really paddle up this creek or the other one just during the summer so anyway let's turn around head back to where these two creeks join and scope the topahawkin and as we paddle out here i should say too that right in front of us in that video first i was out here there was that little dam right in front of us here like a little waterfall but it's all underwater right now that's how much the water levels get raised during the summer all right let's continue on let's see what else you can find on this little kayaking adventure once we go up to topahawk creek the traffic noise should get a little quieter too we get further away from 183 all right so here we are back out the bridge and we're gonna hook a sharp right here starting up the top of hawking so and up the topahawk and we go not quite sure how far we'll be able to paddle up this way so at some point the creek will resume its normal water levels which probably won't be kayakable i'm not sure if we'll see anything up here not you know related to unions now because it's also like i said it's also mid-summer all the foliage oh there's a green heron flying around so sometimes all that summer greenery covers up ruins along the creek there he goes again i don't think he's happy with me [Music] i might have some young ones around here all right beautiful up this way though not sure why i never did this before kayaked up this way [Music] starting to leave that traffic behind too traffic noise i have to consider too that some of the remnants that may be out here might be underwater too [Music] that's what exploring is all about you never know [Music] it does kind of feel like we're heading into the amazon jungle into the unknown [Music] maybe we'll do that someday [Music] so up ahead dick topac and cree keeps going but there's something interesting over here like a little channel i wonder if this is where the union canal rejoins the topahawk in here remember we were over on the north kill creek side because across the north coast creek and cross like a little spit of land the end would make its way over here i wonder if this is the old channel for the union canal right here could be let's just paddle up here a little bit it's deep enough i guess that's what this is now if we would continue on this we this would take us you know to the north kill creek where that aqueduct was [Music] that's my guess at least [Music] but our way's blocked so i'm gonna take a guess and say that that's what this is that this is part of the union canal here this is where i crossed that one you know triangular piece of land to come back to the topahawk and creek here i could be wrong but the uh the geography fits safe that way oh yeah we can keep going so we shall i'm not sure what else this would be it's not all right [Music] vlogs all right [Music] beautiful out here today how ruins are not beautiful place to come kayak [Music] [Music] [Music] there's something interesting up ahead there you can see it on camera there does that look union canalitish some type of old bridge came across here or something [Music] yeah not sure what that is although there is some concrete on the other side too yeah probably an old bridge it was across here at one point yeah like some sort of building up ahead there pavilion or something [Music] [Music] and deeper into the amazon we go it's like in his movies where the giant snake comes out of the water [Music] [Music] or not could just be a nice little peaceful kayak [Music] beautiful sycamore trees along the bank here [Music] those are those larger trees you see [Music] [Music] the upper head looks like the remains of another bridge another one of those concrete structures we're also starting to deal with more of a current here we're going upstream [Music] right here's a bit of a current and a green heron [Music] yeah look at almost like a little dam underneath the water here let me kayak pedal you can see the other there's the other concrete structure so i guess these are bridges [Music] i don't know unless unless somebody knows differently i'm not sure now i look at it i'm not sure if they look like bridge remnants but oh well yeah the kayaking is getting a little a little harder for going upstream as we get further and further away from blue marsh lake the current gets stronger we'll keep going a little bit more [Music] so the current is definitely getting stronger my arms are getting weaker or tighter pretty sure the canal ran to my left side here the canal wasn't always in the actual rivers or streams a lot of times it flowed alongside them it was a man-made channel they dug out so there could be some stuff on that scene that's just off the ways over there i know there is from looking at like the maps and stuff that went that way but you can't really see it from the stream sometimes with a creek [Music] but i can still paddle up stream so i'm going to keep going a little bit why not it's getting a little bit harder to get go to go but you always kind of just want to keep going around the next bend let's see what's going to be up that way i still won't have a choice i think as far as i keep going or not [Music] i mean just up ahead is another one there's concrete things i'm really curious what those are there's some stonework by it too oh yeah current's strong here [Music] [Music] ended up ahead of the modern day bridge i forget what road that is oh man i should know but i think this is going to be my turnaround spot i've come up farther than i planned to anyway we will just turn around a little bit easier going back with the current take us a little bit more all right it's a beautiful beautiful kayak up the top of hawking i wasn't actually planning on coming up this far but why not you know [Music] you probably could go further battle the current some more but yeah so going back it's a lot easier now i've been paddling just have to straighten her out a little bit every now and then yeah i was playing kind of turned back a while ago but it's all like i said you kind of want to see what's around the next bend the backspin yes slowly making our way back to civilization there are a few slower parts here where the current isn't as strong yeah if you're local you live near blue marsh this is a beautiful place to kayak like as i pulled off at the uh it's called the union canal paddle launch right off of route 183 and you can come kayak up this way [Music] and we're coming up on the lake again there's the main bridge that i crossed under earlier i think that's the burnville road where's the traffic oh there was a great blue heron flying off of course the traffic noise will increase considerably too here in a moment a little bit more in the moment but eventually [Applause] [Applause] so that'll be it for this video then i just got to paddle my way down to the to the launch point hello traffic yeah beautiful day to be out in the water just kind of want to do some kayaking and satisfy my curiosity a bit go exploring were able to do that like i said if you live near blue marsh and place the kayak besides just on the lake yeah just kayak up the topahawk and creek it's beautiful up that way all right as always thanks for coming along and i'll see you around

Channel: The Wandering Woodsman

Views: 4,249

Rating: 4.9760957 out of 5

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Id: drjXAOrBr-E

Length: 26min 32sec (1592 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 24 2021