I personally haven’t. I’ve heard of a few cases of people who’ve commuted using kayaks, but over a much shorter distance (often using it as a one-person ferry). The three examples I’ve found are...
I personally haven’t. I’ve heard of a few cases of people who’ve commuted using kayaks, but over a much shorter distance (often using it as a one-person ferry). The three examples I’ve found are below:
Note that these were all over shorter distances or on much calmer rivers. Unless you were willing to portage for 15-20 miles, you’d be dealing with the heavy commercial traffic on the Delaware, while fighting the current going upstream. On the Schuylkill, you wouldn’t have commercial traffic, but you’d have to portage over various dams/weirs/rapids/rocks. The world best time for a single man rowing over a 2 km distance is 6 minutes and 30 seconds, and that’s on a level course with no significant obstructions. This extrapolates out to around 4 hours twenty minutes for a 50 mile journey. With the curves, obstacles, and currents, I believe it would take much longer, probably to the point that bicycling would be a better option.
Hypothetically, were I to do something like this (and I don’t recommend it), I would want to:
Get in better shape
Think about getting a new kayak. Some portions seem more amenable to a whitewater kayak, but most of the rest could be workable for a sea kayak, which could help give you higher speeds. You’d need to figure out for yourself whether you could avoid the rapids on the various rivers.
Outfit your kayak (new or otherwise) with lighting (you might spring for USCG-compliant navigation lighting) and a small trolling motor. This would be handy for giving yourself a rest if needed. Also make sure you have a a comfortable seat.
Yea, I could see a case for crossing the Delaware being hard, but potentially feasible. But going upstream more than a short distance is like pro-athlete levels of fitness. It will be easier to...
Yea, I could see a case for crossing the Delaware being hard, but potentially feasible.
But going upstream more than a short distance is like pro-athlete levels of fitness.
Only tangentially related, especially since he's not American. But Beau Miles has done a few "urban kayaking" videos in Australia that you might find interesting. And I imagine a lot of the...
Only tangentially related, especially since he's not American. But Beau Miles has done a few "urban kayaking" videos in Australia that you might find interesting. And I imagine a lot of the challenges he faced while doing it there would be similar to those someone would encounter attempting the same sort of things in PA.
As others have mentioned, heading up stream on a river can be very difficult and take a lot of power. Personally, if I were in your position, I would get a one person canoe or kayak, fit it with...
As others have mentioned, heading up stream on a river can be very difficult and take a lot of power. Personally, if I were in your position, I would get a one person canoe or kayak, fit it with an electric outboard trolling motor and use that when I'm heading upstream. You would likely have to do two portages, one with the boat, and the other for everything else. You might get a way with a single portage if you can get all the gear on your back some how.
It's not what you're asking, but I've kayaked down the Rhône from Lyons to Avignon, something over 200 km. At one point I had to paddle upstream a short distance and that wasn't fun; in fact it...
It's not what you're asking, but I've kayaked down the Rhône from Lyons to Avignon, something over 200 km. At one point I had to paddle upstream a short distance and that wasn't fun; in fact it was only possible by staying close to the bank where the flow was least and it wouldn't be feasible as transportation. But I don't know how the current there compares with the Delaware or other rivers you might want to travel.
The Rhône has a generally higher discharge than the Delaware, and based on my understanding of Euro rivers, higher commercial traffic. But for America, the Delaware is a relatively busy river.
The Rhône has a generally higher discharge than the Delaware, and based on my understanding of Euro rivers, higher commercial traffic. But for America, the Delaware is a relatively busy river.
Hijack: I have set it as a goal to go down the Ohio from Pittsburgh to Lousiville or st louis, on a somewhat contemporarized version of a huck finn raft.
Hijack:
I have set it as a goal to go down the Ohio from Pittsburgh to Lousiville or st louis, on a somewhat contemporarized version of a huck finn raft.
Evergreen College in Olympia Washington has a student or two that would Kayak to school. Which if you know Evergreen, is possibly the most Evergreen thing imaginable.
Evergreen College in Olympia Washington has a student or two that would Kayak to school. Which if you know Evergreen, is possibly the most Evergreen thing imaginable.
I personally haven’t. I’ve heard of a few cases of people who’ve commuted using kayaks, but over a much shorter distance (often using it as a one-person ferry). The three examples I’ve found are below:
Note that these were all over shorter distances or on much calmer rivers. Unless you were willing to portage for 15-20 miles, you’d be dealing with the heavy commercial traffic on the Delaware, while fighting the current going upstream. On the Schuylkill, you wouldn’t have commercial traffic, but you’d have to portage over various dams/weirs/rapids/rocks. The world best time for a single man rowing over a 2 km distance is 6 minutes and 30 seconds, and that’s on a level course with no significant obstructions. This extrapolates out to around 4 hours twenty minutes for a 50 mile journey. With the curves, obstacles, and currents, I believe it would take much longer, probably to the point that bicycling would be a better option.
Hypothetically, were I to do something like this (and I don’t recommend it), I would want to:
Yea, I could see a case for crossing the Delaware being hard, but potentially feasible.
But going upstream more than a short distance is like pro-athlete levels of fitness.
It will be easier to bike, by far.
A Kayaksailor may also an option in lieu of a motor for breaks.
Only tangentially related, especially since he's not American. But Beau Miles has done a few "urban kayaking" videos in Australia that you might find interesting. And I imagine a lot of the challenges he faced while doing it there would be similar to those someone would encounter attempting the same sort of things in PA.
His vids:
A four day kayaking adventure to work
Kayaking the sickest urban river in Australia
Rafting the most polluted river in Australia
As others have mentioned, heading up stream on a river can be very difficult and take a lot of power. Personally, if I were in your position, I would get a one person canoe or kayak, fit it with an electric outboard trolling motor and use that when I'm heading upstream. You would likely have to do two portages, one with the boat, and the other for everything else. You might get a way with a single portage if you can get all the gear on your back some how.
It's not what you're asking, but I've kayaked down the Rhône from Lyons to Avignon, something over 200 km. At one point I had to paddle upstream a short distance and that wasn't fun; in fact it was only possible by staying close to the bank where the flow was least and it wouldn't be feasible as transportation. But I don't know how the current there compares with the Delaware or other rivers you might want to travel.
The Rhône has a generally higher discharge than the Delaware, and based on my understanding of Euro rivers, higher commercial traffic. But for America, the Delaware is a relatively busy river.
Hijack:
I have set it as a goal to go down the Ohio from Pittsburgh to Lousiville or st louis, on a somewhat contemporarized version of a huck finn raft.
Evergreen College in Olympia Washington has a student or two that would Kayak to school. Which if you know Evergreen, is possibly the most Evergreen thing imaginable.