Secret Lives Along Paterson's Forgotten River

[@krohikinghappens500]

That was a crazy adventure, dude! Good decision to turn around, that current looks really dangerous. The Passaic River can be very unforgiving when the water is high like that. Back in the late '80s, I had a co-worker that took his kayak into the Passaic after heavy rains and did not make it back. Having that train fly by just overhead must have been quite a rush! Be safe, my friend!

[@OutDehExplorer]

Hi there , it’s tempting to jump on the back of the raging sea dragon 🐉 that is the Passaic . I definitely respect that things can change quickly. Sorry to hear about your friend, the river can be unforgiving

[@krissmgvlogs]

That was interesting, very peaceful. My heart goes out to the people living down there.

[@OutDehExplorer]

Hi Kriss! Their will to survive on their terms is fascinating to me. I wish them some peace and safety under there . Thank you for coming by, hope all is well in Grenada 🇬🇩

[@alexvetlov2486]

Awesome, I was totally bummed when this showed up on my feed, but now I know that we can do this!

[@OutDehExplorer]

@@alexvetlov2486 hey , this happened before foul rift ! Just took me a while to edit it. Yeah, we got to make it to the great falls!

[@TwoFeetOutdoors]

Cool video!! Thank you. Wow, the amount of trash under that railroad bridge was insane. Crazy currents and encampments. It's sad to see.

[@OutDehExplorer]

Hey Matt! thanks for stopping by. Im drawn to these types of rivers, i know you get it. I always get a kick out seeing where you are going to end up next in your video . Thanks for the support!

[@TwoFeetOutdoors]

@@OutDehExplorer I see you made a little update to your channel / name. I like it!

[@OutDehExplorer]

@@TwoFeetOutdoors thanks Matt, The Family, may make some appearances in the future, but looks like its mostly me 🤣

[@kaptainfriday]

The KISS graffiti on the railroad bridge looks straight vintage '70's. Nice paddle. 🛶🤠

[@OutDehExplorer]

Hey Kaptain, hows it going up in NE? yes the KISS graffiti must have been from the 70's! I had a peter Criss 12 inch action figure, those were the days. Thanks for checking out the video :)

[@OutDehExplorer]

11:14 KISS!

[@erikvaldur3334]

I was pretty surprised to see that myself. Figured it would have been painted over or faded out in the last 40 or 50 years.

[@OutDehExplorer]

@@erikvaldur3334 the Kiss army !!

[@erikvaldur3334]

@@OutDehExplorer ha, yeah, growing up I wasn't a member of the Kiss army but most of my friends were. That was very popular in the late 70s, early 80s.

[@toddcoldiron1710]

I use to like fishing and exploring that section of the Passaic River when I was younger . I would catch monster carp by the 6th Ave bridge , but I would never eat anything out of there it's too polluted . I would love to explore it by kayak one day.

[@OutDehExplorer]

Hi Todd, i hope you get on the Passaic soon I bet you caught some river monsters right at that bridge. It’s funny I ask people if they’re going to eat stuff they catch in there , they hesitate sometimes which leads me to believe they are eating the fish 🐟

[@alexvetlov2486]

You can hook em, but don’t cook em

[@matteodemarco9263]

Nice video man I fish that river all the time Fairlawn has a boat launch by memorial park also

[@OutDehExplorer]

Thanks Matteo, in time I’d like to check out memorial park as well

[@ffrick73]

That's my kids ballfield! There is a gravel launch about 200ft south but you have to walk between the ballfield. TBH so far I've only watched 4 min of this vid, but my wife got freaked out by the encampment across from where we live. The river here isn't tidal, but right there when there are heavy rains it can rise 1 to 3 feet quite quickly. A couple years ago a person got trapped under bridge about mile upstream FD had to jackhammer the concrete roadway to save them

[@OutDehExplorer]

Hi there, that story about getting trapped and needing a jackhammer sounds intense! did they make it out? all the encampments were on the paterson side of the river near the bridges

[@FallenTreeNation]

Ever have any issues getting kicked out of waterways on a kayak? Love the video!

[@OutDehExplorer]

Hi there, knock wood, never kicked out yet . One time in the nomahegan pond in Cranford, the County police got a complaint from people fishing. I hae a boating license and the kayaks are decaled , so they could make me get out. The fisherman were 🤬 , thanks for the support

[@FallenTreeNation]

@@OutDehExplorer interesting! What decal do you need for a non motorized kayak?

[@OutDehExplorer]

@@FallenTreeNation in my union county nj , you buy a boat license for 20 bucks, they assign you a number . You then are supposed to put the red license sticker and decals (like mailbox stickers) you can get at Home Depot and put them on the boat. I just do it it because I go in unusual places , but on the regular waterways like the Rahway , you’re basically invisible . If you’re think of getting in the water just get a life jacket/pfd and get on there!

[@FallenTreeNation]

@@OutDehExplorer thanks!!

[@RazPerignon]

I went fishing by those encampments the other day, the smell of feces was incredible.

[@OutDehExplorer]

I bet, just from the banks it had a strong odor

[@giannigunn5247]

I love your videos that you go all around Jersey on the waterways, but you picked one of the worst spots in the Passaic river to go to… fun fact, the Passaic rivers, 81 miles long and if you really wanna see the best parts of the river, you need to head into Fairfield or Little Falls at the public boat, launches up to the big piece estuary…. There’s bald eagles we have bobcats river otters waters snakes Ingrid kingfisher there’s so much beautiful wildlife along that river and the river s it’s self is actually clean. It’s the sediment on the bottom, which makes it so polluted because it was on such such a. Dump basin for all the factories in the early 1900s… it is also connected to the Morris Canal system… and the fishing is incredible. We have all sport fishing fish in this river, believe it or not and the northern pike get up the 4 feet long. And another fun fact all the freshwater in New Jersey comes from two glacier Lakes, which were lake Passaic and lake Hackensack about 10,000 years ago. And those two water systems is What gave New Jersey’s freshwater systems ..

[@OutDehExplorer]

@@giannigunn5247 hi Gianni, I agree! But these parts of the Passaic are never really seen by kayak. I have to take you up on some of those other beautiful spots on the Passaic

[@giannigunn5247]

@@OutDehExplorer any day, my friend I got a kayak and fishing boat hit me up and I’ll tell you where the boat launches are. Love your videos and you’re right you showed the part of the Passaic river that I forgot about specially with all those homeless camps you produce great bro you’re a good human being and you believe in mother earth and you believe in humanity and I’m all for it.

[@ffrick73]

My kids youth group actually went in at Hawthorne a couple weeks ago and kayaked down to the weir by Elmwood Park

[@spaceman5091]

Start up streaming work your way down and then when you get past Rutherford and Clifton by rutts hut you’ll pass my house

[@OutDehExplorer]

Hey Spaceman! sounds good, the goal is to explore all the passaic! Rutt's hut , that place is a trip, i went there about 20 years ago and asked for sauerkraut , that was a mistake, RELISH 🤣

[@theshedMTB]

What did you leave there? I couldn’t make it out.

[@OutDehExplorer]

@@theshedMTB a few bucks , felt bad for the guy

[@toddcoldiron1710]

@@OutDehExplorer Good Move !

[@theshedMTB]

So I think I like the new name

[@OutDehExplorer]

@@theshedMTB thanks , !

[@OutDehExplorer]

Have you ever seen people living under a live train bridge in a place like Paterson NJ? what are your thoughts?

[@richardlord7775]

The victory bridge rt 35 that you can see from the parkway crossing the Raritan has tunnels under the road. I worked in those tunnels and there was always a tent under the bridge. When the job was done, the scaffolding to the hatch under the bridge 50 feet up was removed . People took a rope and started living in the Tunnels. Tents along the Raritan too. The arches in the bridge open up into a pretty large vault like a castle. It was really cool inside.

[@OutDehExplorer]

@@richardlord7775 thats so cool! I have to get a closer look and research that . I never drove over that bridge, that’s wild that people went through so much trouble to live in there