Paddling Cedar Creek

We originally intended to relax on the beach today, but cloudy skies and a long-time interest to try paddling brought us to Cedar Creek Campground in Bayville, NJ. We started out on a "three-hour tour" in Double Trouble State Park, where we dipped in just behind a canoe expedition of three boats, one of which capsized within the first hundred yards. We were a little clumsy at first never having paddled before and found ourselves crashing into the banks and various debris or even spinning around and floating downstream backward in the strong current. It was a beautiful day as we slowly floated twelve miles downstream with the only the sound of the gentle splash of our paddles guiding us through the winding creek. We were told that the water was safe to drink since the tannins from the cedar wood, which also give it an iced-tea color, leave it nearly free of bacteria or any other beings, especially fish. But, being hikers, we are wary of drinking unfiltered water, despite it coming from such a "natural" source, instead of the grocery store, that is. Why risk giardia? Also, since everywhere we turned we saw beer cans and snack bags floating in the water or sunk at the bottom, the water didn't seem as clean as it was described. It's very sad and disgusting how people treat their parklands and natural resources. Is nothing sacred? What happened to carry in/carry out? How hard is it to not toss your can of Miller Lite or Doritos bag into the stream? Even worse, there were countless trash bags filled with a dozen or more beer cans in a number of spots, including one especially giant funeral pire looking garbage pileup at a beachy area. I usually don't buy into the Jersey myths but it was obvious that neither the state or the people who frequent this park are bothered by the merger of nature and garbage.