CALLICOON - What was supposed to be an innocent trip to the old Callicoon boat landing to watch the rising flood waters turned into a sophisticated water rescue by the National Park Service on Tuesday afternoon.

New York City resident Al Juda, who said he also has a residence near Callicoon, wanted to see for himself how high the Delaware River was rising during Tuesday's epic rainfall caused by Hurricane Isaias.

“I drove down to the river and sat there for a couple of hours,” Juda said. “When I tried to return the water had risen so high I couldn't drive through it.”

Juda had used an old access road that travels along the Callicoon Creek to the Callicoon boat launch.

The access road bisects a drainage ditch built to alleviate flooding.

When he had driven through at 2:30 p.m. the water wasn't yet in the ditch. When he tried to get back the drainage ditch was nearly full - with four feet of fast-moving, chocolate-colored water.

At approximately 5 p.m. Mike Gorr of Hortonville was checking the wells which supply the Callicoon Water Company with water and are located behind the Delaware Community Center.

“I saw this guy waving at me so I waved back,” Mike said “I then realized he was in trouble so I backed up and he said he couldn't get out. I drove up the Callicoon Firehouse and told [Chief] Willy Maxwell, ‘You have a river rescue.'”

Responding to the scene were the Callicoon Fire Dept., New York State Police and National Park Service (NPS).

The Park Service, led by Chief Ranger Keith Winslow and U.S. Park Ranger Sean McNeil, unloaded their River Pro Jet Boat at the Pennsylvania boat landing, just 1/2 mile downstream from Juda.

“It [the PA. boat landing] was an unknown area for us to get into the Delaware,” Winslow said. “It was too shallow [for a proper launch].”

With the help of two Callicoon firemen and K-9 Trooper Peter Bizjak, the rangers got their boat launched and sped upriver to the rescue.

Juda was basically on an island, surrounded on all sides by water.

“We went over to him and helped him in the boat and then grabbed a lifejacket and put it on him,” Winslow said. “We are here to save lives.”

Winslow was relieved the rescue went as well as it did.

He said that Juda had thought he could drive through the raging flood waters to return to dry land.

“If he had driven across that drainage ditch we would have had a bigger disaster,” Winslow said. “He [and his vehicle] would have been out in the Delaware.”

Once Juda was on dry land, the Park Rangers now had to safely get their boat out of the water.

Several attempts at getting the trailer into the flood waters at the PA. boat landing were unsuccesful.

They then agreed to have Trooper Bizjak drive their car to Cochecton, where a boat landing on the Pennsylvania side of the bridge has better access.

The six-mile trip downriver was dangerous, according to Winslow.

“We encountered five or six full-sized trees along the way,” he said. “The water was really ripping.”

Busy season

Winslow said that this year has been super busy, especially on the lower Delaware River.

“The National Park Service handles 72 miles of river all the way from Hancock to Port Jervis,” he said. “Several livery operators told me this is their busiest season in 30 years.”

He said every weekend they encounter thousands and thousands of tubers.

“We have a lot of issues with people not wearing life jackets,” he said. “Especially with children under the age of 12, who must have a life jacket on.”

While a great source of recreation, Winslow warned that wearing a life jacket is important, especially in a body of water like the Delaware River, which has a strong current.