The Aquashicola Creek (pronounced Ahkwa-SHIK-ola) is 20.8 miles long.  The name is from the Lenape meaning "where we fish with the bushnet".

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The creek flows west from a swamp in Saylorsburg, in a path with the Blue Mountains to the south and Chestnut Ridge to the north.

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It collects extra water from the rainfall coming down the slopes from either side of it.  It meets the Buckwha outside of Eldred. Then the combined flow joins the 109 mile long Lehigh River at Palmerton.

The Lehigh flows into the Delaware, which was called the South River in Colonial days.  The North River was the Hudson.

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Smith Gap Road is ahead of us, to the left Upper Smith Gap and to the right Lower Smith Gap.  Children to the east attended the Barlieb One-Room School until it closed in 1928, due to low attendance.  The handful of remaining kids were driven to the Smith Gap School, that we will pass in a few minutes.  Some say this driving of the kids was the first busing of students in Eldred.

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Before we leave, let's talk a bit about the historic Smith House - just around the bend to the right.