Assabet River - Egg Rock to Thoreau School & Back

This afternoon's trash patrol on the lower Assabet River was the first of the year where my paddling jacket could be left in the car. At the launch site, I wasn't the only one 'messing about in boats' under the mid-day sun. Larry Z., a longtime local canoeist, was launching one of his lightweight wood canoes. He's been building and racing canoes for many years.
Once afloat in the river and past Egg Rock, I headed upstream on the Assabet. Passing my favorite faux coyote and noting his head was on right once again, I knew that all was right with the world...

Trash was plentiful on the way upriver as were sightings of wood ducks. Other critters observed were a red-tailed hawk, a small mink, a small snake that swam across my path, Canada geese, cardinals, mallards and the usual gang of Muscovy ducks.
Reaching Pine Street, I noted that the bridge project looks to be nearing completion...

My goal was to continue upriver to Damondale or Westvale but a blowdown/snag just past the Thoreau School stopped me about a half mile short. It would have been OK going upstream but may have been tricky on the way back down. The swift current flowing by at this spot made quick work of turning my bow downriver and soon I was retracing my paddle tracks back towards Egg Rock.
At Willow Island I saw a bottle in a small snag and upon retrieving it, noticed a very small hand sticking out from the branches. My paddle blade brought out a faux small child that soon had its small arm wrapped under a bungee for the ride to the takeout...

Once on land again, the gang of landed flotsam assembled for a portrait...

My count for the day was 106 pieces of flotsam. The breakdown was as follows: 62 bottles/cans (18 redeemable, 44 recyclable); and 44 pieces of rubbish (plastic bags, styrofoam, etc.). YTD total stands at 1237.