Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Concord River - Egg Rock to Davis Hill & Return


Trash patrolled the upper Concord River today under a moody summer sky. It was one of those days where the clouds were welcome guests in that they helped to keep the hot sun in check. After launching near Egg Rock I headed downstream with a swift current and southwest breeze at my back. The little white flowers of buttonbush were abundant along both sides of the river.
Passing swiftly under Flint's Bridge I noted 8 or 9 guys hard at work on the bridge rebuilding project.
Most of today's trash was recovered after leaving the river's main channel and paddling into the flooded areas amidst the trees. Near the 'ghost ship', upstream of Great Meadows Landing, nearly a dozen pieces of trash were found. While I patrolled the river an osprey patrolled the skies near Ball's Hill. By the time I reached my turnaround spot at Davis Hill 35 pieces of trash were onboard.
The trip back upriver was against a steady opposing current. I could escape the current by paddling amidst the trees where, in addition to many pieces of trash, I came upon this sizable cluster of cardinal flowers...

At Saw Mill Brook access was possible to this nice little cabin perched alongside the brook...

Downstream of Flint's Bridge a 36-pack container of Coors Light was found floating. It was a soft-pack cooler with a zipper top. Unfortunately, only 4 of the original 36 cans remained inside.
The Calf Pasture, across from Egg Rock, provided an ideal location to allow today's captives to stretch their legs before we reached our actual takeout spot which is just a little too buggy for any dillydallying...

My count for the day was 57. Of these 31 were recyclable (16 redeemable) and 26 were misc. rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam, bicycle tire/tube, and fishing gear. My YTD total stands at 3026. Note: Clicking on any picture will display a larger image.

3 comments:

Lis said...

Good Lord Al, if not for you I think that river would be full to the brim by now :) I really respect you for finding a way to blend your passion with giving back to the environment.

Anonymous said...

I really appreciate the info on enlarging a picture!
You would be amazed at what I learn from your descriptions and photos.

Al said...

Lis, It is not really as bad as it might appear. The recent uptick in recovered trash is due to the unusually high water levels for this time of year. The rising water lifted many old pieces of trash that are usually out of reach. The same high water levels allow me to get in there and scoop them up while they're still afloat. It is a testament to just how much rain we've seen this summer!