Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Paddling the Quinebaug to Indian Island

After recently reading The Indians of the Nipmuck Country in Southern New England, 1630 - 1750 by Dennis A. Connole, I was compelled to visit one location that played a pivotal role in the book and the fate of the Nipmuck people.
At the outset of "King Philip's War" (named for Wampanoag leader Metacomet aka Philip) Massachusetts officials needed to know if the Nipmuck tribes were likely to join forces with the Wampanoags.  In mid July 1675 Governor John Leverett sent 33-year old trader Ephraim Curtis into the Nipmuck Country to find out firsthand.  Curtis and his small party numbering 12 found only abandoned villages until they finally located a large encampment of Nipmucks on a 4-acre island in the Quinebaug River.  As Curtis approached the island from the east, he was prevented from crossing the river by 40 warriors.  Keeping their cool, Curtis and his party ultimately persuaded the warriors to allow their passage across the river to meet with the Nipmuck sachems.  Once across the river and on the island they were, once again, surrounded by an even larger force of warriors.  After what must have been a harrowing time for Curtis and his men, the sachems agreed to a meeting.  There were 6 sachems: Muttaump (Quabaug tribe), Konkewasco (Quabaug tribe), Willymachem, Upchatuck (Nashaway tribe), Keehood (Wabbaquaset tribe), and Nontatouso (Wabbaquaset tribe).
Curtis would return to the island one more time towards the end of July, but any hope of a continued state of peace between the Nipmucks and Colonists would soon be gone for reasons Connole explains in his book.
Locating the island required going to one of Connole's sources The Bay Path and Along the Way by Levi Badger Chase.  In addition to a very detailed description of the location, Chase provided this map which shows the island near the bottom right.
So, this morning as the sun was winning the day, I traveled to the town of Holland, Ma and launched into the Quinebaug River where it exits Siog Pond (aka Holland Pond) at Pond Bridge Road (opening photo).  The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the Quinebaug River Canoe Trail which runs 5 miles downstream to East Brimfield Lake.  There are 3 rest stops along the way.  The scenery is beautiful and wildlife plentiful.
As I was preparing to get underway, a pair of bald eagles were carrying on in a large pine across Siog Pond.  I would see eagles (perhaps the same ones) frequently over the course of my visit.  Wood ducks and mallards were also plentiful today.  One hawk was seen as well.
Indian Island (aka Curtis Island) was reached after 1 mile and the bridge occupies the location where Curtis crossed the river from right to left...
The island would have made an ideal stronghold for the Nipmucks.
 
As I landed my boat at rest stop # 1 a bald eagle soared overhead...


This rest stop provided a nice spot to enjoy lunch protected from the breeze...


After lunch, I stretched my legs by walking to the island's elevated section and then to the bridge where I crossed to the other side of the river from where Curtis made his approach.  This is the view looking across towards the island...
Curtis was surrounded by 40 warriors as he looked across towards an encampment where he estimated there were 200 men and 6 sachems.  Today, by contrast, things were fairly quiet.

Upon relaunching my boat, I encountered the confluence of Mill Brook and the river.  Ascending the brook for a quarter mile or so required pushing over a couple of beaver dams before returning to the Quinebaug and continuing downstream to rest stop # 3 where I turned around...

Pieces of trash encountered along the way numbered 39...
This haul was composed of 18 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 21  pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as aluminun foil, plastic bags, styrofoam cups.  Most of the trash was found at rest stop # 1 and only 12 pieces were found in the river itself.  YTD = 843

Both on my way to this launch site and on my way home, I passed areas where last June's tornado had cut a wide swath of devastation through the area.  Here it is, 9 months later and the landscape  looks other worldly...




Thursday, February 23, 2012

After Work on the Ipswich River in Middleton

Decided to do some after work unwinding on the Ipswich River in Middleton this afternoon.  I launched for the first time from the Raymond A. Farnsworth Canoe Landing/Conservation Area on Route 114 which is only 5 minutes from my job site. The sun was out and it was unseasonably warm, though a bit windy.  Once on the water, I headed upriver pushing over 3 beaver dams to somewhere near the Norris Brook Area where this tree blocked my further ascent...
Turning around here I began the easy trip back...
As I approached the pines in the distance, a pair of turkey vultures were patrolling the treetops...

Also seen today were a pair of hawks, a beaver, a musquash, a belted kingfisher, and a small woodpecker.

A modest amount of trash was encountered and recovered...


There were 12 recyclable containers (1 redeemable) and 11 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam cups, plastic bags, a plastic watering can, and a few nip bottles.  YTD = 804

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Pompositticut's "Open Winter" Continues

What little ice remained at the White Pond Road (Russell's Bridge) boat launch in Maynard was easily pushed away, yesterday afternoon.  The impoundment area of the Assabet River upstream from the Ben Smith Dam was open water allowing me to paddle Pompositticut waters up to Fort Meadow Brook in Stow.  Along the way, I saw mute swans, mallards, common goldeneyes, belted kingfishers, hawks, musquashes, and bluebirds.  This bluebird stayed still long enough for a photo...

Near the outfall from Lake Boon, this white-breasted hawk surveyed things from its lofty perch...

As I headed back downriver, I encountered this small airplane practicing landing approaches at the Crow Island airstrip...

Once back at Russell's Bridge my trash haul posed hullside...
There were 26 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 14 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, nip bottles, a sneaker, and an old Snoopy toy.  YTD = 781

Saturday, February 18, 2012

River-Weary Beer Keg Home at Last

The tired and beat-up looking beer keg found in the Sudbury River on February 10th is finally home.  It was delivered to the Anheuser-Busch facility in Medford, MA (photo at left) this past Wednesday, ending what, most likely, was a long and interesting odyssey: possibly filled with beer at the Anheuser-Busch brewery near the Merrimack River in New Hampshire; found floating in the Sudbury River in Wayland, MA; returned to Anheuser-Busch at their facility near the Mystic River in Medford, MA.
Unlike most of the beverage containers I find in the river, this one's owner actually wanted it back despite its integrity having been compromised.  By that I mean the 15.5-gallon keg was found nearly full of river water and there were three cracks in the stainless-steel shell.  It took six days to thaw and drain the majority of water out of the keg. (Note: Freezing temperatures slowed draining process as keg was not allowed in house.) 

Here is a photo of the keg in question...
The date stamp on the container indicated it was manufactured in 1984.  That leaves me to wonder just how long kegs are kept in service and consequently how many gallons of beer a keg may convey over the course of its useful life.

I knew very little of "kegology" before finding this keg.  Since adopting it, I found out the following:
  • A 15.5 gallon keg contains enough beer to fill 168 12-ounce cans or bottles
  • It weighs 160 lbs when full and 30 lbs when empty
  • There is no easy way to get liquid out other than displacing it with air or gas
  • New kegs can cost breweries as much as $ 150
  • Deposits on kegs can run anywhere from $ 30 to the full cost of the keg
  • Kegs, both full or empty, are the property of the brewery
  • Kegerators are used both commercially and residentially to keep kegs cold
  • Kegs are the ultimate re-usable container
  • Beer kegs were once made of wood, such as the ones delivered by the Three Stooges for the Panther Brewing Company

Thanks to Anheuser-Busch Customer Relationship Group and August A Busch Co. of Massachusetts for their help in properly disposing of the beer keg.
  

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Danvers River to Salem Willows

My afterwork jaunt from Pope's Landing in Danvers out to Salem Willows was a nice way to wrap up a long day.  Heading downriver, against an incoming tide, provided a good little workout.  Wildlife was plentiful and included gulls, Canda geese, mute swans, buffleheads, loons, and eider ducks. 
Hard to believe it is February 15th and I was paddling without gloves for most of the time.
Other boats were very few, only two, and the Salem Willows looked pretty much deserted (photo at left).
Looking seaward, saw a lone kayaker heading out, and a loon electing not to follow...
My trip back up the Danvers River was on a mirror-like surface...
Further up, the sun finally broke through the clouds and lit the eastern shore...
Trash was few and far between and included plastic bags, plastic bottles, and my first-ever toupee...
YTD = 741


Saturday, February 11, 2012

Terrestrial Patrol Along Fort Pond Brook

Before leaving for our "no-show snowstorm" walk today, Mrs. Trashpaddler and I remembered to bring along a couple of plastic bags in the event we encountered any egregious litter.  Our walk followed Fort Pond Brook for a ways and we passed several sites where small dams used to put the brook to work.  The photo at left shows where the brook once helped in the manufacturing of Chadwick's Piano Stools.  These days, however, the brook has it easy, like an old horse put out to pasture.
Unfortunately our bags were too quickly filled and we saw our first sign that litterbugs are aging (notice an Ensure container)...
There were 34 pieces of trash in all: 18 recyclable containers (3 redeemable) and 16 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam cups, and nip bottles.  YTD = 729

Friday, February 10, 2012

Keg in Tow on the Sudbury River

Yet another day to make us question our calendars.  As I paddled upriver from the Rt. 20 boat launch, I passed a very busy Sandy Burr Country Club.  With all the golf carts and flags on the greens anyone would've thought it was April. 
At the Greenways Conservation Area I went ashore and enjoyed the elevated view along with my lunch...
Once back on the river, I noticed a floating beer keg just upriver from the Greenway.  It was a 15.5 gallon keg and nearly full of water, thus very heavy.  It was towed to a spot where it would await my return trip downriver (opening photo). 
My destination today was Heard Pond as I wondered if it would be iced-over or open water.  Just beyond Indian Point, I entered the narrow passageway which leads to the shallow pond...
After winding my way through and over some floating stalks, I arrived at the pond and found mostly open water...
Heading across the pond some ice was encountered in the northeast corner...
Needless to say, ice fishermen weren't seen today.  A hawk patrolled the skies above the pond and numerous ducks were seen.  Again there were ducks with primarily white bodies and a dark head having a white spot.  I'm guessing that they're common goldeneyes.
This musquash house was in the marshy area between the pond and the river...

Also seen today were Canada geese, a belted kingfisher, a great blue heron, and this beaver wearing a lustrous coat...

Back at the Greenways I picked up my keg and began the slow but steady towing to Rt. 20.  It was all about torque at the sacrifice of speed.  That's why the beaver didn't notice me 'til I was nearly on top of him.
At the boat launch my trash haul looked pretty small next to the keg...
There were 11 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 11 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish. 
YTD = 695.  Examining the keg closer revealed it bears the Anheuser-Busch name and has a 3" longitudinal crack which may account for it containing so much water.  I'm not sure if it can be recycled or will need to be disposed of as scrap.


Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Strange Day All Around

It had been awhile since I last worked a "graveyard" shift so, early this morning, having worked through the overnight, I found myself looking forward to getting out of work and possibly getting out onto some salt water.   My plan was to explore the Saugus River for the first time, taking advantage of a 10:30 am high tide.
However, strange things began happening around 5:30 am when an accident involving a truck carrying a waste container occurred outside of the facility where I was working.  I'm told that the truck's clutch failed and that the driver had to bail out before going over the side of a hill.  The truckdriver was taken by ambulance to a hospital for injuries sustained in jumping from the truck's cab.  The truck and container ended up in the trees...
 Hopefully, the driver will make a full recovery.

I left work looking for some breakfast and a place to launch my boat.  I found breakfast OK, but didn't have any luck finding a boat launch that included parking.  After several attempts at locating a launch, I gave up and drove to waters closer to home.  Sherman's Bridge became my launch site and shortly I was heading up the Sudbury River and watching an eagle soar above the vast expanse of river and marsh.
There were also numerous ducks, some of which may have been buffleheads or perhaps common goldeneyes.
A northern harrier was also seen.
But for most of my time on the water, I was in the company of 4 mute swans such as the one pictured in the opening photo.
At the Route 27 bridge (downstream west side) a brief shore raid was conducted that netted the majority of today's trash from the embankment below the roadway...

There were 27 recyclable containers (14 redeemable) and 16 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as balloons and plastic bags.  It should be noted that only 4 pieces of trash were recovered from the river proper. 
YTD = 673

As it began, the day ended on a strange note as I paddled downriver in the vicinity of the earlier mentioned mute swans.  Upon hearing a sharp pop, I saw one of the swans struggle briefly before going limp in the water.  Looking closer, I saw a green boat with a hunter in it and shortly a second shot rang out killing another swan.  The hunter was actually a U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer and he explained that Fish and Wildlife conducts a program aimed at reducing the numbers of mute swans as they are considered an introduced/undesirable species.  The officer was earnest and straightforward and his killing of the 2 swans was done in a quick and humane manner.
Nonetheless, it made for a strange ending to a strange day!  I'm left wondering if the swan in the opening photo was one of today's unlucky ones.




From "Trash Paddler Too (for a day)"



Yesterday I received this message (with the above photo) with subject line "Trash Paddler Too (for a day)" from fellow SuAsCo paddler Lisa H.   She was paddling her QCC 600X on the Concord and Sudbury Rivers on Monday when she encountered and handled an egregious amount of litter created by a clueless individual:

Hi, Al,

Looks like some little genius neatly tied the remains of his Super Bowl party up in 3 or 4 plastic bags and threw them, one at a time, off of Flint's Bridge.  Today on the way back from the South Bridge I picked them up in 3 different places, netting myself, besides many many beer cans, half a soggy pizza and a partial bag of Tostitos (dry and fresh).  Picture is enclosed for your entertainment(!)
Now I just need advice for getting the stale beer smell out of my back hatch!

Hope to see you soon on the river,

Lisa


Monday, February 6, 2012

Terrestrial Trash Patrol Along Knox Trail

The town of Acton doesn't have very much shoreline along the Assabet River, perhaps a mile or less.  One of the easier Acton sections to access and walk along is where the roadway called Knox Trail runs hard by the river's west bank from where it intersects with Powdermill Road (Rt. 62).  Mrs. Trashpaddler and I walked that section this afternoon and quickly filled 2 small plastic bags with road/riverside litter.  It looked as though most of the litter landed here after exiting the windows of a passing vehicles.  It may be hard to believe but some folks still see tossing trash out the window as a viable disposal option when they're done slurping!
Oddly enough, the composition of the trash is remarkably similar to what is often found in the rivers...
There were 20 recyclable containers (8 redeemable) and 28 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, and the ever present nip bottles.  YTD = 630  

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Pompositticut Waters in this Friendly February


It would have been easy to imagine it was early March out on Fort Meadow Brook in Stow this afternoon.  Ordinarily, ice would have prevented boating into the brook from the Assabet River.  The photo at left shows the view as I returned downstream toward the point where brook and river join.
Once more, my boat and I made it under this low bridge...


In addition to the usual pieces of trash, there were these other hitchhikers out on the water today...
My guess is stonefly and they were out in considerable numbers.
Also seen in good numbers were mallards and Canada geese, along with a mink, and a musquash.

After visiting Fort Meadow Brook, I paddled downriver to Crow Island and found the shallow waters north of the island ice-free...

The moon is getting closer to its full stage when it will become the "Snow Moon" (sans snow perhaps)...

 Upon landing at Sudbury Road, trash that came ashore posed in the late day sunshine...
There were 37 in all: 14 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 23 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic, styrofoam, nip bottles, and a lost sneaker.  YTD = 582


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

February Welcomed on the Concord River

I don't know where Old Man Winter is hanging out these days, but neither he nor any of his associates were to be found on the Concord River today.  Having launched late morning at Lowell Road, my trip downriver included paddling through some light rain showers before the sun finally prevailed as I approached Davis Hill (photo at left).
Red-winged blackbirds were seen along with American coots, mallards, and Canada geese on the way downriver.
Before starting my return trip upriver, I looked at this springlike view towards Carlisle/Bedford...
A red-tailed hawk was soaring over this area...
Shortly after seeing the hawk, I was surprised to hear the voice of a fellow paddler as Lisa H. had paddled her QCC 600 up from the Rt. 225 boat launch.  We paddled together up to the Old North Bridge where Lisa would be turning around...

We both marvelled at how pleasant this winter has been.

Lack of ice along the sides of the river, combined with high water levels, allowed for a fair amount of trash to be recovered.  The gang of 76 posed in the sun...

There were 54 recyclable containers (15 redeemable) and 22 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, building insulation, styrofoam, nip bottles and 3 cigarette lighters.  YTD = 545