Nashua River Rail Trail - Groton to Hollis

Mrs. Trashpaddler and I were able to accomplish three goals on this beautiful morning in May.  First, we enjoyed a pleasant bicycle ride from Groton Depot to Hollis, NH.  Secondly, we scouted a bit of the Nashua River between Pepperell and Runnells Bridge in Hollis and thirdly, we scooped up a fair amount of litter along the way.


The rail trail, itself, was buzzing with activity this morning and also providing travelers with some scenic vistas such as Unquetynasset Brook...

It's nice to see the original Native American name preserved here whereas modern maps have shortened it to Unkety Brook...

Several times in this vicinity, folks were seen dropping from the sky after apparently jumping out of airplanes...(the Pepperell sky-diving school is just across the river :)


For thirsty bicyclists, a trail abutter with an enterprising spirit created this beverage stop along the trail...

 Looks to me like he thought this thing through.

As to scouting the river, we unwittingly stumbled on the spot where a rail spur branched off and formerly crossed the Nashua River about a quarter mile below Pepperell's Covered Bridge.
The riverbanks here are very steep as this photo attests...

The pilings that once supported the railroad bridge are said to lurk just below the surface here.  Today's water levels looked high enough to provide ample clearance.

About a quarter mile below this spot is the confluence of the Nashua and Nissitissit Rivers.
My hope is to someday paddle the stretch from the Covered Bridge to Runnells Bridge and visit the actual confluence. However, it is not my plan to paddle through the Class 3 rapids pictured in the opening photo.  According to the Nashua River Canoe and Kayak Guide, regular paddlers like me should be on river left approaching Runnells Bridge and then exit the river just below the bridge and before the rapids.

Lastly, our trash pedalling resulted in this haul of mostly single-serve plastic bottles...

There were 20 recyclable containers (5 redeemable) and 6 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, and styrofoam cups.  YTD = 2411