Friday, March 29, 2013

Paddling to and into Pantry Brook

Now that the ice is finally gone from the inlet canal at the Lincoln Canoe Launch, access to the Sudbury River from one of the more scenic launch sites in the SuAsCo region was possible (pictured at left).  Upon arriving at the small parking area, this afternoon, I was pleased to find that I had the place all to myself....that is until loud and absurd laughter rained down from above.  I stopped the process of unstrapping my boat and looked around for the source of the raucous sounds.  It took only a minute to find the culprit (a pileated woodpecker) on a nearby tree...
 
 
Once launched, I paddled down to Fairhaven Bay and on the way was passed by the often seen TRYAK which was motoring downriver at a steady pace...
 
 
Across the bay, Brooke Island was seen to be basking in a brief bit of sunshine...
 
 
However, rather than paddle to it, I turned about and headed upriver to see if access to the Pantry Brook Wildlife Management Area might be possible with our fairly high water levels of late.
 
Today's skies were quite changeable as can be seen in this view of Lee's Bridge...
 
 
Arriving at the mouth of Pantry Brook, I was happy to see that passage over the sheet piling barrier would be possible (staff gauge showing 4.3')...
...and this allowed me to paddle nearly a half mile into the 410 acre area which is managed by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
In addition to seeing numerous ducks and geese I was also treated to sightings of belted kingfishers...
 
 
...and mushquashes happily going about their business...
 
 
Before returning to the river, a damaged cooler was recovered from the shrubbery.
 
The modest amount of trash encountered on the water today would fit nicely into the aforementioned cooler (following this group shot)...
There were 10 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 13 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish.
YTD = 1235







Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Ipswich River Above the Tidewater

Though my countdown to spring ended a week ago, it hasn't felt very springlike 'round these parts...until today, that is.  The work that brought me to Ipswich this morning finished-up early and provided me the opportunity to explore another new (to me) section of the Ipswich River.  After launching my boat at Peatfield Street under a bright blue sky, I paddled the short distance towards the Ipswich Dam (aka Sylvania Dam) near the downtown area of Ipswich.  The mill building pictured in the opening photo now houses the EBSCO Publishing Company.  A dam and fish ladder at this site mark the transition from freshwater above the dam, to tidewater below it. 
This photo looks beyond the dam and footbridge...
About 1,000 feet downriver from the dam, but not quite visible in the photo, is the Choate Bridge, said to be one of the oldest double arch bridges in North America.   I turned around before reaching the dam and began heading upriver, curious as to how far I'd be able to navigate.

Just outside of town and along the MBTA commuter rail line, I came upon what looked to be an old "hobo jungle".  Next to an extinguished campfire was a trash bag filled with empty plastic water jugs.  When combined with the two empty beer bottles on the ground, it looked as though someone had a "bit of a bash" with well-watered down beer?..
 
The morning's silence was soon broken by the 9:42 am train to Boston...
 
Proceeding further upriver I eventually came to a bridge carrying the railroad across the river...
 
 
All portals under the bridge were blocked with logs on the upstream side and this created turbulence under the bridge and immediately downstream. 
With no portage trail visible I decided to prematurely end my ascent after traveling only a little more than a mile, and to begin my return trip downriver.  No sooner had I turned around, a bit disappointed, than a bald eagle was spotted circling above the nearby confluence with the Miles River.  This lifted my spirits, though I wasn't able to get a photo (still getting used to my new camera which doesn't have a viewfinder). 
The eagle appeared from behind these tall pines...
 
Other wildlife seen on the river today were mallards, wood ducks, red-winged blackbirds, woodpeckers, and Canada geese.
 
My trash haul for the day...
There were 29 recyclable containers (12 redeemable) and 18 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish consisting of plastic bags, and styrofoam.  Appropriately, there were two empty bottles of the town's namesake "Ipswich Ale" and two empty "Sam Adams" bottles for historical perspective. 
Most of today's trash was found at either the "camp" site or at the boat launch area with very little trash found in the river itself.
 
For now, the stretch of Ipswich River between the railroad bridge and Willowdale Dam continues to elude me. 
 
Yesterday, a short terrestrial riverbank patrol along the Assabet River at Knox Trail in Concord produced this catch...
There were 12 recyclable containers (7 redeemable) and 15 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish.
 
YTD = 1212
 
This past Monday morning's sunrise was enjoyed on my drive to work...
 

 
 




Sunday, March 24, 2013

Flotsam Fest Part 2

Today I returned to the Assabet River in Hudson and paddled down to Gleasondale Village in Stow.  My objective was to explore an isolated piece of high ground (an island of sorts) located on the north side of the river and across from Orchard Hill.  It was located at about the halfway point between Cox Street and Gleasondale.  A small and un-named stream enters the river from behind this island.  Enroute to the stream I encountered some ice...

The lowest part of the island can be seen behind the ice.
Paddling up the small stream I encountered 2 mute swans, numerous wood ducks, and a pair of hooded mergansers before reaching a beaver dam behind the island. 
Also seen today were a killdeer, a blue heron, and many red-winged blackbirds.
 
Returning to the river provided this wintry view of Orchard Hill to the south...
 
 
Clouds would occasionally block out the sun and, thanks to a busy north wind, a chilly feel would soon develop.  It served to remind that winter is back though "not" by popular demand.
 
As noted last Sunday, large amounts of flotsam still remained in this stretch of river and resulted in my boat being loaded to the gills.
Once back at Cox Street, a good sized day's catch assembled hullside...
There were 127 recyclable containers (7 redeemable) and 119 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as 2 empty plastic gasoline jugs, an empty anti-freeze container, a small cooler, and a 5-gallon plastic drywall pail which is holding 65 nip bottles.  YTD = 1138
 


Monday, March 18, 2013

Another Day, Another Mile

Yesterday I encountered 206 pieces of trash on a one-mile section of the Assabet River in Hudson.  Today, Mrs. Trashpaddler and I walked one-mile down to the Powdermill in Acton and took a look at the Assabet River flowing over the dam.  On our walk we recovered 42 pieces of trash.  Wish I could say it's been there all winter, buried under the snow, but I know for a fact it was tossed within the last month...

How did that go again?  "Some people have a deep abiding respect for the natural beauty that was once this country and some people don't."

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Flotsam Fest on the Assabet

On this bright and sunny Saint Patrick's Day I paddled the Assabet River downstream from Cox Street in Hudson.  Thanks to all the recent snowmelt the water level was fairly high and the flow was swift.  Present and accounted for were wood ducks, Canada geese, red-winged blackbirds, and a red-tailed hawk.   Tree swallows were also seen for the first time this season.

Of course along with the high water level came an abundance of trashy flotsam.  After traveling only a mile or so downriver, my boat was full to the gills.  Therefore, most of what can be seen in this photo...
..was left for another patrol.

Once back at Cox Street, the rounded-up miscreants "spread out" in the sunshine...
There were 105 recyclable containers (8 redeemable) and 101 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, etc.  The green plastic basin contains 42 nip bottles.  YTD = 850.

This stretch of the Assabet always seems to yield a large amount of trash.
 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Harbingers on the Assabet

For my first daylight saving time paddle of 2013 I ascended the Assabet River from Egg Rock to West Concord.  The photo at left, taken upon my return to Egg Rock, shows the Calf Pasture in the distance with Egg Rock on the near right.  This afternoon's abundant sunshine and blue sky was greatly appreciated by this paddler.
 
My goal for today was to confirm the presence of my favorite harbinger of spring: the red-winged blackbird.  After launching into the lower Sudbury River I paddled down to Egg Rock and soon heard and saw the object of my quest...

Up the river a little further was another favorite harbinger, the eastern bluebird...

However, the most numerous birds on this day were robins.  They were everywhere.

Unfortunately, trash was also encountered in good numbers.  This floating trash bag was half full with what looked like someone's household rubbish...

Water levels have dropped slightly as can be seen at the Egg Rock inscription...
However, I suspect they'll soon be rising.

Today's trash haul soaked up some sun while my boat's brakes cooled down...
 
 
There were 47 recyclable containers (7 redeemable) and 61 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish including 18 nip bottles, a balloon, an empty can of spray paint, and a small propane cylinder.  YTD = 644
 
While listening to tunes on my shuffle today, two songs in particular stood out from the rest:
 
Blue Wing by the Tom Russell Band with the lyrics "....it's dark in here, can't see the sky, but I look at this blue wing and I close my eyes, and I fly away, beyond these walls, up above the clouds, where the rain don't fall, on a poor man's dream...."
 
Starboard by Nels Andrews with the lyrics  "...follow the silver fish upstream, then wakeup portside of a starboard dream....".


Saturday, March 9, 2013

Spring's Wrong Turn

My boat was only taking a brief respite on my deck when our spring suffered a major setback! 
Awaking to a bigger snow event than expected yesterday morning, I headed out early for my pre-dawn commute to work on Cape Ann.  It was a strange journey that included seeing the headlights of several vehicles pointing to places where no vehicle is meant to go.  It left me to wonder why some folks just cannot bring themselves to slowdown a bit.

After finally arriving on Cape Ann, I found a storm of a whole other nature: wild, wind-driven snow, and an ocean that had reclaimed quite a bit of terra firma.  The wind-chopped salt water was lapping at the pavement on the causeway in Essex.  After crossing it, I briefly lost my momentum while refueling, and received a helpful and much appreciated push from a Town of Essex policeman to get moving again.
Heading into Gloucester on Rt. 133 found the Annisquam River up and over its banks.
While I had my camera with me, I didn't get any photos for lack of plowed-out places to park, and very poor visibility in "white-out" conditions.
My mid-morning drive home on the upper reaches of Rt. 128 could best be described using the words of another motorist: "Felt like I was driving through Franconia Notch".
Once safely home, I measured 11.5" of white stuff on my boat's upturned hull.
As Old Man Winter exited to the east (probably laughing like hell) he left this colorful sunset in his wake...

The resulting snow melt, if combined with any significant rainfall, may well exceed what our already swollen rivers are capable of handling.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Sure Sign of Spring on the Assabet

Taking advantage of, possibly, the best weather of the week, I spent this afternoon paddling on the Assabet River in Stow.  In doing so I was rewarded with the unmistakable sound of spring: the calls of red-winged blackbirds.  Today's blackbirds, however, chose to be heard and not seen.  I never actually figured out where they were hiding, but nonetheless greatly enjoyed the long-absent sound.

Wood ducks, mallards, Canada geese, and a few red-tailed hawks were also seen on the river.

The portal to Fort Meadow Brook was just a little too small for me to fit through so I continued upriver to the narrow funnel downstream of Gleasondale...


With a swollen Assabet squeezing through the narrow opening at a pretty good clip, I decided against trying to paddle upstream.  Helping to make that decision was the good sized tree rocking in the current just downstream of the funnel...

Avoiding that obstacle would require some quick evasive measures by any paddler.
So, here I turned around and headed back to the takeout at Sudbury Road.

Similar to Sunday, the high river levels resulted in a bounty of floating trash...

My catch included 46 recyclable containers (3 redeemable) and 75 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish  32 of which were nip bottles.  YTD = 536


Sunday, March 3, 2013

Fairhaven Bay - Open or Closed?

Boat # 1 awoke from hibernation yesterday and was chomping at the bit this morning, anxious to be afloat.  So, we decided to paddle up the Sudbury River to Fairhaven Bay and find out if the bay was still iced in.

The photo at left shows a few bits of blue sky that briefly appeared between bouts of snow flurries and rain showers.  It also shows a full milk crate resulting from a bumper crop of trash that floated out from the shrubbery and gave my brakes a good workout.

The past week's rainstorm and snow melt resulted in much higher water levels, as the Egg Rock inscription shows...
Not much text showing.

Boats usually resting on solid ground were now left to deal with the rising levels as best they could...


Finally reaching Fairhaven Bay, I found the bay still iced over and there would be no hot cocoa break on a wintry looking Brooke Island...
 
Enroute to the bay, the following wildlife were seen: mallards, Canada geese, a northern harrier, a red-tailed hawk, and common mergansers.
 

Back at the takeout, my day's catch chilled-out...
 
 
There were 57 recyclable containers (43 redeemable) and 43 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish including a 1-gallon plastic jug with about a half-quart of oil in it, bait tubs, plastic bags, a balloon, and 2 empty cans of spray paint.  YTD = 415


Friday, March 1, 2013

We're Heading Into Spring

I asked them where they were headed...

and they responded "we're heading into spring". 


Very early this morning these three white-tailed deer provided me the opportunity to tryout my new Canon PowerShot SX160 IS camera (in a terrestrial setting).  It has 3 times the optical zoom of my older PowerShot A590 IS.