Saturday, November 30, 2013

Seeing November to the Door

Since November's recent turn to a winter-like feel, I was only too happy to escort her to the door and say "good-bye" until next year.  Despite the morning's very cold start, plenty of sunshine and very little wind allowed a fine opportunity to experience a replenished Assabet River in Hudson and Stow.  This resulted from the nearly 2.5 inches of rain that fell last Wednesday. 

After launching at Cox Street, I soon encountered this blue heron who was at a loss to explain his not having flown south...
 He only shrugged when asked if he intended to stay over for the winter...

Where the Assabet turns sharply to the north in order to round Orchard Hill, I looked back to see this intervale lying at the hill's base...

The only breeze of the day was found on approaching the Gleasondale Dam, my turnaround point.   I retreated back upriver and out of said breeze before enjoying a mug-up of hot cocoa.

On my trip upstream to Cox Street I encountered this red-tailed hawk seemingly in "hawk heaven"...

A fair amount of trash was encountered today as well...
There were 41 recyclable containers (8 redeemable) and 46 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as Styrofoam, nip bottles, and plastic bags.  YTD = 6030

Upon approaching the takeout at Cox Street, the last song lyrics  heard from my shuffle were "...I'm going where the sun keeps shining, through the pouring rain.   Going where the weather suits my clothes.  Banking off of the north east wind, sailing on a summer breeze.  And skipping over the ocean like a stone...." sung by Fred Neil.    Don't I wish.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

A Nice Bit of the Upper Charles

What caught my eye was the following description: "Below Baltimore Street canoeists enter a stunning stretch of river.  For a mile and a half of easy paddling, the steady gentle stream pushes northeast between wooded hillsides...".  I'd been looking for a new section of the Charles to explore and after consulting the guidebook The Charles River: Exploring Nature and History on Foot and by Canoe by Ron McAdow, this section's description fit the bill, especially with today's cool and breezy conditions.  
So this morning I headed to Millis and launched at Forest Road where a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) sign (photo at left) indicated that this area is within the Charles River Natural Valley Storage Area.  The storage area consists of some 17 natural wetlands in the middle and upper parts of the Charles River that are protected from development by the USACE.   During times of flooding this allows the wetlands to store large quantities of water, thus protecting downriver communities.

I headed upriver towards Baltimore Street...
...where I turned about and began my downriver run.  Several loud volleys of gunfire in this area served to remind that today was not a good day to be a duck.

The river below Baltimore Street proved to be just as advertised, a very nice stretch of river...

I stopped at Cedariver for a hot cocoa break...
...and admired this large old deciduous tree...

After re-launching I soon encountered 2 white-tailed deer in their dark winter coats on the left side of the river.

Continuing downriver beyond Forest Road I paddled through a short rocky stretch...

 ...and turned around at another Trustees of Reservations site...

Trash collected from behind snags and blowdowns consisted of the usual suspects...
There were 48 recyclable containers (20 redeemable) and 53 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as nip bottles, fishing bobbers, Styrofoam, and plastic.  YTD = 5943

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

A Leafless Assabet

Like the song said "All the Leaves are Gone" (though the skies weren't grey).  Things are looking pretty stark 'round these parts of late. 
This morning I paddled a very shallow Assabet River between Egg Rock and Nashoba Brook and when I stopped to enjoy a mug-up of hot cocoa, the smell of someone's wood-burning stove served as a reminder that Old Man Winter's arrival is imminent.  Hopefully, he'll be in a benevolent mood this year.


The sun's low angle lit the underside of the Rt. 2 bridge on my return trip downriver...
 
Trash was plentiful today...
...and included 38 recyclable containers (10 redeemable) and 40 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as an old bicycle tire/tube, plastic bags, and Styrofoam.  YTD = 5842

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Petroglyphs to Putney Landing

I was beginning to think paddling another section of the Connecticut River might have to wait until next spring.  However, that all changed yesterday when Captain Dangerous and I rendezvoused in Bellows Falls, VT/North Walpole, NH to take advantage of some unusually kind weather conditions for this time of year.
After we'd paddled the section of river above the falls back in October 2012, I'd heard of the existence of petroglyphs in Bellows Falls attributed to Native Americans, and had wanted to see them ever since.  So before launching near the foot of the Great Falls, we walked across the Vilas Bridge (opening photo) to the Bellows Falls side and finally got a look at the ancient etchings...
Even though the Great Falls lost most of its greatness when the river was diverted to a canal in 1802, it is easy to imagine just how powerful a spot this was when the river ran through it wild and free.  Of the many explanations I've come across as to the meaning of the etchings, I like this one by Edward J. Lenik in his 2002 published Picture Rocks: American Indian Rock Art in the Northeast Woodland the best:
"Abenaki-Algonkian spiritual beliefs included the power of a life-giving force referred to as manitou, the Great Spirit or creator.  Manitou is present in natural phenomena such as certain rocks, rivers, and waterfalls and also in anthropomorphic beings.  The basic cosmology of the Algonkians consisted of levels above the earth and below the earth.  These levels were connected by holes through which the souls of the dead and the spirits of the shaman passed from one world to another.
The awe and majesty of the Great Falls, with its tumbling, roaring water and deep potholes, would have had a significant impact upon the spiritual beliefs of the Indians who visited the site.  The gorge, constantly changing but eternal, would have been viewed as a sacred place and connection point between the center of the earth and the sky.  The unchanging features of the Great Falls, with its recurring annual cycles of fish runs, embodied divine spirits.  I postulate that the heads carved into the ledges at the Great Falls represent an attempt by the Indians to make contact with and gain access to the spiritual power and energy at the site, perhaps with the manitou or the Great Spirit..."

Once on the river we paddled to the foot of the falls and looked up through the gorge (opening photo).  Great numbers of anadromous fish once gathered here before making their attempt at swimming against the flow.  Fortunately for us, we'd turnaround and head downriver past the shallow confluences of the Saxton and Cold Rivers.  This photo looking up the Cold River shows how shallow and rocky this area is...

An immature eagle was busy preening its feathers in a tree on the Vermont side of the river...


We passed under the only bridge (Rt. 123) and at about the 5 mile point came upon Dunshee Island...

Electing to push on we paddled down to a rocky spit at Fullam Brook where a lunch break was taken...

Once back on the water we were treated to an encounter with a seaplane first taking flight then landing (if that can be done in a river), then taking flight again and rising above our heads.

Of the many tributaries we saw entering the river from both sides, only Sacketts Brook possessed water deep enough to paddle into...
After exploring it just past Rt. 91 we journeyed the short distance to our takeout at Putney Landing where a modest trash haul posed briefly...
Most of the trash was found at the locations where we launched or stopped for lunch.  On the river itself, little trash was seen.

Once shuttled back to North Walpole and as daylight faded we saw the amber lights flashing and heard the verbal warnings for a dam release at Bellows Falls.

For the second month in a row, my drive home was towards a rising full moon in the eastern sky.  Along the Mohawk Trail the Millers River was seen glistening in the moonlight.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Paddling to the Praying Town

This morning, under mostly cloudy skies, I paddled a new section of the Charles River from Dover to South Natick thereby cobbling together two previously paddled sections.  McAdow's guidebook The Charles River:  Exploring Nature and History on Foot and by Canoe refers to this section as "Broadmoor". 
After launching at Bridge Street in Dover I headed downstream and encountered a group of river otters after paddling only half a mile (across from Peters Reservation).  They were popping up in different spots around me but didn't stay topside long enough for a photo.  One otter actually left the river and headed into the woods.  I would have thought an otter would feel safer in the water rather than on land.  This was the area where they were encountered...

Further along I would encounter this smaller and more camera-friendly mink...
...a very watchful hawk...
...and very stoic heron...
The mink, hawk, and heron were seen in the area of Mass Audubon's Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary.

Shortly before reaching South Natick I passed under the only bridge along this stretch...
 ..and noticed it's for foot-traffic only, and is private property.

Upon my arrival at South Natick the sun played a bit of peek-a-boo...
This area has historical significance as having been the site of the first Native American Praying Town in New England.  In a sense it might be called the first "Indian Reservation" in America.  It was established by order of the Massachusetts General Court in 1651 on the shores of the Charles River at a place given the Native American name "Natick".  The Reverend John Eliot preached Christianity to the Indians and, in the ensuing years, fourteen additional Praying Towns were established and ministered to by Eliot and his associate Daniel Gookin.  When the conflict known as "King Philip's War" broke out in 1675, the Praying Indians were forcibly removed from here and interned on Deer Island in Boston Harbor where, over the course of the winter, many succumbed to cold and lack of food.  After the war ended a few survivors were allowed to return, but much of what they'd built had been destroyed.  More information on the Praying Town can be found at this link.

Though much has changed, the waters of the Charles River still flow over a dam here some 338 years later...


...and below a couple were fly-fishing...

Back at Bridge Street my trash haul decided to take a dip...

 ...in a nearly perfect sized kiddee pool.  There were 35 recyclable containers (13 redeemable) and 37 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish which included the pool.  YTD = 5736

I was watching the movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales" last night and was struck by actor Chief Dan George (playing Lone Watie) relating how the Cherokee tribal leaders were told by the US Secretary of the Interior "you must endeavor to persevere".  He further related "we thought about it for a long time, 'Endeavor to persevere'.  And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union."

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Warm, Wet, and Windy on the Quaboag

This morning I journeyed to West Brookfield to paddle another section of the Quaboag River.  I launched from the rest area off of Rt. 67 near its intersection with Rt. 9.  A substantial amount of fishing related trash was found in the muddy weeds at water's edge.  There were 21 bait tubs and lids along with half pint plastic bottles etc.  My rear hatch was full before I'd even left the beach. 
Once launched I found very shallow conditions but there was just enough depth to allow a visit to nearby Wickaboag Pond's outlet/dam...
In the area just below the outlet I found an old "Squeeze" soda bottle which I believe dates to the 1930's and a small cobalt blue medicine bottle...both in good shape.
 
After returning to the Quaboag, I headed downriver to where Naultaug Brook enters and paddled a short distance to the railroad bridge, arriving just in time for a CSX freight train...
This train consisted of new automobiles and was eastbound.  Another eastbound freight followed about an hour later and consisted of shipping containers.  Both trains were moving right along.
 
A little ways beyond Sullivan Brook the river became even shallower (opening photo) and I turned around near a location that may have once been known as "Crabtree Ford".  At today's water levels a person could easily walk across the river there without wetting their knees.
 
Once back at Rt. 67 I headed upriver and to the east.  Near Coys Brook I came across this odd looking structure in the middle of the river...
 A duck blind perhaps?
 
Saw quite a few ducks today, both mallards and wood ducks.  Today's weather was much to their liking!
 
Coys Brook is shown as Massequockummis on the old Plan of Shattoockquis Land map dating to 1665 and is said to mean "the little marshy meadow".  Shattoockquis was the Quaboag sachem who sold land in the area to European settlers.
 
Back at the takeout my trash haul huddled...
There were 61 recyclable containers (15 redeemable) and 42 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, Styrofoam, nip bottles, and the bait tubs.  YTD = 5664
 
I wonder what Shattoockquis would think today. 

Monday, November 4, 2013

Petapawag to Squannacook

With this morning's cold temperatures, a few seasonal firsts were in order: neoprene wetsuit, neoprene pogies, set of dry cloths stowed, and a thermos of hot cocoa.  As much as I hate to see the end of warm weather, there is something about paddling on colder days that I sort of enjoy.  Throw in the smell of someone's wood burning stove and a few recently added Van Morrison tunes on my shuffle and I ask you...how could this not be enjoyable?

I launched at Petapawag (Rt. 119 in Groton) and headed up the Nashua River (opening photo).

Aside for some trash on the upstream side of the Route 119 bridge this section of the Nashua River was remarkably clean.

Early on I came across this tired and sagging culvert where trains once passed from the long gone Squannaccok Junction to Milford, NH many moons ago...

While I hadn't originally planned to go as far as the Squannacook River....the next thing I knew the confluence was drawing me in...
Not more than a hundred yards in I looked up this sunny slope and could easily imagine there having been wigwams at the top...

Made a perfect spot for a hot cocoa break before returning to the Nashua for the downstream run.

A short time later Petapawag was approached...
...where my modest trash haul spilled forth...
There were 22 recyclable containers (4 redeemable) and 15 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, nip bottles, and a Frisbee.  YTD = 5561

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Savoring the Last of D.S.T.


Warm mornings such as today's are getting fewer and farther between.  Therefore, I got up a little early on this last day of Daylight Savings Time and launched at Lowell Road in Concord.  I quickly passed under the Old North Bridge and began following the Concord River's northward course while the sun beat back some clouds to the east.
Yesterday's strong winds had finally subsided leaving mirror-like water.
 
Below Flint's Bridge this Halloween leftover seemed to be striding the river in search of its head...

 At Buttrick's Hill the sun was illuminating things nicely...

Near Davis Hill this American bittern held a frozen pose...

The small amount of trash encountered allowed room for a tired tire to climb aboard...
There were 15 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 19 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish including plastic, Styrofoam, and the tire.  YTD = 5524

As the post-paddle day continued to warm Mrs. Trashpaddler and I journeyed by bicycle to Unquetynasset Brook in Dunstable via the Nashua River Rail Trail...
...and pondered the meaning of its name while enjoying some warm late day sun.