Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Paddling About in the Pioneer Valley

This past three-day weekend provided me a chance to get in some paddling and camping in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts.  I drove west along Route 9 on Friday morning and upon reaching the southern end of Quabbin Reservoir turned left down River Road to where Cold Spring Road crosses the Swift River in Belchertown.  From the launch area near the bridge, I headed downriver to the dam in Bondsville.  As opposed to the river upstream of the bridge, this section is anything but swift (opening photo).  There are numerous backwaters and small islands.  One island had this old trap...
...which didn't appear to be baited.

The same island's shoreline gave up this old clay pipe...
It may have been last smoked in the 1800's (possibly by a pioneer).


What appeared to be an uninhabited riverside dwelling stood watch at the last bend before the dam...

This part of the Swift River provided a mellow kickoff to my trip, and yielded a small trash haul to boot...

From here I journeyed further to the west where my base of operations was established at the Windy Acres KOA Campground in Westhampton...
As I get older I'm finding car camping to be more and more appealing, especially with recent developments in portable cots which allow a truly comfortable night's sleep up off the ground. 

On a rainy Saturday morning I traveled west on Route 66 to the "Hidden Hills" area of Chester and Littleville Lake on the Middle Branch of the Westfield River.  I launched at the Dayville Fishing Access at the lake's north end and paddled the short distance to where the river enters the lake...

Once in the lake I was welcomed by some mergansers...
...and this very regal blue heron...

The morning's low clouds and occasional showers set a moody stage...

Eventually the impressive dam structure materialized in the distance...
The dam's height and beaver-chewed trees seen several feet above the lake's surface indicated the wide fluctuations in water levels that must occur here.

On my return trip I hugged the lake's west shore and saw two examples of nature's delicate balance.
The first...
...a ribbon of eggs interwoven around this dead tree stump's roots.

...and the second...
...a perfectly balanced rock.

My trash haul had me wondering if the resident fish had sent for some take-out...

Before I took out, I paddled just a bit upriver to get a better taste of the Westfield's Middle Branch...

The fishermen I encountered all reported good trout fishing in this river's clear and clean waters.

On my way back to the campground I took the long way following the Westfield River's main stem from Huntington down through Russell and into the village of Woronoco where I stopped to admire the falls there...
It is said that Chief Greylock (aka Wawanolewat) was born around these parts.  Further to the north and west, the highest point in Massachusetts is named for this Native American leader.

Back in my tent the rains returned for a second night and my musical earbuds helped to drown out the sound.

Sunday morning dawned damp but soon welcome sunshine had returned to the skies. After breaking camp and packing away my still soggy gear, I headed east to the Connecticut River and a rendezvous with a rogue band of Adirondack Pirate Paddlers.  We launched from a very muddy Cow Bridge Brook in Hatfield...
Apparently New Hampshire and Vermont must have had some surplus mud this spring and were kind enough to send it on down.

The five of us paddled a swift-flowing Connecticut past Great Meadow and Scott Island where this eagle-tended nest was seen...

One can't help but wonder if eagles would be seen at all in the Pioneer Valley if not for Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring and the subsequent ban of DDT for agricultural purposes 10 years later.

Below that point we paddled by a closed-for-construction Elwell Park in Northampton and passed under Route 9 before heading towards the Mount Tom Range of hills to the south...
...and our takeout point at the Oxbow State Ramp in Easthampton.

Even though the weather wasn't ideal, it was nonetheless a great day, as is any, when time can be spent afloat with friends on a beautiful river...
 


Monday, April 21, 2014

The North Nashua's Ponakin Loop


Today, on the day before Earth Day, I teamed up with Jamie who'd suggested joining forces to trash patrol a stretch of the Nashua River's north branch in Lancaster, MA.  We launched from Ponakin Bridge, a Post through truss built in 1871 and considered a fine example of this type of bridge design.  The bridge, no longer open to vehicles or pedestrians, still elegantly spans the river near the former location of Ponakin Mill...
 
Just upriver from the bridge are remnants of what may have been the Ponakin Mill's canal outlet...
...and downstream what may have been the mill's oil storage tank...

The Ponakin Mill was destroyed by fire in 1963.

The Nashua River's north branch drains the northeastern side of Mt. Wachusett and flows down through Fitchburg and Leominster.  Today, it was found to be shallow, swift, and clear.
 
Jamie and his boat approaching Lancaster Village where the river deepens and slows...

After working the many trash-laden snags, our boats would ultimately be loaded to the gills. 

Where the former Boston and Maine Railroad's Worcester, Nashua, and Portland Division crosses the north branch, a CSX powered freight train headed south towards Clinton and Worcester...

Just a little ways past the railroad bridge the Nashua's south branch (from Wachusett Reservoir) flows in from the right.  An ascent of that stream didn't look very promising due to the many blow downs that could be seen from the confluence.

We continued on the Nashua River's main stem until reaching the takeout at Seven Bridge Road (Rt. 117) where our combined trash haul spilled forth from our boats...
There were 134 recyclable containers and 130 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as Styrofoam, plastic bags, nip bottles, a Mylar balloon, and a large blue plastic tub.

One advantage of this trip is that after travelling nearly 5 miles downriver, there is only a 2 mile shuttle back to the starting point.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Rude Bridge Arching the Flood

Though I've paddled under Concord's Old North Bridge many times, it always feels a little special when doing so a few days either side of April 19th.  It was at this very spot that "the shot heard round the world" rang out and the American Revolution began 239 years ago.
Over the next few days this replica of that "rude bridge" will host several commemorative events attended by visitors from near and far.  With this afternoon's cool temperatures the bridge was fairly quiet.

Water levels have dropped a little to where the first line of Egg Rock's inscription "On the Hill Nashawtuck" can be read...
 
Below the North Bridge, Flint's Bridge at Monument Street divided the river's flow between its four portals...

This beaver was swimming to this evening's worksite...

The high water levels of late produced a plethora of refuse between Egg Rock and Balls Hill...
There were 47 recyclable containers (14 redeemable) and 64 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as Styrofoam, plastic bags, nip bottles, and a Mylar balloon.  YTD = 1367

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Everybody's Back on the Assabet

This splendid spring morning found the Assabet River coming back to life, so to speak.  Shortly after launching at Magazu's Landing in Stow, MA, I encountered Patrick who was fishing from a nice open boat he built himself over the winter.  Even with a camera in my pocket, I forgot to get a photo of him and his boat.  In talking about the absence of spring peepers, Patrick mentioned having heard them a little further upriver, and I did hear a few soloists when I reached the spot he mentioned.  The whole chorus has yet to chime in.

On my paddle upriver I encountered many recent returnees such as this heron...
...and this octopus...

Leaving the river for a short trip up Fort Meadow Brook provided this, always welcome, view...

Last season's duck hunt left this interesting presentation in the brook...

Once back on the river, I continued up to the ford-way where an upriver assault did not look promising...

Instead, I turned around and began my trip back downriver.  En route I saw ospreys, turkey vultures, and this pair of killdeer...

The strangest encounter I had today was with this turtle...
 
 
He was fearless and never plopped from his log despite the proximity of my boat.  I'm wondering if he might be a juvenile Blandings turtle?  If so, it would be my first ever encounter with that species.
 
Today's lunch spot had this grand view...
 
Today's trash haul, not so much...
 
There were 92 recyclable containers (14 redeemable) and 84 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, nip bottles, light bulbs, and a tube of toothpaste.  YTD = 1256



Thursday, April 10, 2014

Ascending Bogastow Brook

A morning job in Sherborn finished up early thus allowing me to explore Bogastow Brook from its junction with the Charles River near the Sherborn/Millis town line.  I launched into the Charles River from Route 27 in Medfield and headed upriver to the point where Bogastow veers off to the right (opening photo).  Water levels were nice and high and that kept many obstacles well below my boat's hull.

Having brought along McAdow's guidebook The Charles River exploring nature and history on foot and by canoe helped to answer the question as to the meaning of Bogastow.  On page 187: "A second contingent of pioneers came in 1658 and settled in the southern end of town at Bogastow (Boggestow, Bogistow), which is what the Indians called the Charles Valley from Sherborn south to Medway."

Paddling a quarter mile up the brook brought me into South End Pond...
The pond is natural and there are few signs of civilization.  Once the inlet was located at the pond's south end I continued my ascent.  Because the brook was over its banks finding the actual channel proved difficult in places. 

I saw my first osprey of the spring about a half mile above the pond...
A marsh hawk and a red-tailed hawk were also seen in addition to numerous ducks.  Turtles were also catching some rays.  Oddly though not a peep from the spring peepers.
 
A "Witness Post" staff gauge maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers was witnessed...

This footbridge was not going to allow my passage and almost ended my ascent until I noticed water flowing over the path to the bridge's right...
 
It was a short portage, requiring only a few strides while out of the boat, and gave me another half mile of brook up to Orchard Street in Millis...
    
The bridge portal pictured is one of several, each feeding a different channel of the brook.
To proceed beyond this point would require a longer and more difficult postage, so this made an ideal spot for me to turnaround.  I'd traveled about 3.6 miles from the Route 27 Charles River launch site.

My trip downstream was with the wind at my back and a strong current to boot. 
Upon rejoining the Charles, I could see Medfield State Hospital in the distance...

Today's trash haul...

There were 18 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 30 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as bait tubs, Styrofoam, and plastic bags.  YTD = 1080