Thursday, December 29, 2016

2016 A Year of Low Water


I’ll remember this past year the most for having been the “ying” to the preceding year’s “yang”.  Where 2015 started out as intolerable, 2016 got off to a very pleasant start with signs of spring being seen and felt a good 3 weeks early. 

Helping to start the year off on a good note was an early January trash patrol on the Neponset River with Erik and Bill...
 
 
While the weather conditions for early season paddling were great it soon became apparent that water levels were steadily declining, and the opening photo shows just how low the water levels often were at Concord's Egg Rock.  First the brooks ran dry and soon thereafter portions of the Assabet and Sudbury Rivers became non navigable, even by kayak.  This resulted in more than a few river relics coming to light during the dryer months such as this mostly glass round-up from the Assabet River on July 31st...

 
On other occasions the Stillwater River produced a vintage ‘Gansett can identical to the one Robert Shaw crushed with one hand in the movie “Jaws”.   The Assabet River coughed up the following old bottles: Father John’s Medicine, Dazzle laundry brightener, and a green Maydale Spring beverage bottle.  The Assabet also allowed the handle of this beehive-shaped little brown jug to stick up out of the mud...
 

The Concord River contributed bottles from Boston based Oates & Shaw, Lexington based French Bros., and a bottle of M.A. Seed film developer used in the early days of photography.  The Oates & Shaw was the grittiest...
 
The Charles River signed in with a sign reminding folks to “Rekindle Your Free Spirit”…
 …I like to think paddling has rekindled mine.

Oddly, later in the year, when water levels were on the rise, the Sudbury River contributed a floating S.O. Dunbar ink/medicine bottle dating from the late 1800s...
 
The above items were added to my collection of “Waterway Keepables” which continues to require more and more shelf space…
 
A new river paddled this year was the Housatonic in Connecticut from its mouth up to the first dam in Derby.  Paddling this 12 mile tidal stretch over 2 days produced a fair bit of plastic flotsam…
 
 
One section of the Assabet River which perennially produces more trash than my boat can hold is the stretch between Cox Street in Hudson and the Gleasondale Dam in Stow…
 
It was another good year for trashpaddlin' several waterways to the northward with the New Hampshire Appalachian Mountain Club Paddlers gang...
 
This year also included participating in the OARS Annual River Cleanup.  The OARS event is a multi-town project which tackles trash removal from the Assabet, Concord, and Sudbury rivers.  My efforts were on the Assabet above Powder Mill Dam.
 
As for wildlife, I encountered eagles more often and on more waterways than any previous year.  They were encountered in 2016 on the following waterways: Assabet River (twice), Connecticut River (three times), Contoocook River, Lake Champlain, Stillwater River, Sudbury, and Tully rivers.  My favorite eagle photograph was taken on the Connecticut River in Fairlee, VT…
 
On July the Fourth I encountered first this young coyote or fox playing with his litter mates on the banks of the Concord River…
...and secondly this majestic buck...
 
In addition to the above, white-tailed deer sightings in general were plentiful this year. A photo of my favorite encounter on the Sudbury River in Wayland…
 
Came across this wood duck on the Stillwater River who was willing to stay still long enough for me to take his photo...

 
My favorite 2016 paddle revisiting an historical event was “Ticonderoga to Skenesborough” which followed the route American forces used in their pre-dawn evacuation of Fort Ticonderoga via Lake Champlain’s southernmost reaches.  The trip resulted from my reading of Nathaniel Philbrick's Valiant Ambition which was my favorite read of the year.

 

Unfortunately, 2016 is ending in a most divisive manner which leaves me greatly troubled as we enter 2017.  One thing that worries me is folk’s willingness to accept as 'factual' news that they see, hear, or read on the internet without first considering the journalistic reputation of the source.  However, troubling me even more are the people, claiming to be journalists, who knowingly dispense false information.  Before accepting as fact anything I see, hear, or read on the internet, I first consider the source and secondly look to see if any reputable news organization will verify its accuracy.  To me, ‘false news’ is the ultimate slippery slope of our time.

Perhaps this photo taken on the Charles River in April of a wily coyote swimming across my boat’s bow is symbolic of tricksters lurking amongst us…


 
 Happy and safe paddling in the coming new year!

 

 
 
 

 



Sunday, December 25, 2016

Christmas on the Concord

It was sunshine and a very decent amount of open water this paddler received for Christmas.  Aside from the iced-over approach to the Egg Rock inscription, the main channels of the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord Rivers were running free.

I headed down the Concord noting some bridge repairs underway at Lowell Road...
 
...drifted under the Old North Bridge...
...where a breeze out of the northwest was getting busy, and after paddling under Monument Street, continued down through Great Meadows.

It wasn't until I'd paddled beyond Davis Hill and reached the long straightaway that open water ended rather abruptly...

On my way back upriver I encountered a beaver blissfully enjoying his Christmas Dinner...
...before looking ready to sing...
...but not a peep was heard.

A small Christmas haul...

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Down to Damonmill

With forecasters predicting Artic-like conditions for later in the week I took advantage of today's sunshine and relatively warm temps to sneak-in a short paddle from the Acton Canoe Launch down to Damonmill and back. 

Immediately upon launching I encountered a fellow fishing from the shore who reported having earlier caught a brown trout.  There has been an effort to restore trout to this section of the Assabet River, and the area is posted as "Catch and Release".

It'd been awhile since I'd paddled this stretch, and quite a few changes were observed downriver of where the gas pipeline crosses.  Several construction projects are underway and hill on the river's west side has seen trees exchanged for solar panels...
I believe the panels were installed by the Town of Concord.

After traveling only a mile and a half downstream, I reached Damonmill and the broken dam...
...where I weighed going on through (requiring a shuttle)...or turning about and working my way slowly back up to Acton.

I chose the latter and, after completing most of my upriver work, stopped for a cocoa break at the foot of this steep hillside...

Trash was on the light side with 4 plastic muffin trays...
Come to think of it...a muffin would have gone great with the hot cocoa.
  

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Winter Setting In

Paddled away from a wintry-looking Route 20 boat launch in Wayland today just before noontime.  Yesterday, we had our first snow of any consequence (about an inch) and with temperatures early this morning in the 20's, I hadn't expect to get out on the water.  However, with bright sunshine and nearly calm winds temperatures rose to near 40 degrees by the time I launched.

A short way past the Greenways this beaver lodge and dam exhibit the look of winter...

 
Further along I came across a bottle floating upside down.  It looked old and was embossed S.O. Dunbar, Taunton, MASS...

I learned online that Samuel O. Dunbar was born in 1800 in Tittecut, Massachusetts and was a druggist in Taunton selling medicines and inks.  The bottle I found could date from the mid to late 1800s.  It was in good condition with what looks like a ball of congealed ink inside.

At the outlet from Heard Pond I was able to surmount the beaver dam but soon encountered ice too thick to easily break...
I returned to the river and settled for a glimpse of the pond's open water from Indian Point...
There were 2 guys fishing from a small powerboat in the pond.

After enjoying a cup of hot cocoa I headed back downriver to Route 20.

Today's paddle produced this winter's first trash a' la mode...


Sunday, December 4, 2016

Assabet Arising

The water level continues to rise at the Egg Rock inscription located where the Assabet, Concord, and Sudbury rivers join.  Upon seeing that this morning I started my ascent of the Assabet River enjoying the bright sunshine and slowly warming temps.  Not too shabby for December.

At Spencer Brook I got out of the river's current for a rest and noted how much higher the brook was compared to just a few weeks ago...
When I turned back towards the river I noticed a coyote patrolling the brook's north side.  He was gone by the time I fumbled around for my camera. 

Reaching West Concord I paddled a short way into Nashoba Brook by the recently built apartment complex...

After a short break for hot cocoa, it was back down to Egg Rock gliding under Route 2...
If only Route 2 could be as tranquil as it looks here.

The rains of late had trash on the move...

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

November Leaves from Petapawag

Paddled-out November this afternoon on the Nashua River.  Launched at Petapawag in Groton and headed downriver through the J. Harry Rich State Park.  Low clouds darkened and a light rain developed as I got underway.  The only brightening I encountered came from balloons at two locations...
 

Sadly, a deceased white-tailed deer was floating near Boutwell Island...

Trash gathered along the way...

Does a hot cup of coffee ever taste better than after a rainy day paddle?

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Gettin' Reel on the Assabet

Found this plastic reel for coiling up extension cords on the Assabet River in Stow yesterday.  Not sure how the river knew I could use one. Would have cost me $10 for this model at one of the big hardware stores.  Thank you Assabet.

The afternoon was a beauty with bright sunshine and much less wind than on Sunday.  The section of the river upstream from Magazu's Landing was looking fine and was being closely monitored by this red-tailed hawk near the outlet from Lake Boone...


I checked the culvert at Fort Meadow Brook and found most of the beaver-installed blockage had recently been removed...
Must have been interesting when all the backed-up water drained out through this small opening.

Several fallen trees impede passage, but yesterday's water level allowed just enough room for paddlers willing to do the Limbo...

Did a little more saw work at this spot, removing some branch stubs from the submerged tree limb to the right in the above photo.

Ultimately reached the Rt. 62 bridge at Gleasondale...
 ...which became my turnaround point.

The trip back down to Sudbury Rd was mostly backlit...


A small haul of trash and the aforementioned reel were recovered...