Afloat in the Assabet

Visited the Assabet in Stow yesterday and enjoyed some fine early spring paddling conditions.  Only a short distance upriver from Magazu's Landing I heard the unmistakable call of a red-winged blackbird for the first time this year.  Last year I heard my first on March 6th.

This mink patrolled a beaver lodge and seemed quite curious...

A short foray was made into and up Fort Meadow Brook to the old railroad trestle (opening photo).

Ascending the Assabet further upriver to Gleasondale was possible again, thanks to someone's good work in having cut out a section of a fallen tree...

That section of tree blocked upriver passage back on 1/15/17.

A fair amount of trash was encountered along the way...

One interesting find was a floating half-pint bottle embossed with a man's face, a house, a factory, barley, and several script signatures.  Thanks to the internet, I'd later discover the bottle dated from 1937 and once contained Wilken Family Blended Whiskey made in Schenley, PA...

Sounds like it was highly regarded whiskey.  Wonder what old Mr. Wilken would think of his image surviving in a Massachusetts river all these many years.