Saturday, March 22, 2008

The Assabet River in All Its Glory



Saturday afternoon saw another Trash Patrol on the Assabet River. With the windy conditions slowly declining as the day progressed, I waited till 3 pm to get out on the water. It was just as well that it was windy, as that made the Assabet River the logical choice. For me, the Assabet just doesn't get any better than it is right now. The water level is just about perfect. A paddler can get into all the backwaters that are usually off-limits and getting up past the Pine Street bridge is relatively easy. There is plenty of depth to dig into with one's paddle.

For a change, there were other paddlers on the river today. Saw 2 guys paddling solo canoes and another 2 guys in a double canoe. All of them looked to be training for the upcoming canoe racing season.

Trash recovery went well and my drybag filled up with plastic bags, coffee cups, and a trash bag full of paper towels etc. Once the drybag was full, I started decorating my deck with a variety of plastic bottles. Quite a few were stuck behind branches just a little downstream of the Thoreau School. This made a good spot to turn around and enjoy a quick ride down to Egg Rock and then back to my takeout location.

The last few miles were nice with the wind falling down and the sun getting low in the late afternoon sky. Near Route 2 I noticed some bushes were turning a reddish color and near Dove Rock, some plants, perhaps crocuses, have sprouted on the river bank.

The wildlife seen were mostly wood ducks, mallards, birds, a turkey vulture, and several muskrats. I kept an eye out for the turtle I saw earlier in the week near Spencer Brook, but he was nowhere to be seen. Naturally, since this time I had a camera.

My trash count for the day was 36 bringing my YTD total to 563.

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