Lower Sudbury and Assabet Rivers

Early this morning I launched my boat onto the lower Sudbury River and trash patrolled down to Egg Rock where I veered to the left in order to ascend the Assabet River to Nashoba Brook. The opening photo shows Dodge Rock earning its name and was taken on my return trip.
On the way to Egg Rock, where the Reformatory Branch of the B & M Railroad used to cross the Sudbury River, I encountered this heron which I believe is a juvenile black-crowned night heron...

The heron allowed me to get very close while it went about hunting...


In addition to this (unusual for me to see) heron were the usual blue herons, belted kingfishers, wood ducks, and Canada geese.
Trash was a bit heavier than typical with a new batch having been sent downriver as a result of yesterday's rainstorm. Clouds still lingered but seemed to be lightening up as the morning progressed.
Upon reaching the confluence of the Assabet and Nashoba Brook, I turned around and began the much easier trip downriver, travelling now with the flow rather than against it.
On the way back to my takeout location, with 75 pieces of trash onboard, I landed on a small beach where we all got out and stretched our legs...

Of the 75, 42 were recyclable (27 redeemable) and 33 were rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, etc. My YTD total stands at 3631. Note: Clicking on photos enlarges image.
By the way, thanks to fellow trashpaddler Sharon for letting me know that the River Road launch site is in Wayland rather than Sudbury. For years I mistakenly thought I was in Sudbury when using this launch site.

Sudbury River - River Rd. to Power Lines & Back

Today, while enjoying the first crisp air in a while, I trash patrolled the Sudbury River from River Road in Wayland to the power lines near the Allen Morgan Avian Study Area. Upon reaching the Pelham Island Road bridge I stopped to gather up some trash in the area and noticed an osprey flying directly overhead. Resuming my journey upriver two turkey vultures were observed patrolling the skies over the river and this belted kingfisher watched over things at a lower level...

Rounding a bend a large group of Canada geese were conducting some kind of meeting. A blue heron and a cormorant stood nearby, perhaps listening in...

The bend after that had these lesser yellowlegs wading together...

After passing Indian Point I came upon this piece of trash that had a stowaway attached to it...

It took more than a little persuading to get this guy to relinquish his grip.
Just upriver a bit a toy boat about 16" in length was found sunk in the shallows. No crew or cargo were seen in the immediate vicinity and salvage efforts went smoothly.
In the area near Heard Pond, a pair of green backed herons were intent on staying together. This photo caught one while alone...

Beneath the water's surface was also teeming with life today. Numerous fish of many sizes and varieties were seen and this little freshwater clam was nestled in amongst some small stones...

At the power lines I turned around and headed back downriver. The area between Route 20 and River Road had at least 6 of these great egrets...

Today's flowers were mostly those of the buttonbush that seemed to spread up from the water like a carpet and tiny white flowers attached to underwater plants such as fanwort or water hemlock (?). While few in number, these bright pink hibiscus (?) stole the show...

Back at River Road, the day's haul posed in the sun...

The count for the day was 38 pieces of trash. Of these 22 were recyclable (15 redeemable) and 16 were misc. rubbish such as plastic bags, the plastic boat, etc. My YTD total stands at 3553. Note: Clicking on photos will enlarge image.

Sudbury River - South Bridge to Weir Hill and Back

This morning I was on the river early to watch as the outer edge of Hurricane Bill headed off to the east. The photo was taken at Fairhaven Bay.
Heading upriver from the South Bridge at 6 am, trash was encountered almost immediately under the commuter railroad bridge and required a brief foray onshore to gather up a dozen pieces. Between there and Heath's Bridge trash gave way to wildlife. In this short section were seen a doe, wood ducks, eastern kingbirds, blue herons, and this small heron which preferred to stay in the trees...

I would later see two more of these herons further upriver. Perhaps they are green-backed herons?
Just before reaching Heath's Bridge this unfortunate turtle was floating dead...

He probably had swallowed the bait of some fisherman and didn't survive the encounter.
At Heath's Bridge, some slob had left the remains from his day's fixins' at the edge of the water. It consisted of a takeout dinner from KFC and a 6-pack of beer. He only hauled out that which he could fit in his belly. What a clever oaf!
Fairhaven Bay was fairly busy with boat fishermen this morning. Counted about 12 guys fishing from 5 boats. One group of 4 had actually beached their boat and were fishing from the shore where, perhaps, they had a little more room to 'spread out'!
At Pantry Brook the river was noted to be about a foot lower than it was on my last visit. Recent rains will soon have it rising again and thoughts of the river's water level brought to mind the controversy that raged for nearly 50 years in the 1800's concerning the dam at Billerica. Area farmers contended their previously bountiful hay meadows had been rendered useless due to the dam in Billerica raising water levels and thereby flooding the meadows. According to Thoreau's journal, one interested party testified that the river was "dammed at both ends and cursed in the middle". Pretty good slogan! Unfortunately their battle was lost and the 'damned' dam remains to this day. The reference was to dams at Saxonville and Billerica and the now flooded hay meadows in between.
Reaching Weir Hill I went ashore and after a little leg stretching, transloaded the trash for the trip downriver...

Any remnants of the hurricane were being rapidly displaced by sunny skies. One lingering and welcome effect from the storm was a very pleasant breeze in my face for the trip downriver. Additional wildlife seen were tree swallows, Canada geese, small plovers, and a broad-winged hawk below Rt. 2.
My trash count for the day was 40 pieces. Of these 16 were recyclable (11 redeemable) and 24 were misc. rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, etc.
About 6 of the 40 missed the photo opportunity by being late arrivals.
My YTD total stands at 3515. Note: clicking on a photo results in a larger image.

Sudbury River - Danforth St. to Power Lines & Back

Today I took a break from following the 1839 trail of John and Henry Thoreau and trash patrolled the Sudbury River a little closer to home. After launching at Little Farms Road in Framingham, I headed upriver by passing through the small riffle just downstream from the inlet of the now bypassed mile-long oxbow...

Between here and Danforth Street, I encountered a stoic bluen heron and a very vocal red-tailed hawk. Trash in this stretch was mostly plastic bottles. There is shopping cart about a quarter-mile below the bridge and a sofa now rests beneath the newer of the two bridges. After turning around the trip downriver was a swift one till the Stone Bridge where floatable trash was plentiful, as usual. By the time I reached the point where the river makes a hard right turn, my trash count was more than 60 pieces. From there to the power lines there was little trash.
These cardinal flowers were the fullest I've seen...

They were located across the river from these pink flowers, perhaps hibiscus...

After passing under the overhead power lines, I continued downriver a little ways past the sign for the Allen H. Morgan Avian Study Area. At this point, quite a breeze began to kick up and with thunderstorms mentioned in the forecast, it seemed wise to head back upriver to Little Farms Road. A belted kingfisher decided to provide me an escort all the way back. He would fly ahead then wait for me to catch up, then repeat the cycle over and over again.
Arriving back at the takeout, my trash count for the day was 70 pieces. Of these 51 were recyclable (12 redeemable) and 19 were misc. rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic bags, etc. You'd think they would look a little happier to be back on dry land...

This brings my YTD total to 3475.

Merrimack River - Middlesex Canal to Wickasee Island

Today I once again picked up the trail of the two brothers from Concord, John and Henry Thoreau, at about the point where they emerged from the Middlesex Canal and began heading upriver on the Merrimack. Before they emerged from the canal they passed below a church from which the parishoners were exiting. Henry later wrote "As we passed under the last bridge over the canal, just before reaching the Merrimack, the people coming out of the church paused to look at us from above, and apparently, so strong is custom, indulged in some heathenish comparisons; but we were the truest observers of this sunny day..." The location was known as Sullivan's Harbor in 1839 and it has been filled in over the ensuing years. It was located about halfway between the Rourke Bridge and the mouth of Black Brook. They would need to be lowered in the locks to the level of the Merrimack River "by a serene & liberal minded man who came quietly from his book, though his duties, we supposed, did not require him to open the locks on Sundays. With him we had a just and equal encounter of the eyes as between honest men."
Once on the Merrimack it is immediately apparent that it is the big brother of the Concord. It is wider, its banks are much higher, and the current much stronger. It also has numerous small sandy beaches which offer easy spots to land for a break. Beginning my passage upriver, I soon encountered this humble riverfront home built between the RR tracks and the river by some enterprising individual...

If the brothers had stayed on the west side of the river, as I did, they would have passed the outlet of Stony Brook which is a good sized stream draining the Westford and Chelmsford area. I paddled up the brook until almost running into a mill building after emerging from under Middlesex Street...

Back on the river and a little further along I passed the City of Lowell's Drinking Water Intake Facility...

It is on the opposite side of the river from where I had earlier launched my kayak.
Between here and Wickasee (also Wickasuck) Island, the river was busy with jet-skis and power boats.
Reaching the island I elected to get out of the downriver breeze and paddle the easier route to the east side of the island whereas the two brothers rowed along the island's west shore. According to John Pendergast's book The Bend in the River , the sixty acre island was once the property of great Pawtucket leaders such as Passaconaway and Wannalancet. Passaconaway was a Bashaba amongst his people and was revered far and wide. Upon his death in 1682, he was buried in a cave on Mt. Agamenticus. It is said that at his funeral feast, the following animals were consumed: ninety-nine bears, sixty-six moose, twenty-five bucks, sixty-seven does, two hundred forty wolves, thirty-two buffalo, four hundred otters, six hundred and twenty beaver. Not a bad send-off!
His son Wannalancit lived out his last years on the island until his death in 1692.
Today the island is home to the Vesper Country Club.
Emerging from the narrow passage back into the river I continued upstream for about another half mile or so and took this photo of the Thoreau brothers trail as it continues north towards New Hampshire...

They made camp on that Sunday night not too far from this spot and were kept awake by the "boisterous sport of some Irish laborers on the railroad" across the river on the opposite shore.
After turning around, I got a good view of the Vesper Clubhouse on the northern point of Wickasee Island...

It was at this northern tip of the island that the brothers encountered two strange men begging passage to Nashua aboard their small vessel. Their request to come aboard was wisely denied despite some animated protestations.
Returning to the spot from which I had launched, I was once again ashore and my captured refugees assembled on the beach for a group portrait...

They numbered 71 in all and broke down as follows: 41 recyclable (13 redeemable) and 30 misc. rubbish such as plastic bags, bait tubs, etc. My YTD total stands at 3405.

Concord River - Rt. 225 to Talbot Mill & Return

Today at 7 am on a stunningly beautiful summer's morning, I launched my kayak into the Concord River at the Bedford boat launch and began heading downriver. The theme of today's trash patrol on the Concord River was "Two Brothers" as it retraced pieces of the routes taken by two sets of brothers a few hundred years apart.
The first two bothers weren't really brothers by blood but considered themselves so because their respective children were married. One was Governor John Winthrop and the other his Deputy Thomas Dudley. In 1637 these two well connected gentlemen had been granted large parcels of land to the north and east of Concord by the General Court. So in 1638, they travelled from Cambridge to Concord and then down the Concord River to lay claim to their new lands. After covering about 5 miles they came upon two large boulders. Here they went ashore and divvied up 22 hundred acres between them. Wintrop called the rocks "Two Brothers Rocks". Ah yes, sounds a lot like today's Massachusetts politics, doesn't it? (Also reminds me of the Pope who gave half the world to Spain and the other half to Portugal).
The site as it looks today...

This photo was taken on my return trip when I stopped at the site to divvy up my trash haul for the day.
Shortly after leaving Two Brothers Rocks, I knew it was going to be a good day when this osprey or fish hawk was encountered...

And a little past the osprey, I encountered a man enjoying an early morning swim in the river...

His name was Dave and he had waded in from a beach unfortunately littered with empty beer cans, and 2 full to overflowing trash barrels. We talked about how the nickel deposit just doesn't seem to be adequate these days and how redemption centers are difficult to find. Dave remembered that there used to be a 'Beach Association' that cared for the property, but that no longer seemed to be in existence. Dave also noted that the trash wasn't there just a day or two ago. While I picked up the 82 cans and bottles lying about the beach, a woman named Karen arrived by kayak and said she would see to the disposal of the 2 full trash barrels.
As I continued downriver, I was now following hot on the trail of the other two brothers, John and his younger brother Henry, both natives of Concord. They had made their journey only 170 years ago on the last Saturday of August and had left their village, near the present Nashawtuc Road bridge, in a 15 foot long rowboat they built themselves. Soon I was passing and looking back at the island where I believe they made their first night's camp...

Dave and Karen said it is called Jet Island today. Of course the water levels John and Henry saw were more typical of late summer, and they noted that the neck of land where they camped would be an island in spring. With today's springlike water levels it was indeed an island.
From this point on, I was following their Sunday route and it took me under the Route 3 highway bridge, under Route 3A in Billerica, and past the water intake station for the Town of Billerica Drinking Water Plant...

None of these were here 170 years ago and the two brothers actually used the river water, just as it was, for both drinking and cooking.
One thing we all probably saw was herons, like this one seen today...

After passing under Pollard Street the Fordway Bar is encountered...

This area requires some care in passing by the larger rocks that the river funnels through. Shortly thereafter the dam at Talbot Mill is reached and this is where the trail of the two brothers vanishes...

Back in 1839 they were able to avail themselves of a technology that I, today, cannot. Basically, they went "that a way"...

My kayak's bow is pointing to what once was the entrance to a lock on the Middlesex Canal. The brothers entered the lock which granted them access to the Middlesex Canal. One steered while the other ran along the towpath pulling the boat the 6-miles to another lock located at Middlesex on the Merrimack River. I went ashore and walked to where a remnant of the canal they used still exists...

Today it is hard to believe that boats arriving at this spot on the Concord River could once utilize the Middlesex Canal to go either east to Charlestown, or west to the Merrimack River upstream of Pawtucket Falls and then north all the way to Concord, New Hampshire (utilizing additional sets of locks). More information on the Middlesex Canal can be found at this link. Note: The Concord River downstream of the dam was not a navigable waterway for boats due to a long section of rapids in the last mile or so to its confluence with the Merrimack in Lowell.
On one of my upcoming paddles I hope to launch into the Merrimack and rejoin the brother's trail at Middlesex, then follow it as far upstream as possible.
Their 1839 journey would ultimately take them to near Concord, NH and then back to Concord, MA. A few years after completing their trip, John died at a young age and Henry would later, while living at Walden Pond, write his first book about the week they spent on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. It was self published in 1849 and did not sell well until after Henry David Thoreau had passed away.
Since I could proceed no further without the canal, I would turn my boat back upriver and return towards Bedford. On the way back, the fishermen I encountered were having varying degrees of luck. One pair had several bass while another fellow had caught a 10-lb carp and a small northern pike. Other wildlife seen today, in addition to the herons and osprey, were a belted kingfisher, tree swallows, ducks, a few Canada geese, and numerous turtles enjoying the sun's warmth.
As I mentioned earlier, at Two Brothers Rocks, I stopped to divvy up my load of trash for the day...

The day's count was 113. Of these, 102 were recyclable (75 redeemable) and 11 were misc. rubbish such as plastic bags, bait tubs, and a fishing reel. My YTD total stands at 3334.

Sudbury River - Weir Hill to Route 27 and Return

Under today’s cloudy skies I enjoyed trash patrolling the Sudbury River between Weir Hill and the Route 27 bridge. I launched my kayak at Sherman's Bridge and headed upstream. There was little wind to speak of and air temperatures were quite comfortable but something was definitely different. Coming around a bend in the river I saw the first hints of autumn foliage. Yes, summer is on the wane. The grass plants have reached as far towards the sky as they can and the still showy purple loosestrife will soon be fading...


As a trash patrol it was either a success for there being little trash or a bust for the same reason. Actually, this section of river has little trash due to there being a large buffer zone between the river’s channel and solid ground. There’s nearly half a mile of marsh to either side of the river. The only place for litter to enter is at the bridges and boat launch areas. Being out in the middle of this wide marsh it soon becomes apparent that this neighborhood belongs to the herons, ducks, birds, turtles, and fish. In addition to the many blue herons were quite a few small green-backed herons. Wood ducks were the duck of the day. Birds observed were kingbirds, red-winged blackbirds, goldfinches, and tree swallows. Other small birds were present but I am yet to learn their identity.
Upon reaching Route 27 and the River Road launch area, I turned around and headed downriver passing my original launch site and continuing further on downriver to the Weir Hill boat ramp. After a second turnaround I returned to Sherman’s Bridge where my modest haul for the day posed for this photo...

My count for the day was only 12 pieces of trash. Of these 5 were recyclable (2 redeemable) and 7 were misc. rubbish such as plastic bags and styrofoam packing peanuts. The styrofaom peanuts would seem to be little more than just "peanuts" yet they, most likely, pose the greatest threat to wildlife if ingested. One wad of monofilament fishing line was deposited in the repository provided by US Fish & Wildlife. My YTD total stands at 3221.

Bird Island Challenge 2009

This event's official t-shirt logo reads "The Bird Island Challenge .. from Lightship to Lighthouse" written above and below the profile view of its namesake island. As event t-shirt designs go, this one's my favorite.
Participants gather each August to combine having fun paddling or rowing the waters of Buzzards Bay with helping to raise money for the Gleason Family YMCA in Wareham. There are three races of differing lengths that all begin in the Wareham River just a little bit downstream of the venerable and now retired Nantucket Lightship. All entrants paddle or row in a southerly direction to their respective turn-around points and then back to the Lightship area. Level 1 entrants turn at a buoy off of Long Beach and cover three miles; Level 2 entrants turn at a buoy off of Great Hill and cover six miles; and Level 3 entrants turn at Bird Island covering 12 miles. There is something for everyone and the variety of boats entered reflects this as well. Canoes, rowboats, kayaks and the majestic 'New Bedford' style whaleboats gathered near the start line under yesterday morning's surprisingly blue sky. It was wisely decided by event organizers to allow the whaleboats to start first thus preventing any beheadings by oar blades in the narrow confines of the river. After them came my group and we all started off at a speed most of us knew we could not sustain for long. It took about a halfmile for reality to set in and, as usual, I found myself in about the middle of the field. The course to Bird Island would take us into an incoming tide strengthened by a fairly stiff breeze out of the south. I began to think (usually preceeds disaster), "if there was a way I could get out of the tidal current by paddling much closer to the western shoreline, my position might be improved." Of course, there was also the possibility that there might not be any relief from the current and my journey might be lengthened. Being that this event, as races go, has a very relaxed atmosphere, I figured "what the heck, nothing ventured, nothing gained" and steered off to starboard leaving the field to pull away as they followed the course the crow would fly. Soon I was paddling across the shallower waters of Wings Cove and Sedge Cove, dodging some of the rocks that occasionally peeked above the surface. Nearing Butler Point at the end of Sippican Neck it was becoming apparent that my strategy was bearing fruit in that I would reach the Bird Island turnaround point slightly ahead of the three boats that were previously in front of me. This happens, for me, about as often as Halley's Comet! Now we all began riding the chop downhill for the trip back to the Lightship. Two of the boats I had passed, a 2-man rowboat and 2-man canoe, soon repassed me and set a good pace for me to follow. This was a good thing, for the third boat, a kayak that was in my class, was further back but being paddled by a faster paddler determined to close the gap between us. I never looked back until I'd crossed the finish line and when I did, there he was and we both knew he would have passed me in another hundred yards or so. Result was a rare second place finish for me and proves the old adage "Every dog has his day!"
So there I was, sitting in my boat, savoring the moment but knowing something was missing. There was no trash on my deck. Then, almost on cue, a floating bottle of Gatorade appeared. It was Kismet! It offered no struggle and soon festooned my deck, allowing this to qualify as a most modest trash patrol, even when combined with a Dunkin Doughnuts container from the parking lot...

All of the days participants gathered in a shady boat hangar provided by Zecco Marine for a nice lunch of Mexican food donated by Qdoba Mexican Grill.

Assabet River - Egg Rock to Damondale & Return

Today the Assabet River was trash patrolled between Egg Rock and Damondale. Water levels have dropped nearly a foot in the past week or so. Dodge Rock has re-emerged and Willow Island once again has solid ground. Skies were variable and occasionally the clouds began to darken. However no rumbles of thunder were heard and no rain ever materialized.
By the time I reached Concord Junction there were 8 pieces of trash on deck, and given the ideal water levels, I decided to see just how close to Damondale I could make it. The Pine Street bridge project appears to be at a standstill while awaiting safety railings to complete the job...

Once past Pine Street there are obstacles in the river that require a paddler to either pass over, under, or around and today's water level was just right for all three situations. This was one of the low headroom passages...

The last half mile to Damondale tripled my trash haul to 24 pieces. I pulled out of the river's strong current into the old spillway from the mill to take a little break (and opening photo) before trying to paddle closer to the partially breached dam. Returning to the current, I was able to reach the Route 62 bridge where the strengthening current began to win the battle and I let it turn my boat quickly to the opposite direction for an easy ride back to Egg Rock.
Wildlife today was Canada geese, a red-tailed hawk, a woodchuck, and the usual gang of Moscovy Ducks.
I arrived at my takeout location with 31 pieces of trash...

Of these 16 were recyclable (6 redeemable), and 15 were misc. rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic, etc. My YTD total stands at 3209.