Saturday, September 10, 2011

April-Like Conditions on Lower Assabet

Egg Rock wasn't able to tell its usual story "On the Hill Nashawtuck, At the Meeting of the Rivers....." this morning due to April-like water levels having submerged the inscription.  The alternative message was "The Assabet River is chugging on by and the Sudbury River will have to wait its turn."
Dove Rock was under water and Willow Island was awash...

In addition to the Assabet being in a hurry, she'd also done some rearranging of furniture.  Several past blowdowns had been shifted to new positions.  Trash was also on the move except where stragglers had become trapped behind some fallen limbs.  This snag provided some one-stop trashpicking...

Spencer Brook provided some relief from the river's current and allowed me to negotiate its twists and turns to within a stone's throw of Barretts Mill Road.  Strange for this time of year.

Upon reaching West Concord, I was looking for a place to land and take a break from paddling against the current. This recently improved canoe/kayak launch at the former Dee Bus facility filled the bill nicely...


Passage under Pine Street was much easier thanks to the new bridge's single span as opposed to the old bridge's mid-channel support which created 2 funneling flows.

I ended my ascent near this old blowdown behind the Thoreau School...
The trip downstream was a speedy one at between 6 and 7 mph.

My day's catch of 66 posed in the sun at the Calf Pasture...
There were 41 recyclable containers (12 redeemable) and 25 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as a 5-gallon plastic pail, a broken flask, a soccer ball, styrofoam, nip bottles and a plastic bag.
My YTD total stands at 4843.

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