Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Nashua River - Bolton Flats

When I launched into the Nashua River at Seven Bridge Rd. (Rt. 117) in Lancaster this morning, I envisioned paddling through wide expanses of marsh-like environment.  After all, the Bolton Flats Wildlife Management Area is nearby.  I wasn't expecting to see quite so many trees.  In addition to the vertical ones lining the river banks, there were those that had assumed a horizontal position in or across the river.  Each blowdown had attracted a sizable group of flotsam awaiting the next flood event for a chance to swim downstream...
 
My plan was to travel the river down to Still River Depot Rd. but one too many blowdowns stopped me after only about a mile.  By the time I reached this blowdown stretching all the way across the river, my boat was loaded with more than 100 pieces of trash...
So this became my turnaround point and everything was battened down for the trip back upriver. It arrived back at the takeout looking like this...

The unloading process resulted in this mob scene...



The Nashua seems to maintain a healthy population of one-quart glass beer bottles.
In all there were 92 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 60 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as a fire extinguisher, sneaker, nip bottles, and empty spray paint cans.  YTD = 3,204

  

2 comments:

teagan said...

I paddled this section of river last month and upon encountering that pine I decided to head upstream, it was a much nicer paddle, if your ever back it that neck of the woods I'd highly suggest it, there are a few bigger items upstream that I couldn't free myself, one being a section of a child's toy house

Al said...

Thanks for the tip, though I can't help but wonder if I would have had clear sailing past that riverwide obstruction. Perhaps, I'll try heading upriver from Still River Depot Rd.