Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Paddling in Sandy's Wake

It's two days post Hurricane Sandy and her trailing clouds are still hanging tough (opening photo).  In addition to the storm's keeping me off the water, this paddler was also laid low by lombago.  In fact today was the first day in a week where paddling was even a possibility.
I launched at Lowell Road in Concord, Massachusetts and paddled downstream on a swift flowing, and considerably higher, Concord River.  It soon became apparent that with the river's rather quick rise, a lot of trash had been released from the banks and shrubs.
My bow-mounted crate was full before I'd reached the Old North Bridge.

At the Monument Street bridge, I saw some of Sandy's recent havoc...
Fortunately for the homeowner, the large pine fell towards the bridge and took out another tree before blocking one of the bridge's portals.
 
For the most part, storm related damage around here pales by comparison to the images I'm seeing from NY and NJ.  Hopefully those folks can get back on their feet soon.

At Sawmill Brook, water from the Punkatasset Hill area was hurrying across the top of a small dam on its way to the river...

Most of the rain received locally from Sandy came last night during some trailing bands of thunderstorms.

At Buttrick's Hill I turned around and began the trip back upriver.  A red-tailed hawk did his best immitation of a belted kingfisher and repeatedly flew ahead of me...

A little ways above the Old North Bridge, a yellow Lays Potato Chip bag drew me close to the shore where a white-tailed deer was bedded down.  By the time I got my camera, the deer had stood up and was trying to figure out what I was...
Once again had it not been for a piece of trash, a wildlife encounter wouldn't have happened.

In addition to the wildlife, only 2 other boaters were seen on the river today.  One was a powerboater taking advantage of the higher river levels, and the other was local kayaker, Jeff, in his exotic racing kayak.

Back at Lowell Road, the day's trash haul stood up to be counted...
 
 
There were 29 recyclable containers (12 redeemable) and 42 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, nip bottles, a dozen styrofoam bait tubs, and a set of matching red pillows.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Powwow Paddling

This morning, under bright and sunny skies, I paddled the stretch of the Powwow River which connects Country Pond and Powwow Pond in Kingston, New Hampshire.  I launched at the New Boston Road boat launch (photo at left) and immediately passed under the roadway and into the very shallow Powwow River.  This river combines the outflows from both Country Pond and Great Pond before reaching Powwow Pond.  The area between these three ponds is an extensive wetland/marsh and is said to contain a significant Atlantic white cedar forest.

As I was getting underway, two duckhunters were paddling back to the boat ramp and they reported one mallard successfully taken.  Glad I remembered my orange hat and gloves.

Around the first bend this osprey was encountered...

The Powwow River unfolded before me...


I believe this is one of the aforementioned Atlantic white cedar trees...
 
 
 
After heading in a southernly direction for about a mile and a half, I reached Country Pond and its more open water...
 
 
There's a large island in the middle of the pond and that is where lunch was taken.  An after lunch walk brought me by these abandoned cabins...
 
Looks like an ideal setting for one of those Halloween movies.
 
The return trip to Powwow Pond included a possible eagle sighting, but confirmation couldn't be certain as the bird soared seemingly into the clouds.
 
Back at the landing my trash haul posed briefly before jumping into my car's trunk...
There were 20 recyclable containers and 11 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish including a shotgun shell, a large plastic bag, several hot dogs, and an environmentally friendly bait tub...
 
A shoutout to the DMF Bait Company for packaging their product in biodegradable containers rather than styrofoam or plastic.  They have a great slogan and, in addition to worms and crickets, they also carry tubs of leeches.  Nice!
 
YTD = 6017
 





Sunday, October 21, 2012

Assabet Awakening

Before ascending the Assabet River, I took a look down the Concord River from the confluence at Egg Rock (photo at left).  The day was just beginning.
On the Assabet things were calm and quiet.  About a quarter mile above the Leaning Hemlocks, a fox came into view as he patrolled the riverbank.  Once he saw me, he ducked behind a large tree with only his head in view.  Just as I snapped a photo he decided to head off in another direction...
 
 
As I approached Willow Island, movement was noted and this deer slowly materialized out of the low-hanging fog...
 
 
I watched as the deer successfully crossed the river without ever sensing my presence.  Two other deer would be seen further upriver.
 
Above Spencer Brook, this double blowdown required a short and easy portage...
 
The sun's illumination continued to build as I neared Rt. 2...
 
At the river's confluence with Nashoba Brook I turned around and headed back to my takeout.
 
Trash today was on the light side...
There were 12 recyclable containers (4 redeemable) and 18 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam and nip bottles.  YTD = 5986
 
For all the ducks facing another duck hunting season, here's a link to one of their daffier brethrens' adventures.



Thursday, October 18, 2012

Closing a Gap on the Ipswich River

In order to connect two sections of the Ipswich River previously paddled, a new section of the river needed exploring.   So, after launching yesterday morning at the High Street (Rt. 97) access point, I headed upriver passing the Topsfield Fairgrounds before gliding under the Newburyport Turnpike (aka Rt. 1) seen at left.  The Topsfield Fair (held earlier this month) is said to be the oldest agricultural fair in America dating back to 1818.

My destination was the Rt. 95 overpass located about 2.2 miles as the crow flies, or 3.6 miles as the river winds.
Not being sure if duck hunting season has started in this region, I wore my blaze orange hat and gloves to be on the safe side.  The many wood ducks seen on the river would be wise to do the same...

The further upriver I went, the more obstacles I encountered.  Four beaver dams needed to be crested along the way.  However, if it wasn't for some good soul's chain-saw work, my trip would have terminated early due to the many blow downs such as this one...

 Speaking of trees, this one looked as though it was getting ready to walk away...
 
 
 
Just when I was beginning to doubt the Rt 95 bridge would ever be seen, it finally appeared...
 
 
Now, I've paddled and experienced the Ipswich River from Norris Brook Area (just upstream of Rt. 114 Middleton) to the Willowdale Dam in Ipswich.  Following a celebratory luncheon on a sand bar, my boat and I enjoyed an easier trip downriver which included sliding down those same 4 beaver dams.
 
Trash was fairly plentiful in the area downstream of the fairgrounds, and also at what looked to be a popular fishing/swimming hole located between Rt. 1 and Salem Rd. 
Today's haul looked like this...
 
 
There were 59 recyclable containers (24 redeemable) and 53 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam. fishing line, and a beach ball.  YTD = 5956 (which also includes this small haul Mrs.Trashpaddler and I scooped up from the bike trail in Chelmsford on Monday)...




Sunday, October 14, 2012

Seasonal Flip-Flop on the Sudbury River


On Friday I paddled in the wake of a cold front that ushered in some below freezing temperatures.  Today, I paddled in the wake of a warm front that, happily, sent the mercury in the other direction.  By the time I landed it almost felt like summer had returned.

Clouds from the front still lingered as I approached the Nashawtuc Road Bridge (photo at left) on my passage up the Sudbury River enroute to Sudbury Road.  Prior to reaching the Sudbury Road Bridge (Heaths Bridge) no trash was to be found.  However the shore fishermen that frequent  this location use the rocks and shrubbery as their dumpster.  Probably one of the worst locations I see in this regard.  All of today's haul was found within 50 feet of the river on the southwest side of the bridge...
There were 10 plastic bags, 11 bait tubs (10 styrofoam) and 15 recyclable containers (5 redeemable).  YTD = 5827

On the return trip downriver the sun was out and I wasn't the only one celebrating the return of warm temperatures...

At the riverside bistro, seating was available...



Friday, October 12, 2012

Assabet River in Flux

Today saw the first serious cold front of the season pass through my home waters in eastern Massachusetts.  The skies cleared rapidly in its wake and there seemed a lull before the temperatures began to drop.  The Assabet River in Stow, being close at hand, provided a nice afternoon sojurn on the water.
The river level has risen a couple of inches and the clarity of the water is about as good as it gets.
About a mile above Sudbury Road, these ducks seemed unreal...
and were just that, decoys, serving to remind me that duck hunting season has started.  Now to find my blaze orange hat and gloves.

Real wildlife seen today were osprey, turkey vultures, ducks, and belted kingfishers.

Reaching the mouth of Fort Meadow Brook, any thoughts of ascending the lower brook were dashed by the combination of a beaver built dam across the box culvert and this fallen tree just below the same culvert which didn'r appear to be the work of beavers ...

Enroute back to Russell's Bridge, where I'd earlier launched, today's trash posed alongside my boat's hull...

There were 13 recyclable containers (5 redeemable) and 14 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as balloons, styrofoam food container, and 2 plastic bags.  YTD = 5791

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

A Fall Day in Fairhaven Bay

There wasn't any question as to what season it was today on the Sudbury River.  Temperatures were stuck in the low 50s and the aroma of burning wood was in the air as I launched at Sherman's Bridge in Wayland, Massachusetts.  However, despite the raw feel of the day, there was something about the feel of fall that I enjoyed very much.  My destination was the small island in Fairhaven Bay, pictured at left.
Some downriver paddling brought me by the source of the burning wood aroma...

Today it seemed there were always belted kingfishers perched ahead of me and as I approached they'd fly further ahead over and over again.  A northern harrier was seen near Weir Hill, and later an osprey was observed near Lee's Bridge.  Blue herons were also present.

Upon reaching Fairhaven Bay, I was welcomed onto the small island by two sentries.  First encountered was Mr Happy...
and then Mr. Notso Happy...

I was pondering the meaning of their presence and enjoying a tasty apple, when I heard the strange, but oddly familar, call of an uncommon bird.  The vocalizing bird flew low through the trees before soaring up and onto a tree near where I was sitting.  The profile of his head is unmistakeable...
It's a pileated woodpecker and the reason the call is familar to me is because Mrs. Trashpaddler and I have been hearing the same call from a pair of birds behind our house for several weeks.  It was only this past Sunday that we finally discovered the source to be pileated woodpeckers.  We saw them and their substantial wood-working projects fairly close to our abode.
In the book Notes on a Lost Flute (A Field Guide to the Wabanaki) author Kerry Hardy tells of the important role the pileated woodpecker played in Algonquian legends.  The Penobscots called this bird the May-May.   Hardy writes "When you read old stories or talk with Wabanaki folk today, different deeds of the May-May are recalled.  He taught the people to speak and to count; he breathed air into the First Man and showed him what foods to eat; and he warned about the coming glacier."

Following my encounter with the red-crested bird, I began the trip back to Sherman's Bridge where my very modest haul of trash assembled hullside...
 There 7 recyclable containers (5 redeemable) and 5 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, a bait container, an old canning jar, and a Dunkin Donuts twofer (a plastic/styrofoam combo).  YTD = 5764



Sunday, October 7, 2012

The Homestretch of the "Great Indian Road"


The plan was to meet a friend at Hoyt's Landing in Springfield, Vermont on Saturday and paddle another section of the Connecticut River.  However, I arrived late afternoon on Friday and had just enough daylight, after setting up camp, to ascend the Black River from its confluence with the Connecticut River at Hoyt's Landing.  After paddling about a mile and a half of the shallow river I came to the end of flatwater...
After turning around, I passed under this roadway bridge and noted a kiosk (opening photo) located near it...
The kiosk (The Toonerville Trail Kiosk) stayed in the back of my mind until late the following day when I would stop at the bridge and read it.

In the meantime, my return trip to Hoyt's Landing brought me past this spot where the river looked to have played a game of ringtoss...

Emerging from the Black River, I approached Hoyt's Landing as the daylight was dwindling...
Finding my tent in the dark at Tree Farm Campground was a little tricky, but once found it provided dry shelter from some overnight rain showers.  The campground is only 15 to 20 minutes from Hoyt's Landing.

On Saturday morning, I was joined by Capt'n Dangerous of the Adirondack Pirate Paddlers...
and we headed down the Connecticut River into a steady breeze out of the south...

Our destination was the "Great Falls" aka Bellows Falls.  Along the way we encountered belted kingfishers, an errant television set, and this strange periscope looking device...

A little ways above Herrick's Cove we came under the gaze of this bald eagle perched near an impressive nest...


Arriving at Bellows Falls, the view looked strange without the old and scenic "Arch Bridge" which stood at this spot for many years...

Boaters wishing to continue downriver would need to takeout at Pine Street to begin the portage around the falls...
At this point we turned back up river to our takeout at Herricks Cove.  However, before leaving Bellows Falls, we got a wave from this young fellow who'd gone a little heavy on the hair-gel...

After the return shuttle and loading of boats, we ventured into Springfield to take a look at Comtu Falls (said to mean, in Abenaki, "Great Noise").  The Black River drops 110' in about 1/8th of a mile there.  The drop is accomplished in 5 separate falls.  The one just above the Park Street Bridge looks to have the steepest drop...
This video on YouTube (shot from this location in the days following Tropical Storm Irene) gives more than adequate credence to the name "Great Noise".

It was after the Capt'n and I had gone our separate ways that I returned to the aforementioned kiosk and found this text referring to the "Great Indian Road"...

I tried to imagine some of the Abenaki people traveling by foot and canoe from the upper reaches of Lake Champlain to Otter Creek, across the Green Mountain Watershed to the Black River, and then perhaps the climax of the trip at Comtu Falls.  Once they'd reached the location of the present-day kiosk, they must have been relieved to know that they'd reached the "homestretch", and only an easy paddle by canoe lay between them and the Connecticut River's "Great Falls" (perhaps called Ktsipontegok in Abenaki).  The once majestic falls there must have held a special place in their hearts for it seems many Abenaki chose to be buried there at the end of their days.  One such account from the year 1856 can be found on the internet by Googling The Last Abenaqui Chief at Bellows Falls, Vermont.
Sadly the falls have lost much of their greatness in the same way the Merrimack's Pawtucket Falls in Lowell has.  In both cases, the biggest portion of flow was diverted to a canal, leaving the falls a shadow of their former selves.

This photo shows the original course of the river as it is today and how it sees only a small percentage of the river's flow...

Once back home I read of petroglyphs that are said to be etched into the rocks near the point where the original falls ended.  They may be just below the pictured Vilas Memorial Bridge on the west side of the river...
The blog "Historic Iroquois and Wabanaki Beadwork" has this post about the petroglyphs.

If the area of the falls was known for the many burials there, it might make sense that the pertoglyphs were located close to the end of the rapids (perhaps symbolizing the end of life's difficult journey).

So, the Capt'n and I had unwittingly paddled the homestretch of what for some must have been a long, arduous, and memorable journey.


The trash encountered on both the Black and Connecticut Rivers...
There were 11 recyclable containers and 11 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags.  YTD = 5752