Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Magnolia to Misery

This morning my new boat got its first taste of Cape Ann's salty waters on the trip over to Misery Islands from Magnolia.  Not being in the mood for "Great Misery", I decided Little Misery could be better handled on this day.
The opening photo is House Island which I paddled by on the way.

Before leaving Magnolia, I encountered a seal that's been spending considerable time on the beach...
I'm not sure if the seal is ill or may, as someone mentioned, be molting.  A sea gull would occasionally give it a peck.  Other than that the seal wasn't bothered.  When I returned several hours later, the seal was gone.

On the way to Misery I passed this stately home...

...and what looks like a fish pen or perhaps aquaculture project...

By House Island I stopped to watch this two-masted schooner pass the lighthouse on Bakers Island...

This floating cooler cover was the only trash found in the water today...

However, once landed on Little Misery...


 ...one-stop shopping for plastic and styrofoam flotsam was available ...
There were 28 recyclable containers (3 redeemable) and 7 pieces of floatable rubbish.  YTD = 2586

In addition to numerous gulls and cormorants, a lone loon, several eider ducks, and a great egret were seen today.


Monday, May 27, 2013

E. Deerfield's Somerset Reservoir

Yesterday, on a day which felt more like March than late May, good friends Paul (aka Capt'n Dangerous) and his wife, Ellen, introduced this paddler to Somerset Reservoir in Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest.  The opening photo shows our boats lying on the beach near the reservoir's south end.  The 110' high earthen-fill dam (built in 1912) can be seen in the background.  The reservoir and dam are operated by TransCanada Hydro Northeast, Inc. and are part of their 8 dam Deerfield River Project which produces a combined 86 megawatts of electricity.  Somerset Dam is the furthest upriver on the Deerfield and is located on the river's east branch. 
The upper Deerfield River was once home to extensive logging operations served by the narrow-gauge Deerfield River Railroad.  Thanks to the website Hoosac Tunnel.net this link to an article on the logging operations in the area was found.  I used the map included in the article while paddling the reservoir.

Upon our arrival at Somerset, we encountered temperatures in the mid to upper thirties, cloudy skies, blustery winds out of the NW and intermittent rain (that occasionally felt like sleet).  After launching, we quickly paddled across to the reservoir's western side and regrouped in the lee of the wind...
 
 
Paul and Ellen joked about being dressed more typically for a winter's paddle. 
The view up-reservoir from this side wasn't too bad...
 
...and looking back towards Mt. Snow, the view would occasionally look a little promising...
 
 
A lone loon, a great blue heron, and an eagle were seen on the paddle up to Skidder Point.  The view north from Skidder Point was of a river of whitecaps crossing from NW to SE across the widest portion of the reservoir (one mile wide).   Therefore we abandoned plans to lunch on Streeter Island and elected to ride the waves over to Grindstone Cove where shelter from the wind was found.  Entering the cove from the east was Moon Brook which, like the reservoir's other tributaries, provided a rushing water soundtrack.
Before leaving the cove this wildflower caught my attention...
  ...and the eagle, once again, passed over us...
 
 
Because Somerset Reservoir is a little remote and requires driving 10 miles in on gravel/dirt roads from Vermont's Route 9, trash was on the light side...
 
 
There were 12 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 5 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish.  About half of this was found near the boat launch and picnic areas.  YTD = 2551.  This was my boat's maiden voyage and its first encounter with cargo of this nature.
 
 
To reach the Somerset Reservoir I had traveled a bunch of trails:  the Johnny Appleseed Trail, the Mohawk Trail, and lastly the Molly Stark Trail (VT. Rt. 9).  As I passed signs for Molly Stark Byway, Molly Stark Motel, and Molly Stark State Park, I wondered "who was this Molly Stark?" 
I later learned she was the wife of American Revolutionary War general John Stark who at the Battle of Bennington in 1777 inspired his men with the words: "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories.  They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow."
 
The sight of this first piece of trash...
 
...brought his words to mind and thankfully Mrs. Trashpaddler awoke this morning still a married woman.





Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Another Assabet Afternoon



This afternoon proved ideal for some Pompositticut paddling on the Assabet River in Stow.  Having launched at Russell's Bridge where the towns of Maynard and Stow meet, I headed upriver with a cool easterly breeze at my back.  Not far from the bridge a recently expanded mute swan family was seen (from a safe distance)...
 
 
As I neared Fort Meadow Brook, a fisherman in a bass boat was encountered.  He reported having had good luck, catching a dozen bass, but was heading home due to a phone alert of severe weather approaching from the west.
 
Around the next bend I approached the portal into Fort Meadow Brook...
...and couldn't resist venturing a short distance into the brook.  My reward for doing so was coming upon this usually shy green heron...
In this area temperatures were summerlike, but as soon as I started beating my retreat, I encountered that cool easterly breeze again.  Perhaps I was straddling the warm front.
 
Back at Russell's Bridge my modest trash haul posed hullside...
There were 8 recyclable containers (1 redeemable) and 7 pieces of misc. rubbish.  YTD = 2534
 
With the new boat still in dry-dock, my backup boat was pressed into service for today's foray.


Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Newbies on the River




The Concord River was hosting many new paddlers this past Sunday morning.  Most of the newbies were recently arrived goslings.  However, one newbie of the human variety, my granddaughter, Ava, was enjoying her first stab at kayak paddling...
 
 
With her mom (my daughter, Heather) in another kayak alongside, we paddled the Concord River from Egg Rock down to the landing at Great Meadows and also ascended the Assabet a bit to the Leaning Hemlocks.
 
We saw blue herons, red-winged blackbirds, a pair of red-tailed hawks, an osprey, and  numerous painted turtles. We also scooped up a few pieces of trash.
 
The look on Ava's face pretty much says it all!


Sunday, May 19, 2013

A New Surge

To paraphrase just a bit ...there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as acquiring a new boat. 
Yesterday, Mrs. Trashpaddler and I journeyed down to a kayak village of sorts on the Billington Sea named appropriately enough Billington Sea Kayak.  The reason for our journey was a race against the aging process.  You see, much like its owner, my boat (which has served me well these past thirteen years) is beginning to show its age.  Compounding the aging process is the fact that the boat's builder has ceased making the model I paddle leaving only two of this model up for adoption at Billington's.  After thinking long and hard about possibly switching to another type of boat, I decided to stick with the model that fits me like a glove and has never let me down.  Once sales associate Brett and I had duly recorded the serial number (photo above) and completed the transaction, the number available dropped to one.

The boat in question is a Surge kayak designed and built by Kerry King at his shop on Westport Island, Maine.

While visiting Billington's I was shown a unique three-section sea kayak made entirely from duct tape and pvc tubing...
The kayak was built in 2012 for the Duct Tape Kayak Project which uses the boat to raise money for charity.  This year all funds raised will go to the Heroes on the Water program...


Before heading home, this happy customer stood with Billington owner Doug Gray, sales associate Brett, and shop mascot "Morton" beneath my cradled Surge...
  (Photo by Mrs. TP)

It's going to be awfully tough placing the first piece of trash inside my new ship's hold. 


   

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Wily Coyote on the Sudbury


Under this afternoon's moody skies, I ascended the Sudbury River from Egg Rock to Sherman's Bridge.  Skies brightened a bit as I was crossing Fairhaven Bay (pictured at left).

Earlier, I wondered if I might be coming down with something, upon seeing this...
Hopefully, the rightful recipient is feeling better.

Just before passing through the smaller portal at Lee's Bridge...
 ...I looked to my right and saw Mr. Woodchuck standing tall...

Only a few hundred yards further upriver some of his woodchuck cousins got a good scare when a wily coyote came loping out from behind a riverside home and, while eyeing me nervously, made a quick strike upon several burrows in the sloping riverbank. 
After a brief dust-up, he retreated (empty-mouthed) to a spot where he may have thought I and any distracted woodchucks couldn't see him...
My, what big ears he has!

Today's trash haul shows that fishing season is underway...
...many bait tubs and three big clumps of mono-filament fishing line.  Recyclable containers numbered 12 with 9 redeemable, and there were 25 pieces of misc. rubbish such as the balloon, and an empty bag of cocoa bean mulch.  YTD = 2483.



Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Week's Last Exit

Concluding a workweek, yesterday, that involved many highways and many exits it was nice to closeout the week by taking the exit from the Assabet River into Fort Meadow Brook in Stow.  To paraphrase Yogi Berra, "I came to a fork in the river, and I took it." 
Thanks to Thursday night's thunderstorms water levels had been replenished to a near-perfect level for easy passage through the box culvert at the brook's confluence with the river.
As the opening photo shows the brook looks quite promising once through the culvert.  However, after rounding a few bends a paddler's ascent comes to an end at these two barriers...
Beavers have created the first barrier, while the long abandoned Massachusetts Central Railroad trestle creates the second.  It appears that someone has been working at removing much of the debris from in front of the trestle.  Compare the above photo with this one taken on June 7 of last year...
With debris clogging all three portals, the trestle and its earthen causeway creates an effective dam.
 
Nonetheless, I enjoyed my visit to lower Fort Meadow Brook and returned to the Assabet refreshed, once again.

I saw my first pair of eastern kingbirds of the season.  Also seen were wood ducks, red-winged blackbirds, Canada geese, and this pair of mute swans...
Trash encountered had most likely been pushed along by the recent rains.  A brief shore patrol at the fording place below Gleasondale accounted for about a third of the small haul...
There were 22 recyclable containers (4 redeemable) and 14 pieces of misc. rubbish.  YTD = 2482

At the start of yesterday's paddle, I arrived at the Sudbury Road bridge to find smoke emanating from a creosote soaked wooden guardrail post.  While no flames were present, the wood was actively smoldering.  Passing schoolbus drivers seemed concerned as well.  Some Assabet water was poured on the post to douse the combustion and shortly the Stow Fire Dept. arrived.  Fire personnel, several shore fisherfolks, and myself all pondered how the smoldering process might have started.  A cigarette? Lightning? Spontaneous combustion?  A mystery. 


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Playing a Hunch on the Merrimack

This morning I launched into the Merrimack River at Cashman Park in Newburyport.  Fortunately the incoming tide would be taking me away from the fog bank to the east of Route 1 (opening photo).
After crossing to the river's north side, I paddled along Ram Island and found myself thinking what a good hideout it would make for some of the 4 to 8 million plastic wastewater disks that brokeout of the Hooksett, NH wastewater treatment plant back in March 2011.  The high tide made my landing on the island fairly easy and soon I discovered quite a group of the disks "on the lam" and mingling with other assorted flotsam...

 The disks prefer to hide in the matted grass.  Can you spot them?...
 
 
For a good number of them the "gig was up".
 
In about half an hour this haul of plastic stuff was rounded up...
 
Pictured are 72 recyclable plastic containers (4 redeemable) and 210 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish including 180 of the "Hooksett Disks".  My personal collection of these disks now stands at 1307.  YTD trash count = 2446.
 
A considerable amount of trash remains on Ram Island.  Today's roundup hardly made a dent.
 
Once back on the river, I entered a small inlet to see how far it would take me...
 
Following some twists and turns, I reached the end of the line at this idyllic spot...
 
Back on the main stem of the Merrimack I proceeded upriver to the "Chain Bridge" connecting Deer Island with the mainland...
That's Route 95 in the distance.
 
Quite a few folks were fishing from Deer Island...
Perhaps the herring are running?
 
My return to Cashman Park was into a stiff onshore wind that kept things a little on the cool side.  Only a few miles inland temperatures were considerably warmer. 
 



Saturday, May 4, 2013

Mining Trash Above Mine Falls

This morning I linked up with the New Hampshire Appalachian Mountain Club Paddlers for the first in a series of trash patrols organized by club member Denise Hurt.  We launched into the Nashua River just above Mine Falls Dam (near Stellos Stadium) in Nashua and headed upriver patrolling both banks for a wide variety of trashy stuff.
The day was a beauty! Sunny with a refreshing breeze.

After a few hours the boats were sitting a little lower...

After patrolling about 3 miles of river we returned to the takeout at Mine Falls Dam...


The fruit of our combined efforts lies at the feet of (left to right) Jackie, Rick, Pattie, Sue, Denise, and Dean, before the sorting of recyclables and counting commenced...
Not pictured are trash paddlers John, Maureen, and Beth.  Paul and Don also helped from the shore.

The day's haul consisted of approx. 300 recyclable containers and approx. 125 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish including 3 automobile tires.

The remaining trash patrols Denise has scheduled are:
Contoocook River in Henniker on 6/1
Merrimack River in Tyngsboro on 7/6
Squannacook River in W. Groton on 8/3
Merrimack River in Nashua on 9/7

Each will be on the first Saturday of the respective month.