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. 


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