Thursday, March 31, 2016

Heard on a Hunch

Yesterday's "Bring your boat to work day" resulted in an after-work opportunity for enjoying springtime water levels on the Sudbury River in Wayland.
 
After launching at River Road I checked out the Route 27 bridge (opening photo) which was sporting freshly installed guardrails.  Seeing this much water, I elected to follow the river's original path through the old stone-arch bridge...
...which brought me in slingshot fashion back to the river's main stem.

Playing a hunch that Heard Pond might be accessible I decided to head upriver against the current and the wind.  Things looked good at Pelham Island Road Bridge...

Two other kayakers heading downriver were encountered near this spot.

Reaching the entrance to Heard Pond near Indian Point, I found only a beaver-created speedbump blocking my path...
...rather than this insurmountable wall found here last December...

Once over the bump I followed the circuitous path to the large natural pond...
 ...where the shallow waters were being plied by 3 fishing crafts of various types.  One fisherman in a kayak reported the fishing to be still slow, but all were in agreement on weather conditions being fantastic for late March.


My trip back downriver was a quick one with the current and wind now at my back.  At the Greenways I slowed a bit to note a green tinge beginning to appear...

The afternoon's sunshine was also being enjoyed by this south-facing turtle...

Trash recovered along the way...

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Lake Whitingham Revisited

Drove to Wilmington, VT yesterday with plans to launch into Lake Whitingham (aka Harriman Reservoir) from the Oxbow Boat Launch on Rt. 9.  Asking my GPS to use shortest route resulted in my getting a 3 mile taste of Vermont dirt roads in what sure looked like "mud season" to me (like the slip-slide of driving in snow).
Arrived at Oxbow to find someone had let most of the water out of the lake, at least compared to the way it was when paddled last November.  Decided to try the southern end of the lake in Whitingham and ended up at Sawyer's Boat Launch off of Brickhouse Road.  The parking area is located immediately below this classic New England maple sugar operation.  Next weekend, April 2nd and 3rd, will be the 18th Annual Whitingham Maple Festival.

Despite the water being at very low levels here as well...
...I decided to launch my boat and see what signs of old roads etc. might be revealed.  The Deerfield River valley here was flooded when the Harriman Dam was built back in 1924.

Heading south towards present Rt. 100 brought me past this old stone-laid bridge abutment...

Petrified stumps of trees such as this one were numerous...

Heading a little north and then southwest brought me to the high and dry Harriman Dam's outlet structure known as the "Glory Hole"...
This structure is usually surrounded by water which flows into the outlet and when viewed from overhead the flow pattern is said to resemble a morning glory flower.  Note the usually floating buoys hanging in the air.

Hiking up to the dike I viewed what I believe is the old right of way (right side of photo running parallel to dike) for the relocated Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad (aka "Hoot, Toot, and Whistle")...


Above view looks south towards Readsboro, whereas this view (below) looks north towards Wilmington...
...this section of the railroad (between Readsboro and Wilmington) was abandoned around 1938.

Back on the water I headed north with views of Haystack and Mt. Snow...
At Wilder Brook I stopped to explore the brook and cove...

Across the cove an old water tank or boiler lay exposed..
...perhaps a remnant of the many logging operations that once existed in the river valley.  Nearby 2 stonewalls emerged from the woods and ran parallel into the lake...
...possibly an old road.

This rock formation resembled cooled-down lava...

About halfway up the lake I reached Ward's Cove (aka Jackonsville Picnic Area)...
...which afforded this view to the west...
This became my turnaround point, and my return trip was into warm afternoon sunshine with views of wind turbines on ridges to the northwest...

Eventually, back at Sawyer's Boat Launch, I paddled into the brook flowing from nearby Lake Sadawga (a lake noted for its floating island)...
...and my small haul of collected trash found land...

Left Whitingham with an additional container filled with sweet Vermont maple syrup enjoyed on some Easter morning pancakes.
 

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Petapawag Up and Back

Spent the warmest part of this sunny afternoon paddling the Nashua River in Groton. Headed upriver after launching from the Petapawag boat launch off of Rt. 119.

The cold and breezy conditions of the morning gradually abated as the afternoon progressed.  Temps were in the mid to upper forties.

Reaching the Rt. 225 bridge...
...made a good spot for turning around and heading back to Petapawag which, thanks to Daylight Saving Time, was still plenty bright ...

Trash gathered up along the way...
Today's trash theme was one-quart beer bottles.  Also a floating fry-pan!
 

Sunday, March 20, 2016

A Little Springtime Splendor

Yesterday I saw that the gauge level for the Stillwater River was above 5' and figured it might be worth getting out on this river for the first time.  I launched from a spot I'd often driven by...the Rt. 62 bridge near Moores Corners in Sterling where Routes 140 and 62 cross. 

Electing to head upstream brought me around the first bend to find this guy...
...in all his springtime splendor.
 
Around the next bend a mature bald eagle glided overhead but, due to having my hands warmly ensconced in pogies, I wasn't quick enough on the draw to get a photo.  It was in the area where several brooks converge and Wachusett Mountain can be seen 5 miles to the northwest...

A glider of a different type is being towed by a plane...
...one of several planes and gliders seen in the vicinity of Sterling Airport.
 
Turkey vultures and a red-tailed hawk also occupied the bright blue skies.

About 0.75 miles above Rt. 62 and hard by where Bailey and Rocky Brooks converge, a hill rises with a well-worn trail winding around its base...

 A short climb to the top generated this view...
The Stillwater River at this point is a combination of several brooks: Keyes, Justice, Rocky, and Bailey.  Wilder and East Wachusett brooks join a little below this spot. The water is crystal-clear and designated Class A due to being a drinking water supply tributary.  Signs at various access points note what activities are authorized and prohibited...

The clarity of the water can be seen in this photo of shoots beginning to emerge on the bottom...

The clarity also revealed this old Narragansett Lager beer can...
It looks identical to the can Captain Quint crushed with one hand in the 1975 movie "Jaws".  In fact it was brewed at Narragansett's Cranston, RI facility which closed in 1981.

A fourth beaver dam a little less than a mile above Rt. 62 convinced me to turn around and head downriver.

About a half mile below Rt. 62 the river became much shallower ...

Scouting ahead on foot convinced me that this section is better suited for a downriver run to either Crowley or Muddy Pond Roads.  No boating is allowed below Muddy Pond Road due to its reservoir status.  While returning to my boat this bit of early greenery caught my eye...

I then paddled back to Rt. 62...
...with a very small trash haul from one of the cleaner rivers I've had the privilege of paddling...
...only covered 3 miles in total but enjoyed every minute of it.


Thursday, March 17, 2016

Loopy on the Charles

It being Saint Paddy's Day and my having the day off from work raised the question...would there be enough water for paddling the Dedham Loop on the Charles River?  Checked the Dover gauge online and the verdict was 2' plus or "Come on down".  So I did and launched from the Dolan Center on Common Street in Dedham.   Once on the river I chose to do the Loop in a clockwise fashion which meant going against the current for most of the trip.  A map of the loop is pictured.  A better version can be found here and clicking on "map".

Heading upriver from the launch I encountered this curious white-tailed deer...
...who approached for a closer look...

Nearby this "coyote" stood guard for a pair of Canada geese...

A good-sized bee hive hangs low over the river...

After about 1.7 miles I reached Needham Street where I took the Long Ditch exit under the bridge...
...which leads to a man-made channel running for a little more than half a mile.  There's a short riffle below the bridge...
At lower river levels this section might need to be portaged.

It was nice to eventually leave the narrow confines of the ditch and reach wide-open water at Cow Island Pond...

Heading upriver once again I passed another man-made exit for a portion of the Charles at Mother Brook...
...where some of the river's flow can be diverted down Mother Brook to the Neponset River.
 
After having paddled almost 6.5 miles I found myself right back where I'd started from.  The Loop makes an ideal 3 hour paddle.

My St. Patrick's Day haul could have been a little greener...

This one plastic bottle did its best to help in that regard...