Down to Damonmill

With forecasters predicting Artic-like conditions for later in the week I took advantage of today's sunshine and relatively warm temps to sneak-in a short paddle from the Acton Canoe Launch down to Damonmill and back. 

Immediately upon launching I encountered a fellow fishing from the shore who reported having earlier caught a brown trout.  There has been an effort to restore trout to this section of the Assabet River, and the area is posted as "Catch and Release".

It'd been awhile since I'd paddled this stretch, and quite a few changes were observed downriver of where the gas pipeline crosses.  Several construction projects are underway and hill on the river's west side has seen trees exchanged for solar panels...

I believe the panels were installed by the Town of Concord.

After traveling only a mile and a half downstream, I reached Damonmill and the broken dam...

...where I weighed going on through (requiring a shuttle)...or turning about and working my way slowly back up to Acton.

I chose the latter and, after completing most of my upriver work, stopped for a cocoa break at the foot of this steep hillside...

Trash was on the light side with 4 plastic muffin trays...

Come to think of it...a muffin would have gone great with the hot cocoa.