Thursday, January 26, 2017

Mid-Winter Paddle to Brooke Island?

Ordinarily a late January paddle down the Sudbury River to Brooke Island in Fairhaven Bay wouldn't be very realistic due to thick ice.  But given this year's prolonged "January Thaw" the idea seemed perfectly reasonable. 

I launched at Sherman's Bridge in Wayland which sports a new kiosk (opening photo).  The 3.5 mile paddle downriver was under a dark and threatening sky culminating in a brief rain shower just before I landed at an ice-free Brooke Island...
No sooner had I gone ashore than the Bruce Cockburn song "If a tree falls in the forest" started playing on my shuffle listening device.  I'd heard the song yesterday on my favorite radio station, shortly after reading that a "gag order" had been imposed upon the Environmental Protection Agency.  This was something I would only expect from some far-off country suffering under a repressive regime...not my country.  I loaded the song onto my device last night and, to be honest, forgot about it until it popped up randomly. The song is from the late 1980's but is still relevant today.

It was a treat to experience Brooke Island via boat at this time of year...

...and it proved a great spot for enjoying some hot cocoa.

Fairhaven Bay was mostly open water with some ice remaining in the shallowest areas, particularly the southwest corner...
 
 
The slough leading to the Lincoln Canoe Launch was still iced-in...
 
While paddling back upriver the sun began to break through the cloud cover and it was worth turning around to admire Lee's Bridge... 



Our recent snow/rain event raised water levels almost to the point where one could paddle into the Pantry Brook Wildlife Area...

Near the mouth of Pantry Brook a beaver was snoozing atop his almost submerged lodge...

A little further upriver another beaver was found in deep slumber though he did open his eyes...

Wonder what they might be dreaming about.

Weir Hill provided a good spot for another cocoa break...

Rounding the next-to-last bend provided this view of the day's fickle skies...
 
 
Some riverside saplings are displaying a reddish tint...
 
 
Back at Sherman's Bridge a fallen tree was straddling the bridge piers on the upstream side...
 

 
 
Higher water levels resulted in more trash than expected for this stretch of river...
 
 
As a fan of the Blackburn Challenge, the annual paddling/rowing race around Cape Ann, I find myself thinking about how it was this very time of year back in 1883 that Howard Blackburn and his dorymate Tom Welch were in the midst of a life or death ordeal.  At daybreak on January 26th, following a wild storm, the two dory-fishermen realized their mother ship the Grace L. Fears was nowhere in sight and that they were alone on the ocean some 60 miles south of Newfoundland.   Blackburn further realized that he'd lost his mittens while bailing the dory the previous night.  Quite a predicament to be in.  Time for me to revisit Joseph Garland's book Lone Voyager.       


Monday, January 23, 2017

Mittens and Planes

Yesterday, though mostly overcast, was still quite mild with temperatures in the 40's and continues what seems to be an extended January thaw.  The previous day, we'd enjoyed sunshine and temperatures in the low 50's which allowed for biking on a local rail trail.  None too shabby!

Shortly after getting on the water I paddled over to Egg Rock and noted the water level had nearly risen to the inscription.  From there I paddled down the Concord River to see if the wide straightaway below Davis Hill was still iced over (as it was on Christmas day) and instead found open water...
Suspected it was open as I'd encountered a stand-up paddleboarder heading upriver from that direction.

Earlier, on my way downriver I'd come across a small airplane...
Looked as though everyone got out safely and the plane was mostly intact...

Several real airplanes could be heard but not seen as they made their landing approach to Hanscom Field.  The planes would emerge ghostlike from the low-hanging and milky colored clouds just as they crossed above the river.

Some raucous sounds drew my eyes to a pileated woodpecker...

At Saw Mill Brook, flow from Punkatasset's east slope was wending around the man-made channel...

Looks like this tree is budding a bit early...


As I approached the Monument Street bridge on my return trip I saw a car backing up across the bridge and a fellow whistling and waving to get my attention.  It seems his daughter had dropped one of her mittens from the Old North Bridge and they were following the mitten as it floated downriver with the hope of recovering it.  So, of the many things plucked from the water with my paddle yesterday, a small white and pink mitten may have been the most important...at least to the little girl and her parents.

The other stuff found floating, snagged, or on the riverbank...

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Assabet's Winter Eagle

Paddled the Assabet River between Cox Street in Hudson and Gleasondale this afternoon enjoying splendid conditions for mid-January.  However, the bright blue skies were shortlived as clouds moved in from the west.
 
When I last paddled this stretch, in mid-November, I noticed construction had commenced at the site of the former Hudson/Stow Landfill.  Today I found a very large array of solar panels now in place...

Further downriver I was surprised to see someone's tent pitched on what looks to be an island just upriver from the golf course...
...a testament to our mild January?

After passing the tent I came upon an eagle who quickly took flight...
...and flew to another tree further ahead...

I suspect the eagle was preying on the many ducks in the area.

Also seen was a red-tailed hawk...
...and a pair of mute swans enjoying some time on the ice...

The horse farm on the side of Orchard Hill was looking good...

Unfortunately, trash was rather plentiful particularly in the first mile below Cox Street.  This stretch of the Assabet is almost always littered with plastic, glass, and Styrofoam flotsam.  Today's haul...
I counted 57 nip bottles.  One odd find was two plastic containers filled with rose petals and list of names...

Monday, January 16, 2017

Through the Box

It'd been quite awhile since I'd last squeezed through the box culvert (photo left) into Fort Meadow Brook from the Assabet River...more than 8 months actually.  Last week the box culvert was finally clear of debris, but the water level, being high, didn't allow enough room for passage. 

Yesterday afternoon, while launching at Magazu's Landing in Stow, I found the river's water level had dropped a couple of inches and this provided hope that passage through the box might be realized.  I paddled upriver, reached the confluence of river and brook, approached the box culvert, said the magic words, bent forward 'til my hat brim kissed the boat's front deck...and voila, I'd gained entry into the quarter mile long stretch of Fort Meadow Brook between the box and the abandoned railroad trestle...

It's a scenic and pleasant little stretch of water that, on the occasions I'm granted entry, never fails to please me...
 
 
Later, hiking up a small adjacent drumlin provided this southward-looking view...
 
 
Once back on the river, I ascended the Assabet another half mile or so to where a cross-channel blowdown impeded further progress...
 
...and became my turnaround point.
 
Returned to Magazu's Landing where this peaceful scene awaited...
 
 
Sure beats shoveling snow.
 

Some trash rounded-up along the way...





Wednesday, January 4, 2017

A Nippy Assabet

January continued to display just how kind it can be by giving us another day more typical of early spring than mid-winter.  At least that's how this paddler perceived conditions today while paddling upriver on the Assabet from Magazu's Landing in Stow.  Last night's rains had resulted in higher levels and a good rate of flow.

The higher water level allowed me to paddle right up to the base of Barton Road and view Lake Boon's outlet pipe...

Further upriver the box culvert from Fort Meadow Brook had been cleared of debris...
...but there wasn't quite enough room for my boat, paddle, and head to fit through.  A short walk to the top of the dike provided this view of the always enticing (to me) brook...

A nearby scent mound included a small blue bottle...
...for the builder's upset stomach?...
...or possibly related to whoever empties all those mouthwash bottles found in this stretch of river.

Now no river deserves to have one of these floating in it, especially a river named Assabet...
Don't look for this to be in my collection of "Waterway Keepables".

Saw a few blue herons who may have decided to take a chance and stay here for the winter.  Mute swans, mallards and red-tailed hawks were also seen.

This nest has my attention and I'm curious to see...
...who ends up using it.

Today's trash haul included 27 nip bottles (yet it wasn't all that nippy)...
...in addition to the picture frame.




Monday, January 2, 2017

A Tidal Tug

Yesterday's gusty winds were finally gone and my plan to paddle-in the new year upon some tidal waters was back on the front burner.  Of course, today being a legal holiday helped greatly to make it happen.

It was my first time launching from the George F. McCabe Marina and Recreation Area in Salem.  This location near the Kernwood Ave bridge provides easy access to the Danvers River, Beverly Harbor, and Salem Harbor.  There's a fee for launching and an honor system is employed requiring deposit of payment by envelope which seems reasonable.

As I was preparing to launch, two duck hunters in full camouflage attire landed their camouflaged kayaks. 

Heading over towards Beverly Harbor I encountered fellow kayaker Jim...
...who was paddling a boat he built himself.  In addition to enjoying today's splendid conditions (for January) we recalled having participated in last year's Blackburn Challenge where we both crossed the finish line at nearly the same time.

Also encountered this lucky sea gull with his "catch"?...
 
Just beyond the Salem Willows I enjoyed this view of Bakers Island which I recalled having seen several times while watching the movie "Manchester by the Sea"...

The unmistakable call of a loon was heard, and directed my attention towards this pair in their winter plumage...
 
 

It was strange to look into Salem Harbor and not see the pair of smokestacks that long dominated the skyline there.  It looks as if a new facility is under construction...

As slack water approached I paddled into the Danvers River...
...for a couple of miles before returning to McCabe Park.

Some trash encountered along the way...