Greeting February on the Charles

I've been anticipating February 2017 because it would be the last obstacle to achieving 120 consecutive months paddling on a New England waterway.  Therefore, I decided to strike early on the very first day of the month while waters were still, for the most part, ice-free and the temperature was above 35 degrees F.

A late afternoon job had me traveling southward to the valley of the Charles River so I brushed overnight's snowfall off my car and headed to a canoe launch in Millis.  A locked gate was encountered which prevented vehicular access to the parking area.  This called for a pre-paddle portage of sorts which helped make things novel.

Once on the water I headed downriver and enjoyed a wintry scene...

Checked my watch after passing this sign for Noon Hill and found it to be just a little past noon...

Further down, at a sharp bend in the river, I passed a silent Fin, Fur and Feather Club.

At the confluence with the Stop River I hung a right and paddled up the Stop to Causeway Street to see if the culverts would allow passage...

It would have been passable but perhaps a little too tricky with the wind picking up as skies rapidly cleared.  So, I returned to the confluence...

...and headed back upriver to where I'd launched. 

 

Some trash rounded-up along the way...

 

Now I can rest easy that my streak will push past the ten year mark.  At the same time I can almost hear someone say "That and a buck will get you a cup of coffee at McDonalds."