Sunday, April 30, 2017

Paddling Out April

Spent the last week of April paddling bits of the Assabet, close to home, and the Connecticut River, up in the North Country of New Hampshire and Vermont.

The Assabet on Wednesday had this hawk showing he's fearless...
...by standing on one leg and scratchin' an itch about 80 feet up...

While closer to the ground this woodchuck watched me paddle by...

Wednesday's trash from above Chapin Rd on the Assabet...

Friday's trash from the Assabet above Sudbury Rd...

On Saturday I drove to White River Junction, VT and launched from Kilowatt Boat Launch...
The landing takes its name from the electrical power generating facility at Wilder Dam...

I enjoyed a late day paddle up to Ledyard Bridge and back noting some strong currents around Gilman Island.  A pair of mergansers near the bridge...


Encountered very little trash along the Connecticut here...

While in the area I paid a visit to the historic railroad junction where the depot still stands...
...and sports this appropriate weathervane...

A nod to the junction's past is this static display of some old Boston and Maine equipment...
A closer look at the wooden caboose reveals a long ago logo from the Boston and Maine Railroad that is familiar to those who've paddled under the Concord River's Old North Bridge...


On Sunday I met up with my friend Paul (aka Captain Dangerous) to notch another section of the Connecticut River on our paddles.  We launched from Woodsville, NH...
...into a swift and swirling flow between where the Upper Amonoosuc and Wells Rivers enter the Connecticut.  We'd spotted a car downriver at Bedell Bridge and were surprised when my boat's gps showed it being only 8.6 miles away (as the crow flies).  However, following the winding route of the river around two oxbows resulted in our covering 13 miles to get there.

The morning sun soon gave way to clouds and temperatures stayed on the cool side...

The summer-like feel of Saturday was now a fading memory and in its place was a raw early spring-like day... glad I'd brought my wet suit.

The scenery was great in all directions ...

Again, little trash was encountered...
Adios April!

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Earth Day Close to Home

Paddled the Assabet River between Waltham Street in Maynard and Acton's Powder Mill Dam last Wednesday afternoon.  Even had a little sunshine.

Not a bad little stretch of river, with Route 62 running parallel to the east and a mostly wooded slope rising up from the west shore.

Until the trees leaf-out Acton's wastewater treatment plant remains visible on that wooded slope...

A path runs along the base of the wooded slope and where it passes the outfall for Maynard's wastewater treatment plant is this boundary marker with an "S" on one side...
...and an "A" on the other...
Could this marker date to the days before the town of Maynard was incorporated in 1871?  If so this stone would've marked the boundary between the towns of Acton and Stow.


On the river's east side just above the dam...
...perhaps as many as 20 dead fish were floating...


A fair amount of trash was encountered trapped behind snags or along the riverbank...

Seeing way more trash than I had room for, I decided to return this Earth Day morning and gather up more of the plastic/Styrofoam flotsam...


While on Wednesday I launched from the Elks parking lot in Maynard, this morning I entered the river at the foot of Old High St. in Acton.

Today's weather wasn't ideal but these tree swallows didn't seem to mind...

Heading upriver I wondered how much trash finds its way into the river from this cluster of dumpsters...
 ...located behind a strip mall.  Out of sight, out of mind?

My upriver progress came to an end below the Waltham St. bridge...

Saw two canoes heading downriver and suspect they portaged Old High Street, re-launched into this old millrace, and paddled on towards Concord...

Certainly looks doable at these water levels.




Monday, April 17, 2017

A More Expansive Sudbury

This past Saturday morning Heard Pond in Wayland was easily paddled into from the elevated Sudbury River.  Though still a little breezy out on the river, there was a lot more aquatic real estate to explore.


Fortunately there was just enough head room under the bridges to allow passage.  Pelham Island Rd...
...and the Old Four Arch...

Encountered several boats with fishermen, two canoeists, and a sighting of the venerable vessel Triyak...

The higher water levels resulted in a trash uptick...

Friday, April 14, 2017

Want to Get Away?

...on the morning of September 25th,1780 Benedict Arnold sure did.  He'd just received word that his co-conspirator, British Major John Andre, had been captured by American forces.  Found in Andre's socks were  plans of West Point's fortifications drawn by Arnold.  Even worse, General George Washington was due to arrive at Arnold's residence within the hour and might be aware of Arnold's treason.  For Arnold the gig was up!  It was "giddy-up time", quite literally!

On this past Monday morning it was my intention to paddle another stretch of the Hudson River mentioned in Nathaniel Philbrick's book, Valiant Ambition.

I launched from Annsville Creek Preserve (opening photo) in Peekskill, NY and headed upriver towards West Point.  Across from me on the river's west side a long northbound freight train was dwarfed by Dunderberg Mountain...

Before reaching Bear Mountain Bridge a passenger train headed south along the river's east side...
...and then to my left a tug pushed a barge upriver...
...where it too was dwarfed by the scenery...
I was impressed by the scale of things here.  Much grander than the rivers I usually ply.

The incoming tide was providing a nice ride upriver and I glided by the village of Manitou on the east side...
...and Highland Falls on the west side...
...with its classic looking railroad station...

West Point loomed a little further upriver...

As I got closer to West Point...
...a US Coast Guard Cutter was heading upriver and caused me to briefly wonder if I'd entered a restricted area...

Fortunately, the vessel continued upriver and left me to my thoughts regarding General Benedict Arnold's hasty departure from this vicinity on September 25, 1780.  His residence/headquarters was located not far from the white water tank which can be seen in the photo of the Coast Guard Cutter.  In Valiant Ambition Philbrick describes its location as follows: "...on the east bank of the Hudson River, more than a mile down the river from West Point in present-day Garrison, NY."

Because his role as West Point's commander involved visiting numerous fortifications on both sides of the Hudson as far downriver as Dobbs Ferry, Arnold had a boat (referred to as a barge) and a crew of rowers at his disposal.
 
According to Philbrick's account in Valiant Ambition Arnold informed his wife of his need to escape, mounted a horse, and made a frantic trip down a steep slope to the dock where the boat and crew were stationed.  He told the men he needed to personally deliver a message to the British sloop of war Vulture located some dozen or so miles downriver by Teller's Point, and it needed to be done quickly so he could return in time for Washington's inspection of West Point.  As an incentive the coxswain and six rowers were promised two gallons of rum.

I imagine there was little consideration of tide or wind conditions, at least not on Arnold's part.  It's said that he repeatedly looked behind during the trip.

My journey back downriver to Peekskill was done in a considerably more relaxed fashion and allowed for an encounter with some white-tailed deer...
    

Near Jones Point I was passed by a sea-going vessel...
...moving perhaps at a speed similar to what Arnold's barge might have achieved.

Benedict Arnold did ultimately reach the Vulture and elude capture.  He left his wife and six-month old son behind.  He would finish out the war in service to the British and spend the remainder of his lifetime in England.  His name lives in infamy and is synonymous with treason.  When George Washington realized the full extent of Arnold's betrayal he is said to have asked "Whom can we trust now?"

Due to the rocky and steep banks of the Hudson in this area there aren't a lot of places to land.  At some of the few spots I was able to do so, I recovered trash that had earlier found similar landfall...

Being a railfan I greatly enjoyed the many freight and passenger trains seen moving along both sides of the Hudson.  At one point I could see an entire 125-car freight train waiting for a signal on the west side.
The east side seemed to have a passenger train racing past every 10 minutes or so...

The Hudson Highlands area impressed this paddler.