Chillin' on the Assabet

 

Lucky was this paddler yesterday in being able to ascend Fort Meadow Brook a bit from the Assabet River.  Plentiful sunshine had temperatures approaching 50 degrees F.  Upon reaching the old railroad trestle that spans the brook it became necessary to work out a mutual non-aggression pact with this pair of mute swans...

Back on the Assabet River remaining ice sheets became places for various critters to chill away the day:

A swan and Canada geese...

...some mergansers...

...and this brave musquash...

Hopefully, they were all wary of this guy's presence...

I'll be keeping an eye on this nest to see if a pair of eagles might put it to use...

Near Crow Island's downstream end the ice became thicker and persuaded me to head back upriver...

Only a tiny uptick in trash...

Sudbury River Quietly Sleeps

 

Yesterday's bright sunshine possibly interacted with an icicle in creating a 'little dipper' effect to the right of my boat's bow on the Sudbury River in Concord, MA.  It truly was a sparkling day.

The nearby boat livery, the South Bridge Boathouse, looked fast asleep...

The railroad bridge carrying the tracks of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) also stood silent as it has been for the last 5 weekends due to COVID related cutbacks in service...

In fact, effective March 2, the MBTA will cease running all trains (weekend and weekday) on this section of the line until May 1.  Shuttle buses will be used to transport people between Littleton/495 and Alewife.  During the shutdown period a new system for controlling trains, Positive Train Control (PTC), will be installed.  Being aware of this upcoming cessation of service and being a life-long railfan, I paid closer attention to the passing trains while out hiking last week.  So before these trains disappear for the remainder of the winter I photographed two which were running right on schedule:

Inbound Train 1404 began its descent of the grade leading to the Assabet and Sudbury rivers...

...

Outbound Train 1405 climbed the same grade as it left the Assabet behind...

...and headed further westward...

Hopefully, the snow will be long gone when service resumes in May.

Meanwhile, back on the river, the inscription at Egg Rock was fully in view...

...thanks to most of our recent precipitation being in the form of snow.

Bluebirds and robins were the theme yesterday, particularly on the lower Assabet.  

One of many bluebirds seen flitting about...

...and this robin seemed to be walking on water...

Trash, like paddling opportunities this month, was few and far between...

Before getting out on the river I'd read an uplifting article in Sunday's Boston Globe: "Federal Government Drops Legal Battle Over Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's Reservation Status."  In the unattributed article (at least on my Kindle version) Congressman Bill Keating is quoted as follows: "The claim that the Tribe of the First Light, the Tribe of the First Thanksgiving was not an original Native American Tribe has always been disingenuous.  And the Trump administration's attempt to remove their land from trust last March - in the midst of a pandemic - was heartless."

   

As I understand it the basis for denying the Tribe's legitimacy in the first place was a U.S. Supreme Court ruling which claimed that because the Wampanoag Tribe wasn't specifically recognized by the federal government in 1934 they didn't qualify...even though the Wampanoag Tribe had been in existence long before the Mayflower made landfall!     

Assabet's Promised Water

 

Being locked in winter's grip of late, my boat and paddle sit high and dry gathering dust.  Still wanting to get outside, and given our generous snow cover, I thought of my snowshoes and reached into my gear closet's back corner (where this 'winter-hater' generally prefers they stay). I also found my gaiters and trekking poles and thus equipped headed out into the woods near my home.  The simple satisfaction of being the first to break a trail through the snow-covered ground was mine to be had.  This newly broken trail brought me alongside one of the Assabet River's tributaries, Fort Pond Brook (above photo), and standing there in the silence of the woods I pondered how the water cycle was in a prolonged pause of sorts.  A good portion of the very snow I stood in will ultimately melt, enter this brook, and flow the few miles to the Assabet River.  There with a little luck and some good timing I'll enjoy dipping my paddle blades into the very same molecules of water.

Then silence was broken with the raucous sounds of a male pileated woodpecker...

...who for the next 20 minutes made his presence known.

Conversely, a red-bellied woodpecker quietly went about its business...

Saw lots of tracks in the snow...mostly deer...

...and rabbits and maybe a fox.  However, this guy seemed a little out of place...

Perhaps his being out and about says more about the arrival of spring than whatever mister groundhog had to say.

Either way it's good to know that meteorological spring is only 13 days from now...and at worse only 33 days until the 'traditional spring' our calendars speak of.

Recently (Feb. 9th) I read a tragic story in the Boston Globe written by David Abel.  It concerned a member of the litter-picker upper community, Jack Coughlin, who lives in the Connecticut River town of Agawam, MA and who has worked for many decades in cleaning up our environment.  He has also advocated for expanding the Massachusetts 'Bottle Bill' to include placing a deposit on carbonated beverage containers and those nasty little 'nip bottles' (a noble cause if ever there was one).  Unfortunately, tragedy recently befell Mr. Coughlin when he was struck by a car and seriously injured.  His family has a GoFundMe page for those who wish to help provide for his care.  It can be found at this link or by simply Googling his name and town.   Many are hoping for his recovery.

  

Respite from Winter

 

Nathaniel Hawthorne in his short story The Old Manse described the bottom mile or so of the Assabet River in Concord as follows: "It is sheltered from the breeze by woods and a hillside; so that elsewhere there might be a hurricane, and here scarcely a ripple across the shady water."  While there wasn't a hurricane yesterday afternoon, there was a stiff 20 mph breeze out of the west/southwest which occasionally blustered to 30 mph.  Without the shelter Nashawtuc Hill provided the wind-chill factor would have spoiled the 42 degrees F. of relatively warm temperature. 

So protected, I worked my way upriver passing the snow-covered Egg Rock Inscription...

   ...and further along found Dove Rock looking sofa-like...

At my turnaround point, while taking a break, a winter stonefly paid me a visit...

Then it was back downriver under sunny skies...

A brief venture was made beyond Nashawtuc Hill's protection from the wind down to the Old North Bridge...

...with a nod to the Minuteman statue...

A quick retreat to Egg Rock...

Very little trash...

It was good to get out on the water again, especially with more snow and cold in the forecast.

For some reason the Blood, Sweat, and Tears song "Sometimes in Winter" came to mind.