Approaching Crow Island while paddling downstream on the Assabet River this past Wednesday I wondered if things would still be iced in between the island and Ben Smith Dam. Alongside the island I found remnants of ice clinging to tree limbs...
...but otherwise it was clear sailing to the dam save for one spot where ice nearly spanned the river's full width...
...leaving a narrow gap on the river's sunny side.
An open-cockpit helicopter briefly hovered overhead...
...before it touched down and then immediately took off again from the Crow Island airport.
Though the river was open to the dam...
..."Ice House" Landing remained, appropriately, iced-in...
...so I landed just east of the Ben Smith Dam and stretched my legs while checking out the falls and short portage trail.
The dam and falls looking back from the downstream side...
This long dead tree below the dam has witnessed more than a few gallons of water pass by...
Great Road Bridge (Rt. 117) as seen from the end of portage put-in...
Perhaps one of these days when the river is about a half foot higher than the 3' it was at on Wednesday, this mostly flatwater paddler will float down under the bridge and cover the distance down to Waltham Street. However, this not being that day, for me it was back upriver to Magazu's Landing where a couple of fishermen were preparing to try their luck...more signs every day of spring taking hold.
A small bit of trash gathered up along the way...
No comments:
Post a Comment