Thursday, February 24, 2022

Ice in Retreat

 

This past week provided two pleasant paddling opportunities where I saw Old Man Winter and his  ice sheets in full retreat.

On Monday blue skies and warm temperatures (50s F) were enjoyed while ascending a wide-open Sudbury River from its confluence with the Assabet at Egg Rock.  As I neared Fairhaven Bay I began seeing portions of thicker ice along the shore.  On one such ice shelf was the picked-clean skeleton of an unfortunate white-tailed deer...

...perhaps the work of coyotes or an eagle?

Fairhaven Bay itself was still iced-over and blocked (opening photo), and ice fishermen were drilling holes on the bay's east side...


  A pair of mergansers stayed close to water's edge...


A beaver did the same...


This pair of hawks kept to the trees...



Yesterday's record-breaking warmth with temperatures in the mid 60's F. allowed for getting out on the Assabet River in Stow.   Even the sky seemed a little confused as to which season we're in...

The river was high and moving swiftly in places.  The gauge at Maynard showed 3.75'.

I was a little surprised to see wide-open water between Gardner Hill and Crow Island...



Coming eye to eye with my first red-winged blackbird of the year confirmed a new cycle has begun...


Additional confirmation was seeing this dark-eyed eagle perched next to last year's nest...


Other wildlife encountered yesterday were mergansers, wood ducks, a belted kingfisher, hawks, Canada geese, blue herons, and a musquash.

Trash-wise:

Monday saw a very small amount of trash...


Yesterday saw an uptick...


Although a snowstorm is predicted for tomorrow I am, nonetheless, thinking that river-blocking ice formations are done for this winter.  Knocking on wood as I say this.  
  

Sunday, February 13, 2022

A Thaw to Remember

 

Don't know where Old Man Winter went but for three successive days he was AWOL around these parts.  In his absence we were treated to a sweet preview of springtime.  Each of the three past days saw temperatures exceed 50 degrees F. with yesterday setting a record at 60 degrees F.  

On Friday I found the Assabet River at an ideal height (Maynard gauge 3.5') with open water between the Acton Canoe Launch and Nashoba Brook.  It was smooth sailing past Damonmill...


Plenty of sunshine and Canada geese though one goose met an unfortunate end on the ice...


A pair of mergansers traveled along with me for awhile...


The following morning, after an overnight with temps in the 40's, I launched in West Concord where I'd landed the day before.  Again found open water down to the confluence of the Assabet and Concord rivers where Egg Rock extended a tongue of ice to the point where the flow of the two rivers meet (opening photo).

Checked out the Sudbury River up to where the steel rails of the Boson and Maine RR's Reformatory Branch long ago left terra firma and stretched across the river...


Two well-placed chairs at the bridgehead provided a great spot for taking lunch.  An old photo from the collection of Charles Dee shows this same spot almost a hundred years ago when trains still made the crossing.  His photo can be seen at this link (4th photo down)...

https://www.bedforddepot.org/oralhistory/Dee/index.html

Next I paddled a bit down the Concord River past an iced-in launch at Lowell Road...

...and then a bit further to the Old North Bridge...

...where I turned about and began the trip back to West Concord.

Trash on ice:
Friday's...
Saturday's...

Perhaps the artwork on this recovered beer can may explain the strangeness of these past three days...


I awoke this morning and upon looking outside saw that the spell had been broken...
Was it just a dream?


Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Waiting for the Thaw


As can be seen in the above photo Old Man Winter has a vice-like grip on most local rivers.  That's got me spending a good deal of time close to my stove...

.. awaiting the thaw. 

In the meantime I recently had the good fortune to come across a journal written in 1634 by a 23-year old man describing his 41 day/approximately 100 mile mid-winter journey into Native American controlled lands and waters.  This, in turn, led to studying maps both old and new, measuring distances, researching lodging options, etc.  It ain't paddling but for me it's the next best thing.

One hopeful sign that a thaw may be in the works was seeing this stretch of open water on the Assabet River late this morning...