My paddling week ended where it began...on the Assabet River in Concord, MA. Water levels on the Assabet were found to have dropped quite a bit since last Sunday. Launching early this morning in West Concord I found the river to be very shallow and wasn't optimistic about making it very far upstream. However, despite the shallow conditions there was just enough water to paddle past and around the various obstacles. Soon I found myself at Damonmill. Here the shallow conditions worked to my advantage by allowing me to easily wade upriver through the quickwater while towing my boat. About a half mile above the old dam I came across a coyote scoping out two Canada geese families...
He decided to get closer to the geese by crossing the river...
...nonchalantly hoping the geese didn't notice...
A minute or so later the coyote's attack and was easily repulsed by the adult goose...
...without any harm to the goslings...this time. Left arrow is adult goose, right arrow is coyote.
While heading back downriver another coyote (perhaps a sibling) was seen alongside the river...
Near the mouth of Nashoba Brook a hawk scanned the river...
Sandwiched between my two Assabet paddles was a mid-week visit to the Millers River in Athol, MA.
It'd been awhile since I last paddled the Millers River, so on a cool and breezy Wednesday morning I launched from the Allen E. Rich Environmental Park and headed downriver. The third bridge I passed under was the Daniel Shays Highway (pictured above) named for the leader of a 1786/87 rebellion against the State of Massachusetts by a considerable number of disgruntled Revolutionary War veterans.
Some wildlife encountered included a pair of common mergansers...
...and a red-winged blackbird...
My trip back upriver was aided by a westerly tailwind...
Earlier in the week, on Sunday, I visited the Egg Rock inscription...
...before ascending the Assabet River to West Concord, MA. Nearing Willow Island the river had relocated a bench...
The area to the right of the island was in the news about a week ago when an automobile left Lowell Road and entered the stream between Macone's Pond and the river. I believe the vehicle was removed from the area behind the fallen tree in this photo...
A white-tailed deer did some browsing across from Willow Island...
Sunday's trash from the Assabet included a "giant" plastic bottle and 7 "miniatures"...
Wednesday's trash from the Millers River included 84 "miniature" alcohol bottles...
Most of the trash pictured was found behind a natural trash trap where the river sweeps around a bend at a steep bank...
Today's trash from the Assabet had quite a few plastic bags...
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