Spring Gets a Toehold

 

River water levels have dropped half a foot in the past week as can be seen at the Egg Rock inscription above.  The drop left a fragile ice shelf reaching out from this tree...

Heading down the Concord River this past Sunday morning it quickly became apparent that large groups of birds were out and about.  Included among the robins, red-winged blackbirds, cardinals, kingfishers, was this bluebird...

...and this pair of hooded mergansers...

Trash was on the light side...

A toy soldier found at the "Holt" served as a reminder of the horrific state of affairs in Ukraine...

Had this paddler appreciating Concord's Old North Bridge a little more than usual...

 ...and realizing how fortunate we, here in America, are.

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.  
  

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?

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...

    

A Midwinter's Paddle

 

Got out on the Assabet River and Nashoba Brook in West Concord yesterday just a few days past the midpoint of meteorological winter.  Water levels were up as a result of our recent rainstorm (gauge at Maynard 3.4') and Nashoba and Fort Pond brooks combined in making a generous contribution from Warner's Pond (opening photo and below)...

Heading up Nashoba Brook brings a paddler alongside the stone wall supporting the bakery named for the brook.   What lies ahead beyond Commonwealth Ave (Warner's Pond outlet) is a mystery until you reach the bridge...

Back on the Assabet River the mid-day train to Boston had the blue, seemingly out-of-uniform, 1136 for its locomotive...

 
Open water was the rule for both the river and the brook.  Ice was confined mostly to the sloughs and slower moving stretches such as this bit above Route 2...

Places to land were found where the river's bank faced to the southwest...

Wildlife encountered included a pair of common goldeneye ducks...

...and this solitary hawk with a longish tail...

 

Trash included these few plastic vagabonds...

Hoping winter's second half goes by as fast!

2022's Veiled Entry

 

Went out on the waterways of Concord, MA yesterday to welcome the New Year and found familiar landmarks, such as Route 2 where it passes over the Sudbury River, shrouded in fog (photo above).

Along with the fog the New Year arrived with relatively warm temperatures in the 40s F. and little to no wind to speak of.  Maybe 2022 just wanted to pull down the shades and doze for awhile...can't say I blame it.  

The first trash encounter of 2022...

...a blue plastic bag containing 3 beer cans.  Another identical bag contained additional cans.

Further upriver this silver vessel emerged...

Looked as though it might have decorated a New Year's Eve party...

At the Old North Bridge visibility improved briefly...

...yet only a short distance further Monument Street was obscured...

Encountered several other boaters out on the water yesterday and all seemed to be enjoying the warmer than usual conditions.

With the fog and calm conditions I expected to encounter more wildlife than usual but that wasn't the case.  I did, however, encounter this regal-looking creature taking shelter in the nook of a riverside tree...

The first trash haul of 2022 had a "White Claw" theme...

...which is only fitting as we try to claw our way out of this pandemic.