Warner River

One way float trip in Warner, NH - first bike shuttle.  Beautiful day, mid 80s and sunny, but low water conditions and frequent width-of-river fallen trees made this a very challenging 5+ mile trip.  Initial put-ins at Waterloo Covered Bridge and Stevens Brook were through private land and overgrown, so started further downriver at Riverside Park near Warner town center instead.  Per the Boston Kayaker, the recommended water level for this trip is 40+ cfs.  The Davisville gauge read 34 cfs and 3.4 ft on June 19. I probably got out of my kayak 20 times to drag through shallow riffles and another 10-12 times to portage river-wide tree blockages.  A couple portages were especially difficult because the banks were about 5 feet high and had to bushwhack growth to make it around the blockage.  I kept thinking as I progressed and with more streams joining the river, it would get easier but there was no respite from downed trees and shallows until the river crossed back under I-89 to the east side for the final 1/2 mile to Davisville.  If the water level were higher, the first couple miles in Warner would be fun but the lower half still would have several major blockages to get around esp in the swamp.  Wildlife included a family of red head ducks and a blue heron, both going the same direction as me and seen every 1/2 hour or so.   

 

Start: Riverside Park, Warner NH

End: Route 127 bridge, Davisville, Warner, NH

Trip time:  3 1/2 hours

Trip distance:  5+ miles     

Waterloo Covered Bridge, pretty but no easy put in here

Riverside Park, plenty of parking and an easy put-in

Into the Warner, pretty but many shallows this day

Dalton Covered Bridge

First pass under I-89 bridge

Kept running into this guy and his buddies

 

Bagley Field Rail Trail

 

One of many river-wide blowdowns

Back under I-89 bridges, no more portages!

Snowmobile bridge

The steep take-out at Davisville (Rt 127) bridge

Assabet River - Ice House Landing to Lake Boon Outlet

Nice up and back trip on the middle Assabet near the National Wildlife Refuge.  Temps in the low 80s, light wind and a lot of sun - shorts/tshirt paddling!  Maynard gauge at 2.34 ft, 152 cfs.  Put in at Ice House Landing in Maynard, great dock with kayak/canoe "slot" to easily launch and land.  River is wide here and light wind made paddling upstream easy.  Explored about 100 yards up the Elizabeth/Assabet Brook before it become too narrow with growth, better luck in early spring.  Continued up by Crow Island, Magazu landing, to the Lake Boon outlet.  Could hear but not see the water outflow, that become my turnaround point.  Saw many kayaks, canoes, and SUPs on this warm Sunday.  Wildlife included tons of turtles, 2 swans with 3 babies near Ice House, and 2 blue heron.   On the return trip, i was somewhat startled by a low flying prop plane (Indiana Jones style) over the river heading toward Crow Island to make a landing.  Did not know it was an active airfield!

 

Start: Ice House Landing, Maynard, MA 

Turnaround: Lake Boon outlet, Stow, MA

Trip time: approx. 2 1/2 hours

 

 

Crow Island hanger

 

Summer lovin'

 

Family time

 

Top of the Ben Smith dam

 

Nissitissit River

First one-way float trip!  Cable locked kayak to a tree near the put-in at Bohannon Bridge in Brookline, NH. Drove car to end point at Pepperell Coverage Bridge, uber'ed back to start.  Water levels where high due to 2 days of rain that week (Nashua River at E Pepperell gauge was at 1550 cfs, 4.2 ft;  Squannacook at 240 cfs, 3.3 ft).  First half of trip was through a marshy, reedy area.  Very pretty, quickwater and a couple small drops.  Saw some tiny yellow birds and a couple baby blue jays.  Things got more woodsy and 'exciting' after passing under the W Hollis / Brookline St Bridge.  Rapids increased their intensity and several tree blowdowns were challenging to navigate. 2 required portage.  Saw many (8-10) fly fisherman along the way.  Took my first official "swim" trying to pass under a blowdown just before Prescot Road bridge.  I grabbed hold of the tree trunk, trying to pull myself toward the end with higher clearance but my kayak decided to keep going under at that spot and boom!  I was in the water.   Top moment of trip was running the rapids (class II?) where the Millie Turner dam was removed in Pepperell, scouting it first.  2 big drops followed by a 1/2 mile of continuous riffles.  One final portage around a blowdown near junction with Nashua River.  Current in the Nashua was too strong to paddle up against for 0.75 miles to my car, so I beached it and walked back along the rail trail and Lowell Road to car.  A fun but occasionally dicey trip!

Start: Bohannon Bridge, Brookline NH

End: Pepperell Covered Bridge, Pepperell MA

Starting point near Bohannon Bridge

Serious beaver work on this tree

West Hollis Road Bridge

Graceful tree arch

 

Next level rope swing

Site of the former Turner Dam

Shawsheen River up to Bedford

Patriots Day paddle.  Very nice up-and-back trip on the Shawsheen River. Temps high 50s sunny.  Water level was somewhat high (4.15 ft; 148 cfs on the Wilmington Gauge) due to mid April snow and rain.  Toughest part of trip was two minutes into it, getting under the Route 3A bridge.  Looked tight but navigable but in the very middle of bridge was a beam 6 inches lower than the rest, had to slide far down in my kayak, grip the beam and pull myself under and through.  Took on a little water in that maneuver.  The segments to the Middlesex Turnpike bridge (went over the yellow weed catcher) and massive Route 3 bridges were very marshy, very windy (twisty), and scenic -- Shawsheeen definitely means Serpentine.  Many canadian geese, red-winged black birds, and turtles (small ones) everywhere.  The section above Route 3 in Bedford got very narrow and woody, saw two pair of deer in this section before a shore-to-shore log became my turnaround spot about halfway above Route 3 and before 62 in Bedford. Note: shooting at the gun range near Middlesex Turnpike bridge is a little disconcerting, made me paddle a little more quickly through that section!      Starting point: Akeson Playground (Route 3A), Billerica MA  Turnaround point: Sherwood Drive, Bedford MA Trip time: approx 3 hours (2 up, 1 back)

Low clearance on the Route 3A bridge

A fellow paddler

The goose squadron

Middlesex Turnpike bridge construction - and a stashed kayak

The river sign was a casualty of the bridge work

Massive Route 3 crossings

Getting brushy in Bedford

This guy was not used to visitors

Upper Mystic Lake and Aberjona River

Friday afternoon trip on the Upper Mystic Lake and up the Aberjona River to Winchester Center.  Upper Mystic was pretty, sailing team from Winchester High was out.  Lot of wildlife: turtles, a blue heron, swans, geese.  Aberjona was fun to explore, came face to face with a canadian goose protecting the family nest.  Went the long way around.  Faint smell of pollution and close traffic noise made the Aberjona somewhat unpleasant, but the middle stretch was pretty and it was cool to see the step-waterfall in Winchester Center from the water level.  Fun to explore but probably not returning soon.  Back on the Upper Mystic saw a blue heron take flight, several SUP were out too.   Trip time approx 1 hour 30 min.

 

 Bacon St bridge

Winchester Center

Back on the Upper Mystic

Tufts Sailing Pavilion and dam between Upper and Lower Mystic lakes

 

Assabet River to Pine Street

Great up-and-back trip up the lower Assabet River.  Started from Lowell Road Boat Ramp and went upriver just beyond Pine St Bridge near the Thoreau School before returning back with a quick current.  Maynard gauge 2.9 ft, 289 ft3/sec.  Temps in low 40s with plenty of sun.  Winds were only a factor on a couple short stretches.  While i saw no other boaters, wild life was abundant.  White/black swan pair, turkey-looking ducks, woodpeckers, red wing black birds, and several deer across the river from MCI Concord.  An interesting swing and rope ladder combo hanging from the center of MBTA bridge into the river. Took a side trip up the Nashoba Brook to where it exits Warners Pond.  Current was extra strong in this narrow stretch, took full effort reach sight of the dam then drift back to the main river.  Round trip approximately 3 1/2 hours.

 

Wildlife

Sparkling Assabet at the Pine St launch

 Egg Rock inscription