On the one hand, ski season has ended. I got to ski for 2 1/4 hours on Tuesday, March 29, so while I didn't make it to April, my ski season did last just over 4 months.
On the other hand, paddling season has begun. I always start my season on the rivers. Even so, a wet suit is required, just in case I take an unexpected spill into the water.
The forecast calls for scattered showers, but often the weather gets better, so I'm not worried.
Our intrepid flotilla consists of 7 kayaks, 6 canoes, and 17 people. We start our voyage in West Concord on the Assabett River. The river winds a while before joining the Sudbury and becoming the Concord River.
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| The current is moving at a pretty good clip. That's one of the fun things about paddling in Spring. |
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| Just to prove to you that yes, I am on the river. |
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| Time for a little regrouping before skirting around some low hanging branches. |
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| This engraved stone was at the water's edge. I really can't tell you what it says because even in person it was pretty hard to read. However, the name at the bottom is somebody named Bartlett. |
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| This is where the Concord River begins. From my vantage point, the Sudbury River is to the left and the Assabett (where we came from) is straight ahead. |
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| Our lunch stop is at the North Bridge in Concord, where the British & and the colonial minutemen clashed 247 years ago. Look closely at the surface of the water and you can see it pouring. |
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The rain stopped for while, but these are not "happy clouds".
I took this picture right before the thunder started skies opened with hail. |
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| The camera case is a bit foggy and wet. As for me, I'm looking a bit like a drowned rat, so I take a quick respite under the Rt 225 bridge just before our take out in Bedford. Yes, it's still raining. |
Everybody made it back, but we were a bit spread out by the end. My total time on the excursion was 3h24m, covering 8.32 miles. My average speed was 3.6mph, but paddling hard with the current, I got all the way up to 9.3mph. Next time, I'd love to avoid the rain.
