Sudbury River
Where: Sudbury River, Fruit St. to Cedar Swamp Pond
When: 10/10/99
With: Solo
When: 10/10/99
With: Solo
My annual excursion to the source of the Sudbury River. Given the size and surroundings of the waterway, it's always something of a challenge to hit the conditions just right to make the trip a success. This time I got it just about perfect. A recent rain got the water level up high enough to provide some good floating room and the late season date meant some of the more annoying shoreline vegetation was gone. I also had some nice fall foliage to look forward to.
The sky was overcast and a bit threatening as I pushed off, and a few sprinkles began to appear as I began my journey upstream. The air temperature was pretty mild though, so I wasn't uncomfortable getting damp. The stream level was a little low, but not enough to be a problem and the decreased vegetation helped me move along pretty quickly. I made my way up through the first section of swamp and made my turn into the straight channel alongside the Pike. A patch of bubbles in the water caught my eye and I looked ahead to see if some other paddler had been through recently. Instead of a paddler though I saw a deer bolt out of the woods, splash across the river and scramble up the opposite bank. I paddled up to the spot where it'd crossed, but there was no sign of it anywhere. No doubt it was standing somewhere nearby, watching me as I passed, but I couldn't see it.
I continued on through the culvert under the Pike and stopped at the other end to don a raincoat and hat. The sprinkles had turned to a steady rain and a little protection seemed in order. Suited up, I passed through the 495 culvert and started up through the long marshes toward the pond. For the most part the paddling was pretty straightforward. Other than a few spots where the marsh grasses closed in on the water's channel, there really weren't any significant obstructions and I managed to keep up a pretty steady pace. As usual, the twists and turns of the meandering streambed were a bit annoying...I figure the route I paddled is easily 3-4 times longer than the "crow-flight" route...but it was nice to be out paddling, even with the rain.
By the time I finally arrived at the pond the rain was coming down hard and steady. I paddled out toward the middle of the pond with the hiss of raindrops on water surrounding me. I headed straight across to the opposite shore, thinking to try a little fishing and perhaps some exploration of the pond's inlet stream. The rain let up a bit by the time I crossed and I paddled along the shore looking for some sign of the feeder stream. There was no clear channel though, so I decided to move out to some lily pads for a little fishing. I made a few casts with my fly rod but never got so much as a rise. The rain started up again and I figured it was probably best to head for home.
I made a couple of attempts to locate the small side channel to a campsite on the bluff near the pond's outlet, but the lowish water level prevented me from returning to explore that area as I had the last time I'd visited. Just as well, because I needed to get home for a football game. I turned my attention toward the trip back to the car and was making the most I could of the tail-current when I rounded a corner and spotted a man walking up the streambed. "Whoa!" he exclaimed as he scrambled up the embankment. Obviously I'd startled him, and I said something about not expecting to see anyone else out in this area.
He was a young guy - maybe college age or a bit older. Though he'd been wading up the stream, he was just wearing jeans and boots, with a camouflage rain jacket and hat on for a bit of protection from the weather. Over his shoulder he carried a large duffel-type bag with a single shoulder strap. More like an airplane carry-on bag than anything. My conversation with him was a bit disjointed. He said something about taking advantage of the long weekend to get out, commented on the nice remote area, and complained a bit about the rain. When I asked where he was going he said something vague about looking for a place to camp and hang out. My impression was of a college kid who just decided to get outdoors for the weekend, shoved some gear into whatever bag he had available, hitchhiked out the Pike to someplace with trees and just started walking. Perhaps a bit stoned too...good for him. I told him that there was a railroad nearby and mentioned that he could find a campsite and some solid ground on the bluff near the tracks. As I paddled off he appeared to be making a beeline toward the tracks, so I think I was helpful. Perhaps he wasn't a student but just a wanderer, staying where he could and keeping to himself. An interesting encounter in any case.
Having the current with me helped and I arrived back at the culverts quickly. I was enjoying being out of the showers and looking ahead to where the rain dappled the water at the culvert's exit when I noticed a neat visual effect. The still, dark water in the culvert acted like a mirror, reflecting light from the culvert's mouth up on to the ceiling. Looking at the water it appeared that I was floating suspended midway inside a huge concrete tube. The effect was very cool, and I looked forward to a reprise in the Pike culvert. Rather than the small, double tunnel under 495, the Pike culvert was huge and the effect was amplified. Odd that I've never noticed it before.
Back out in the open, I looked for the deer once again (no sign) and then just paddled back to the car. I was soaked, muddy, and tired, but it felt great, as always.
More pictures
The sky was overcast and a bit threatening as I pushed off, and a few sprinkles began to appear as I began my journey upstream. The air temperature was pretty mild though, so I wasn't uncomfortable getting damp. The stream level was a little low, but not enough to be a problem and the decreased vegetation helped me move along pretty quickly. I made my way up through the first section of swamp and made my turn into the straight channel alongside the Pike. A patch of bubbles in the water caught my eye and I looked ahead to see if some other paddler had been through recently. Instead of a paddler though I saw a deer bolt out of the woods, splash across the river and scramble up the opposite bank. I paddled up to the spot where it'd crossed, but there was no sign of it anywhere. No doubt it was standing somewhere nearby, watching me as I passed, but I couldn't see it.
I continued on through the culvert under the Pike and stopped at the other end to don a raincoat and hat. The sprinkles had turned to a steady rain and a little protection seemed in order. Suited up, I passed through the 495 culvert and started up through the long marshes toward the pond. For the most part the paddling was pretty straightforward. Other than a few spots where the marsh grasses closed in on the water's channel, there really weren't any significant obstructions and I managed to keep up a pretty steady pace. As usual, the twists and turns of the meandering streambed were a bit annoying...I figure the route I paddled is easily 3-4 times longer than the "crow-flight" route...but it was nice to be out paddling, even with the rain.
By the time I finally arrived at the pond the rain was coming down hard and steady. I paddled out toward the middle of the pond with the hiss of raindrops on water surrounding me. I headed straight across to the opposite shore, thinking to try a little fishing and perhaps some exploration of the pond's inlet stream. The rain let up a bit by the time I crossed and I paddled along the shore looking for some sign of the feeder stream. There was no clear channel though, so I decided to move out to some lily pads for a little fishing. I made a few casts with my fly rod but never got so much as a rise. The rain started up again and I figured it was probably best to head for home.
I made a couple of attempts to locate the small side channel to a campsite on the bluff near the pond's outlet, but the lowish water level prevented me from returning to explore that area as I had the last time I'd visited. Just as well, because I needed to get home for a football game. I turned my attention toward the trip back to the car and was making the most I could of the tail-current when I rounded a corner and spotted a man walking up the streambed. "Whoa!" he exclaimed as he scrambled up the embankment. Obviously I'd startled him, and I said something about not expecting to see anyone else out in this area.
He was a young guy - maybe college age or a bit older. Though he'd been wading up the stream, he was just wearing jeans and boots, with a camouflage rain jacket and hat on for a bit of protection from the weather. Over his shoulder he carried a large duffel-type bag with a single shoulder strap. More like an airplane carry-on bag than anything. My conversation with him was a bit disjointed. He said something about taking advantage of the long weekend to get out, commented on the nice remote area, and complained a bit about the rain. When I asked where he was going he said something vague about looking for a place to camp and hang out. My impression was of a college kid who just decided to get outdoors for the weekend, shoved some gear into whatever bag he had available, hitchhiked out the Pike to someplace with trees and just started walking. Perhaps a bit stoned too...good for him. I told him that there was a railroad nearby and mentioned that he could find a campsite and some solid ground on the bluff near the tracks. As I paddled off he appeared to be making a beeline toward the tracks, so I think I was helpful. Perhaps he wasn't a student but just a wanderer, staying where he could and keeping to himself. An interesting encounter in any case.
Having the current with me helped and I arrived back at the culverts quickly. I was enjoying being out of the showers and looking ahead to where the rain dappled the water at the culvert's exit when I noticed a neat visual effect. The still, dark water in the culvert acted like a mirror, reflecting light from the culvert's mouth up on to the ceiling. Looking at the water it appeared that I was floating suspended midway inside a huge concrete tube. The effect was very cool, and I looked forward to a reprise in the Pike culvert. Rather than the small, double tunnel under 495, the Pike culvert was huge and the effect was amplified. Odd that I've never noticed it before.
Back out in the open, I looked for the deer once again (no sign) and then just paddled back to the car. I was soaked, muddy, and tired, but it felt great, as always.
More pictures
