Maiden Voyage 4-9-11

Splish! Splash! Splish!  Kayaks teetered as we carefully placed our left foot, then right, into the boat. With just a little effort we pushed ourselves into the waiting river! Our paddles plopped in too and we were off for our 'maiden voyage' along the Charles River on this beautiful spring day!  The temperature at 62 degrees was perfect for our first  outing of the season!  Heading upstream the wind was blowing briskly in our faces at a strong 7 miles per hour.
 
The river looked very different from our last paddle in the fall.  The trees that once held brightly colored leaves were mostly bare.  Upon closer inspection some of them were beginning to bud - a sure sign that soon it will be full of color once again.    Homes, paths and other landmarks not visible in the summer and fall could now be seen. The sparseness provided us with a contrastive view of our familiar playground.


Life on the river was rather quiet as well. Although the Peter's Point parking area was crowded, there was only one other fellow kayaker (he had a sleek fiberglass kayak equipped with racing paddles). However, one or two painted turtles, five turkey buzzards, a pair of busy mallards moseying about, a pair of boisterous Canada geese protecting their nesting area, and a favorite, the majestic  great blue heron were spotted during the trip.

Heading Down Stream

Hikers and walkers were seen on high atop King Philip's Overlook, the rocks near the Rocky Narrows section of the river.  Paddling through this narrow stretch of the river surrounded by the high rock formations, always makes me think about the Native Americans who might have paddled the same section of the river hundreds of years earlier.

Pulling into Peter's Point after a Great Day of Paddling!

After the mile or so paddle to the Route 27 bridge, we headed home with the wind at our backs and the sun peaking in and out of the clouds.  It was a perfect ending to a perfect day out on the Charles River.