Whitehall State Park Paddle!

As the morning sun started to rise above the lake all I could hear was my dad reciting Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha": 
By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis...
I'm not sure what it was about this lake that reminded me of that poem.

It was a beautiful day and my sister and I decided to try a different kayaking venue.  I'll admit that whenever we are kayaking I can't help but think of the Native Americans who might have once traveled by a dugout canoe along the same waterway.  Today, of course, was no different.  

Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.

We started around 7:30 a.m. and when we arrived at the Whitehall State Park entrance, we could see that we already had lots of company as the parking lot was somewhat filled.   To our surprise and delight, we were soon to find out what a gem we had stumbled upon.   The parking lot was deceiving as the Whitehall Reservoir was large enough to allow for all kinds of boaters. 

Following the perimeter provided us with the opportunity to take in the expanse of the lake.  This was a totally different experience for us as our usual kayaking route is the Charles River. All along the edge of the lake were trees of all shapes and sizes.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha,
Rocked him in his linden cradle,
Bedded soft in moss and rushes.
Safely bound with reindeer sinews;
Stilled his fretful wail by saying,
"Hush! the Naked Bear will hear thee!"

The morning was beautiful and started rather smoothly as we were hugging the shoreline.  The coves were loaded with water lilies in full bloom.  Soon there were so many lilies we decided to venture towards the open water.

As we got towards the more open parts of the lake the paddle proved to be a little more challenging.  The water was calm in some areas while in others it was rather wavy.  As we headed back from the far end of the reservoir the wind decided to play a little tug of war with our boats.  Nothing serious, but it made us work just a little bit harder. 

Reaching the boat launch, we easily exited the kayaks (something that proves to be rather tricky along the banks of the Charles River.) The clean water and sure footing underneath gave us a new appreciation for this kind of outing. 

As we were stowing the kayaks away in the car a pleasant gentleman with his two pups stopped to talk to us.  He told us about a trail that goes all the way around the lake (about 6 miles or so!).  He mentioned how the path was clearly marked, and how much he and his dogs just love being out in the area.  He wished us a good day, and we were on our way home with the resolve that we would try other new places to kayak and for sure return to this jewel in Hopkinton, Mass.
Lulled him into slumber, singing,
"Ewa-yea! my little owlet!
Who is this, that lights the wigwam?
With his great eyes lights the wigwam?
Ewa-yea! my little owlet!" 



View Larger Map


RESOURCES: 

Freshwater Aquatic Plants in Massachusetts - Use this guide to find many water plants seen in this area. 

Massachusetts State Parks:  A site by the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation showing areas for Non-Motorized boating


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Biography

Turtle Time!

Today on the river was Turtle Time! Well, at least that's what I called it.  Soaking up the warmth from the sun's rays, turtles lined the left and right banks of the Charles River.  They were perched on top of logs and settled upon rocks.  They were convened in large groups (like 10) or small groups of two or three.  There were adult turtles and baby turtles.  Turtles not on the banks, logs or rocks were swimming in their playground showing off their freestyle prowess. 

We slowly paddled past trying not to disturb their solitude, however it was often to no avail as we would hear...plop! plop! plop! Unwanted visitors sent the turtles scurrying back into the water's safety zone.

Eastern Painted Turtle Facts:

• known for it's yellow and red markings on its head, neck and limbs
• considered cold-blooded (that's why they like to bask in the sun)
• omnivorous feeder (eating plants and animals such as earthworms, insects, tadpoles & more)
• life span 5-10 years in the wild
• the sex of the turtle determined by the temperature in the nest (cooler temps

      Interesting Vocabulary:

• Carapace: hard top shell of a turtle
• Scute: the small plates that make up the shell  

Colored using www.thecolor.com

The beautiful weather paired with the sitings of so many wonderful creatures made our kayaking day extra special.  One might think you would tire seeing so many turtles, but it was quite the contrary.  To see them all just 'being' brought smiles to our faces and made me want to write the following:

   Painted Turtle on the Riverbed

The painted turtle with yellow and red

Did bask upon the river bed.

Soaking up all the sun’s warming rays

What better way to spend their days?

Spread evenly upon a downed tree

Lined up near one another, one, two, three!

Their peacefulness broken as we paddle by

Jumping into the river as if in reply.

Soon they’re back upon the logs, warm and dry

Poking their heads up at the deep blue sky.

Outstretched are their tiny legs and claws. 

Their simple beauty gives one pause.

The sun winds down and day comes to a close

The turtles return home as the evening shows

Hoping to reclaim their spots once again

To soak up God’s goodness whenever they can.

RESOURCES:


Eastern Painted Turtle

Painted Turtle Life Span

Painted Turtle Facts

Watercraft in Winter!

Stopping for a little laughter!

It was just about a year ago today that a winter storm advisory was in effect for our area.  At that time our kayaks were secured and stored away without a thought of being used as snow amounts made it the 3rd snowiest January on record.

Fast forward to today where the temperatures reached over 60 degrees.  Perfect for a day with the sisters to be on the Charles River - our favorite kayaking spot!  After checking out one or two landings we decided to shove off at Peter's Point because of its easy on/off access.

The strong current provided a solid workout.  The wind whispering through the trees blew in our faces as we made our way upstream. Gnarled trees looked as though they were waving to us from the sidelines and on the edge of the river shiny glints of ice sat smiling as if to say "yes, it IS January after all!"

It was a quiet day on the river with the exception of the  'raft of mallards' in the water ahead.  They acted like guides as they seemed to be leading the way.  Of course we did paddle by the Bill Martin Field where we heard and spied some radio controlled air craft flying high over head.

Quitting time!

Along the shoreline we could see many hikers and bikers also taking advantage of the weather as they made their way through the Rocky Narrows Reservation area.  We did exchange some 'hellos' and 'how you doings' with a few young hikers who were atop King Philip's Overlook.


The day that started out warm now had a nip in the air.  (Fortunately I had a sham-wow with me that I placed across my legs like a blanket for warmth.)  The sun was quickly sinking behind the trees so it was time to head back and call it a day.


This was one of those BONUS days...Who would have imagined that we would be kayaking in New England in January. 

Sunset Cruise Trouble

The last days of summer are passing quickly and so is the opportunity to just hop in the kayak during the daytime.  Today was just so lovely, but we weren't able to break away midday to play on the river.

My brother, who recently received a kayak for his birthday from his wife, called me at 6:00 p.m. and said he could go out for a paddle.  A sunset paddle would be a first for both of us! Yes!

By the time we met up and put our boats in at the West St. area it was around 7:00 p.m.  There was a gentleman fishing who asked us if we had our life vests (which we did have but tucked inside our kayak).  It seemed odd that he would mention it, but we went on our merry way without too much thought.

The view was spectacular.  There were some stratus clouds hovering around the sun which seemed to magnify the beauty.  We came upon a great blue heron who was not really happy we were in his territory. He was sure to let us know with his loud and menacing squawk.  Many fish were jumping at the water bugs that were scurrying atop the water.

We came upon a couple of fishermen in a motor boat who were enjoying the peacefulness too.  At one point we heard a paddler coming up behind us who was heading downstream with great speed.  It seemed others were enjoying their sunset cruises as well.

Well, we got caught up in the beauty of the marshy area of the Charles River.  The evening got away from us when we realized it was starting to get dark.  (It seemed like we had paddled for only 15 minutes when it was actually around 45 minutes.)

It was getting dark and I left my flashlight in the car.  (I'm the experienced kayaker and I should have known better!) We assured ourselves that there would still be some light till 8:45ish.  How wrong we were!  It seemed like a dimmer switch had been instantly lowered and the sun along with it!

Our restful paddling turned into a more steady, more urgent, more powerful paddle.  All of a sudden our senses were more in tune to our surroundings as we could no longer depend on our sight.   Woosh, woosh, woosh.....coming from behind we could hear a fellow paddler moving rapidly - no doubt trying to return to the same area as us.  As it turns out, it was the kayaker who had been headed downstream.

Affixed to the top of his boat was a huge spot light (not yet turned on).  "Do you have a light?  No?  Is this your first time out here???"  We must have seemed like country bumpkins to him.  He offered to show us the way with his light.  "We're fine, we're fine - we are almost back," I said (almost to reassure myself).  "Okay-You should be okay but watch the rocks near the end," he shouted as he rounded the bend.   The rocks-hadn't given them a thought.  Sure would be scary to bump into one of those in the dark!

After that, the two of us got rather quiet and focused on our paddling.  We were only about 15 minutes away from our destination.  Secretly, I was admonishing myself because I truly knew better than to be out that late on the river without proper equipment.   I'll admit I was a bit nervous (Dad, it reminded me of our hike in the White Mountains).

Around 8:30 we pulled into the landing.  "Are you alright? Do you want me to shine my headlights on you?" we heard the now familiar voice in the parking lot say.  It was our friend.  We politely declined his offer (mostly because we felt silly about the whole thing).  With a little effort, we exited our boats and loaded them onto the car.

Next time we will carry flashlights, life vests strapped to the top of the canoe (not stowed away), a whistle and a charged phone.  Being on the river in the dark is not something I would like to repeat as there are too many potential pitfalls.  Planning ahead and making sure we have the right equipment will ensure a safe, fun trip.

Our adventure will be remembered for it's beauty and lesson learned!


View West Street, Medfield, MA in a larger map

River Rescue

Well, it wasn't quite the 'river rescue' you might picture in your mind...it was more of a 'rescue to allow us to GET on the river'.  Here's what happened.

It was a sweltering Sunday (July 31st) and three of us decided to head out to one of our favorite areas on the Charles River, called Peter's Point (see map below).  We arrived with our boats in the back of our trusty red truck.  As we were getting ready to take the boats out of the truck, one of us, I'll not name her (okay it was me), closed the truck door with keys, credit cards, wallets and gloves on the front seat.  Although we trust our fellow kayakers, we were uncomfortable at the thought of leaving for a 2 hour paddle with that in plain sight.  A call was made to bring the spare key so we could collect our things and begin.

Not to worry, Dave M. was on his way (after he finished his grocery shopping!).  Luckily, we had packed some cold beverages in the back of the truck.  We unloaded the boats - set them up at the edge of the river, then sat in the shade with a cool drink.

What happened next, made the inconvenience of locking ourselves out pass quickly.  Pulling up along the river bank was an orange-topped, 17 foot long, sleek-looking kayak.  It approached the shore with ease and it's owner hopped out.  What a different kayak from ours! The owner, a young man from the Netherlands, was more than happy to give us a tour of his kayak.  The water-tight hatches can fit a week's worth of camping gear. The rudder, which folded up for transporting, is operated by foot-peddles inside the cockpit.  He surprised us all by asking us if we wanted to try it out.  Dee, the outgoing, kayaker of the bunch, jumped right in a started paddling around the area.  What a treat!

Not too much later, David came to the 'rescue'. We opened the doors, got our gear and off we went for a lovely paddle.  Never a dull moment on the Charles!   

Next time you're looking for a great place to paddle, try Peter's Point out of Dover, MA


View Peter's Point, Dover, MA in a larger map