Quinebaug - Danielson to Canterbury - February 23, 2022

Erik

The forecast was for temperatures in the mid-60’s (it actually hit 70 in Hartford), so I decided to take the afternoon off to paddle the Q2 (Quinebaug, not Quinapoxet) with Paul. After seeing my post on Facebook, Dave decided to join us as well.

The Quinebaug River arises above East Brimfield Lake in Sturbridge and flows generally southeast for 60 miles through MA and CT to Norwich where it joins the Willimantic to form the Shetucket. We would be running the 10-mile section from Danielson to Canterbury. You can also shorten this trip to 5.3 miles by taking out at the CT DEEP Fish Hatchery.

Paul

I met Paul and Dave at noon at Wayne R. LaFreniere Memorial Field at 39 Wauregan Road in Danielson for the shuttle down to Robert Manship Park at 50 Lovell Lane in Canterbury. We got on the water around 1:00 and headed downstream. The gage was offline, but based on intermittent readings it looks like the level was around 6’, 2,000 cfs – plenty of water and no rocks to dodge.

This is one of the longer, more challenging sections of the Quinebaug with flatwater, lots of quickwater, and easy rapids at the broken Dyer Dam (2-miles downstream, rebar river right - run center or left) and the old Wauregan Dam above the Wauregen Road Bridge (5-miles downstream). The trip took up about 2.5 hours, but it would have gone faster without the wind.

Quinebaug River - Wauregan Bridge from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:
My Pictures
My Video
Putnam Gage

Quinebaug River Paddle Guide (see page 21 for this trip)

Hiking the Mighty Quin - February 20, 2022

Along the Mighty Quin

I wanted to do some paddling, but both Pauls had other plans and it ended up being a really cold day anyway, so I decided to join Papa Joe and the crew for one of my favorite hikes along the “Mighty Quin”.

The Quinapoxet River (aka the “Mighty Quin”) arises in Princeton, MA, and is part of the MWRA system supplying drinking water to greater Boston. The Quinapoxet Dam in Holden impounds a billion gallons of water in the Quinapoxet Reservoir. Below the dam, the Quinapoxet River flows 8-miles east to the Wachusett Reservoir, joining the Stillwater River to become the South Branch of the Nashua River in West Boylston. The section of the Quinapoxet from Canada Mills to the Wachusett Reservoir is a well-known whitewater run.

The crew (with half of Al)

We met at the Mass Central Rail Trail (265 Manning Street, Jefferson (Holden), MA) for a 5.2-mile hike down to the old Springdale Mill. The Mass Central Rail Trail follows the route to the old Massachusetts Center Railroad that connected Boston to Northampton. The rail trail itself was wide and clear, but we broke off into the woods in several places to follow the river. 

I have now done 5 hikes along the Might Quin, but only 4 paddling runs – I'll need to work on that. The river was running a little over 9-feet, which looked low and boney in places, but my open boater friends say it is a good level. I have run it clean at 10-feet (two runs) and 11-feet with a swim at 10.5-feet.

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My Pictures

Mass Central Trail

Quinapoxet River Gage

Albion - February 13, 2022

Below the Albion Dam

I couldn’t paddle yesterday when it was 50-degrees and sunny, but I got out today when it was 30-degrees and snowing.  

I checked the gage, and with the recent rain and snow melt, the Blackstone was running at 4.5 feet, 1800 cfs. I usually go to River Island Park, but at that level the features get washed out and the hike back would be a pain in the snow. Instead, I decided to go to Albion and paddle downstream to Ashton.

Heading downstream

There was plenty of water flowing over the Albion Dam, so I put-in below the dam and played in the waves before heading downstream. I enjoyed the fast moving current for about a quarter mile, but then it occurred to me that it was going to a real chore paddling back upstream, and it was. 

Good thing I turned around when I did. It was still nice to get out and paddle in the snow.  

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F. Gilbert Hills State Forest - February 6, 2022

The crew at Lookout Rock

It was a cold and icy morning, but the Papa Joe hike was just a half-hour from my house at the F. Gilbert Hills State Forest, so I decided to join.

The F. Gilbert Hills State Forest (previously known as Foxboro State Forest) is a 1,000-acre site with 23-miles of trails in the towns of Foxborough and Wrentham. It is adjacent to the Harold B. Clark Town Forest to the north, and connects to Wrentham State Forest to the west. The park is also part of the 30-mile Warner Trail that stretches from Sharon to Diamond Hill.

Trail Hut

We headed north from the main entrance on Mill Street in Foxboro to Sunset Lake, and then west cutting through the Harold B. Clark Town Forest to High Rock and the EMS radio tower. The park is a maze of trails dotted with hundreds of glacial erratics. We stopped for a picture at one of the largest – Lookout Rock.

From there, we headed south on a section of the Warner Trail that includes the Stone Staircase - one of many structures built on the site by the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930’s. We took a short detour to Sunset Ledge, which has great views of the Wrentham Hills and even Diamond Hill to the southwest.

Dolmen Rock

We then passed some unique stone structures that some believe were made by the Native Americans. Dolmen Rock is a large, flat boulder sitting on three small stones on top of a large exposed ledge that that may have been used as an altar. Not far away are four equidistant rocks that align due north. They could have been dropped by the glacier, but some believe that would be too much of a coincidence.

From there we followed a maze of trails back to the cars. The hike was originally planned to be about 5-miles, but with detours it ended up being closer to 6-miles.

Links:

My Pictures

F. Gilbert Hills State Forest

F. Gilbert Hills Trail Map

Warner Trail
Warner Trail Guidebook

George Washington Management Area – February 2, 2022

Frank at Bowdish Lake

With rain and sleet in the forecast, I decided to take some time off to join Henry, Earl and Frank for a snowshoe hike in the George Washington Management Area.

With over 4,000-acres, the George Washington Management Area is Rhode Island's second largest state property. The land was acquired during the 1930's by the US government and developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. During WWII the land was turned over to the State of RI. There are two blazed trails on the property. The white blazed Angell Loop follows the shore of Bowdish Lake and then passes through a section of the campground.

Henry, Frank, Earl and Erik

The longer Walkabout Trail was created in the late 1960's by Australian Navy sailors on temporary duty in Newport. The trail consists of a series of three loops blazed Orange (8-mile), Red (6-mile) and Blue (2-mile). Some of the Walkabout Trail is also the route of Rhode Island's North-South Trail.

We started at the parking lot, headed up the Washington Trail and bush-wacked through the woods to Wilbur Pond before heading back. From there we went down to check out the snow-covered beach on Bowdish Lake. Not a long trip – probably 1.5 to 2-miles, but it sure beats working.

Links:

My Pictures
George Washington Management Area Trail Map
George Washington Management Area
North-South Trail
George Washington Management Area from Explore Rhode Island

Older George Washington Management Area Trail Map