Snowshoeing at F. Gilbert Hills State Forest - January 31, 2026

Warner Trail

I’ve been nursing along a sore knee for a couple of months, so I probably should have skipped this trip. Then again, conditions were just about perfect, and it is only a half-hour from my house, so I made a last-minute decision to join Papa Joe and the crew for a snowshoe hike at F. Gilbert Hills State Forest.

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.

Queued up to break the trail

We met near the Southeastern Massachusetts Emergency Communications Center (SEMRECC) at 100 High Rock Rd, Wrentham, MA 02093. The temperature was around 3-degrees when we headed out, but it got up to around 19-degrees by the time we finished. No one was cold – snowshoeing is a good workout.

We we did a 2.3-mile loop down a section of the Warner Trail that includes the Stone Staircase (one of many structures built by the Civil Conservation Corps in the 1930’s), then over to Sunset Ledge, and finally over to the shelter near High Rock before returning to the cars. Conditions were perfect, and it was a great trip, even if my knee was pretty sore at the end.

The crew near High Rock

Links:

My Pictures

F. Gilbert Hills State Forest

F. Gilbert Hills Trail Map

Warner Trail
Warner Trail Guidebook

Introduction to Canoe Camping - January 18, 2026

I was glad to be one of the presenters at the NH/AMC’s Introduction to Canoe Camping. The session was focused on paddlers interested in moving into wilderness tripping. Presentations included Trip Planning and Organization (Jonathan), Necessary Skills (Bob), Boats and Paddling Gear (me), Camping Gear (Deb), and Food and Cooking (Cathy). In addition, several presenters did presentations on their favorite trips (I did the Connecticut River), and there was a Show and Tell table where folks could see and ask questions about gear. It was a great session, and very well received.

Providence - January 10, 2026

After a long cold spell, the forecast was for warming temperatures this weekend. I decided to take my kayak to the Providence River and paddle from Bold Point up to the Cove at the Providence Place Mall. I was in the boat on the water when I realized that I forgot my camera in the car, so this is the only picture that I got.

The camping trip that wasn't to be - January 3, 2026

How many days with temps in the teens does it take to freeze a river? Based on this weekend’s experience, the answer is three.

For the past couple of years (2023, 2024), we have been doing a winter overnight trip at the Burlingame Canoe Campsites. It’s been a lot of fun, and this year we had nine joining in, with one coming from as far away as NY.

In past years, the temperatures have mild (days in the 30’s to 40's, nights in the 20’s to 30's), but this year we were having a cold snap. Day time highs were in the 20's, and night time lows were in the teens. Average temperatures had been in the 20’s for a couple of weeks, which is unusual for RI. We did ask JD to check the river for ice on Wednesday, and he reported that the put in was ice-free. It's tough to see much else from the river bank.

When we arrived at Bradford Landing on Saturday morning the put in was open, but it was solid ice down to the Bradford Dam. There was an open channel upstream so we loaded our boats and headed out. We didn’t get far. We paddled upstream a couple of hundred yards and found the river frozen solid – a good half-inch of ice for as far as you could see. No way we were getting through that.

We paddled back to the put in to try to figure out our options. Was there a different section of the river that wouldn’t be iced-in - nope. Was there a campground or picnic area nearby that wasn’t closed for the season – nope. Unfortunately, we were out of luck. Best we could do was a picture at Alton Landing and lunch at a nearby restaurant – Cornerstone Pub in Exeter.

Paddling in southern New England I get spoiled. Lakes freeze, but rivers with even a little current usually stay open all winter. Not this year, or at least this week. Temps are forecast to be back in the 40's next week...

The crew at Alton Landing

Getting skunked earned me a new poem from Tom.

From a Burlingame to a curling game,

canoes might glide on ice,

but getting swept away

paddles not brooms in play,

pack-it-in's the hully roller's advice.

(On the rocks at the Cornerstone plays nice)

TW

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2025 Year End Review

Wood/Pawcatuck

Family obligations resulted in my paddling year getting off to a slow start in 2025. I did a solo trip in January on the Blackstone - Manville to Albion, and a group trip with Bill, Chuck and Jeff in February on the Wood/Pawcatuck - Alton to Bradford.  

Things started picking up again in March - especially for whitewater. Over the year, I got out on a lot of whitewater favorites including the Branch, Upper Millers, Scantic, Sugar, Knightville, Otter Brook, Crystal, Tville (1, 2), Fife Brook (1, 2, 3), the Dead and the Piscat. I also joined the Millbrook club with the purchase of a new (to me) Milbrook Outrage. 

Scantic Spring Splash

While it was great to spend so much time in my whitewater boats, it didn’t leave a lot of time for flatwater or sea kayak trips. I did lead joint flatwater/sea kayak trips on Point Judith Pond and the Narrow River. I also led a Blackstone Valley Paddle Club trip in Providence, a flatwater trip on the Charles, and helped with the RICKA Flatwater Training.

I did 45 trips including 16 flatwater, 14 whitewater, 12 sea kayak and 3 camping. My 11-year average is 53 trips/year, but with the slow start in January and February and a slow finish in December due to bursitis in my knee, I was well below that average this year. I was out 10 nights camping compared to 2 last year. I had one swim in Lower Poplar on the Dead compared to 4 swims last year. 

Narrow River

Here are some of my more significant trips:

• January - Blackstone – Manville to Albion
• February - Wood/Pawcatuck – Alton to Bradford
• March - Branch, Upper Millers, Scantic – Spring Splash
• April - Sugar, Westfield – Knightville, Blackstone – Plummer Landing
• May - Otter Brook, Upper Pawtuxet, Baskehegan
• June - Quinebaug – Danielson to Canterbury, Farmington – Crystal, Farmington – Tville, Deerfield – Fife Brook
• July - Charles – Medfield to Natick, Stump Pond Flatwater Training, Pawcatuck River Overnight, Blackstone – Cold Spring Park, Point Judith Pond
• August - Providence, Dead, Slatersville with BVPC, Deerfield – Fife Brook, Slatersville with AMC
• September - Allagash, Blackstone – River Bend Farm, Deerfield – Fife Brook
• October - Narrow River, Blackstone Gorge, Piscataquog
• November - Tville
• December - Santa Paddle at Wickford, Providence River - Sabin Point

Here is the video of some of my favorite trips of 2025.

I did get my sea kayak out almost every day of my summer vacation on Great Island including the RICKA trip on Point Judith Pond.

I didn’t do much hiking – just Noon Hill and Borderland State Park with Papa Joe. 

I did get out on three camping trips – the Baskehegan, Bastille Day on the Pawcatuck, and the Allagash.

I was also a presenter at the Introduction to Canoe Camping training held by the NHAMC, and the Introduction to Canoe/Kayak Camping training held by RICKA.

Allagash Wilderness Waterway

In terms of resolutions for 2025, I did OK. I did get out in my sea kayak, but always in protected waters. I didn’t get out into any open-water or exposed conditions. I did do more camping including the spring trip on the on the Baskahegan and the fall trip on the Allagash. I also did a lot of whitewater paddling, purchased my new Millbrook, and got back to the Dead for the first time since COVID. It was a blast.

In terms of resolutions for 2026, they are just like 2025.

• Keep practicing with my sea kayak – I need to get out on more level 3 trips.
• Do more camping – I’d like to do the St. John, the St. Croix and the Maine Island Trail in my kayak this year.
• Keep paddling whitewater - as long as my knees hold up.
• Get back to the Dead – always a great trip, but maybe only 1800 this time.
• Practice rolling – I’ll keep including it until I do it – maybe in the sea kayak.

There are still plenty of rivers to paddle, plenty of trails to hike, and plenty of places to go camping in 2026 - looking forward to it. Happy New Year everyone.

Paddle Map for 2025

Here is my year-end paddle map for 2025 - yellow is sea kayak (12), light blue is flatwater 16), dark blue is whitewater (14), red is hiking (2) and green is camping (3).

I didn’t make it to VT this year, but I did get up to ME to run the Dead, and for two camping trips. It is good to see all the whitewater trips in NH, western MA and CT. Most of my flatwater and sea kayaking was local in MA and RI.  Time to start a new year!

Providence River/Pomham Rocks Light - December 13, 2025

A couple of weeks ago I took a ride down to Sabin Point Park in Riverside to paddle out to the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. It ended up being a wasted trip since I brought pieces from two different paddles that didn't fit together. I decided to give it another try today.

Sabin Point is a 4-acre park juts out into the Providence River at end of Shore Road in Riverside just across from Pawtuxet Village. The Providence River is almost a mile wide here so wind, waves, tidal currents, and large boat traffic are common. There was a strong wind from the south as I launched from the boat ramp and headed north along the shore toward the Ponham Rocks Lighthouse.

Pomham Rocks Light (aka Pomham Lighthouse) was built in 1871 and is one of a several lighthouses that uses the same plan by award-winning architect Albert Dow. A nearly identical lighthouse stands on Rose Island in Newport. I paddled out into the wind and small chop toward the lighthouse to take some pictures. Unfortunately, my camera lens got fogged, and I had no way to clean it. This is the only picture that I got.

Pomham Rocks Light