West Branch of the Penobscot/Lobster Lake - May 19-24, 2026

Checking in at Telos Checkpoint

Back in March, Jonathan and I started planning our spring camping trip. We decided on a Maine classic – the West Branch of the Penobscot and Lobster Lake. Unfortunately, Jonathan had to bow out due to family obligations, but Bill, Aaron, Matt and I had a great time on the trip. I paddled tandem with Bill in my Spirit II.

The Penobscot River drains much of vast wilderness area in north central Maine known as the North Maine Woods. With is four branches (North, South, East and West), the Penobscot is the second largest river system in Maine (behind the St. John) and the longest entirely in the state. The North Branch and South Branch converge to form the West Branch at Seeboomic Lake. The West Branch and East Branch converge in Medway to form the main stem of the Penobscot

Paddling down Lobster Stream

The classic canoe camping trip on the West Branch of the Penobscot is to put in below Roll Dam and paddle about 7-miles to Lobster Lake. After a night or two on Lobster Lake, paddle 15-miles to Chesuncook Lake, and then 19-miles down the lake enjoying the great views of Mount Katahdin to the east.

We didn't do anything that ambitious. We put in at Lobster Stream and took out at Umbazooksus West on the northeast corner of Chesuncook Lake - 5 days, 4 nights with a stop at Lobster Lake.

Sandy beach at Ogden Point Campsite

We met on Tuesday night at Matt’s house on Cousin’s Island in Yarmouth, ME. Matt treated us to a great chili dinner, and we enjoyed the great views of Casco Bay until it was time for bed.

We were up early on Wednesday for the drive to Northwoods Outfitters in Greenville, who would be providing our shuttle. We had our boats and gear loaded on the shuttle van by 9:00, and we were on our way. It was a 3-hour drive to Lobster Stream on dusty dirt logging roads. After unloading our gear and a quick break for lunch we were on our way down Lobster Stream to our first campsite - Ogden Cove on Lobster Lake.

Paddling down the Penobscot River

As its name suggests, Lobster Lake shaped like a giant lobster claw. It is known for its white sand beaches and mountain views. The wind was out of the northwest as we began our crossing from Lobster Stream toward Ogden Point, giving us a tricky tail wind. Everyone arrived fine, and we begin setting up camp and gathering fire wood.

The winds continued to pick up over the afternoon, with significant gusts in the late afternoon and early evening. We found whatever shelter we could, and had to rebuild the firepit with a larger wind screen in the back before lighting a fire. We cooked dinner, enjoyed a beautiful sunset and sat around the fire until around 10:00 when we called it a night. Total paddling for day 1 – about 3-miles.

Pine Steam Campsite

The winds were still blowing when we got up on Thursday. The original plan was to take a lay-over day to explore Lobster Lake, and perhaps hike up Lobster Mountain, but we were concerned about the afternoon wind. Instead, we decided to head back to the river where the wind would be more manageable. With the decision made, we packed up camp and were crossing back over Lobster Lake into a strong headwind by 9:00.

Once again, everyone crossed with no problem. We took a quick break at the Lobster Stream put-in before continuing down the Penobscot River. Our objective was to get to the campsite at Pine Stream, which is one of the most popular on the river. We passed numerous empty sites along the way, and we were surprised that there weren’t more people on the river on the lead-up to Memorial Day weekend.

Paddling Pine Stream

The river is mostly flatwater, with the exception of some easy rapids along Big Island. Unfortunately, Bill and I ran up on a rock and dumped into the river. I was able to grab the boat, get it turned over (good thing everything was strapped in), and wade it over to shore. Bill had a little rougher time on the slippery rocks, but he eventually got to shore and into some dry cloths.

We were back on our way, and made it to Pine Stream at around 3:00. We set up camp, gathered wood, prepared diner, and enjoyed another amazing sunset. After the long paddle, much of it against the wind, I was in bed early – around 9:00. Total paddling for day 2 – around 18-miles.

Gero Island 1 Campsite

Friday was a lay-over day, so we slept late and enjoyed a nice breakfast with sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches. We took it easy napping (Matt and Bill), reading (me) and painting (Aaron) until around 2:00 when we headed out to paddle Pine Stream, a slow moving tributary of the West Branch. It started off as woodlands, and eventually became a large marshland. After about 5-miles we decided to turn around and head back to the campsite.

Back in camp we cooked dinner and apple crisp for dessert in the reflector oven. We enjoyed and other great sunset before heading off to bed. Total paddling for day 3 - around 10-miles.

View of Mount Katahdin

The wind was calm when we got up on Saturday. We prepared breakfast and headed off for the short trip to Chesuncook Lake. When we arrived at Chesuncook, the lake was calm and we crossed over to campsite 1 on Gero Island. We set up camp, had lunch and did a second afternoon paddle to a pretty cove on the northeast corner of Chesuncook with great views of Mount Katahdin. Back in camp we cooked dinner, and Matt baked orange-cranberry scones for dessert in the reflector oven. We enjoyed and other great sunset before heading off to bed. Total paddling for day 4 - around 10-miles.

We got up early on Sunday for the short trip to Umbazooksus West to meet the shuttle. We arrived around 10:00, and the shuttle arrived around 10:30. We were back in Greenville at around 2:00 and got on the road after a quick lunch. Total paddling for day 5 – about 5-miles. No rain on the trip, but it poured on the way home – that’s the way it should be.

The crew at the take-out - Aaron, Bill, Erik and Matt

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River Description from Katahdin Outfitters

River Description from Canoe the Wild
Old Map of the Penobscot River Corridor

New Map of the Penobscot River Corridor

Northwoods Outfitters

Charles River - Bays Region with RICKA - May 15, 2026

Heading out

Today I led a flatwater trip for RICKA on the Bay’s Region of the Charles River. It was a small group - just five of us. We had three kayaks, and I paddled tandem with Jonathan in the Spirit II.

The Charles River arises at Echo Lake in Hopkinton, and flows generally east for 85-miles, zig-zagging through 22 cities and towns in eastern MA before emptying into Boston Harbor. There are a lots of great flatwater trips on the Charles including the Lakes District in Newton, the Dedham Loop, and my favorite section from Medfield to Natick. Today we would be paddling the Bay’s Region from Needham to Wellesley.

Jonathan in the bow

We met at 10:00 to launch our boats at the Charles River Peninsula (87 Fisher Street, Needham, MA). This section of the river is relatively undeveloped except for some large houses as the river flows through Dover/Sherborn. The river starts off as marshland, and then turns to woodlands as you get above the Dover Street Bridge.

There were lots of turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, and an eagle circled overhead and perched in a nearby tree. After a break for lunch at the Elm Bank Reservation (900 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA) we headed back downstream. Total trip was 11-miles.

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North Branch of the Pawtuxet with the BVPC – May 12, 2026

Heading out from the put-in

I paddled tandem with Cheryl at the traditional Blackstone Valley Paddle Club season opener with the Southern New England Paddlers on the North Branch of the Pawtuxet. Even with the recent rain, the river was shallow in spots. There is no gage on this section of the river, but the gage downstream at Fiskeville was at 0.5-feet, 63 cfs.

The North Branch of the Pawtuxet River, also known as the Upper Pawtuxet, originally arose at the confluence of the Ponaganset and Moswansicut Rivers in what is now the Scituate Reservoir. Today, the river emerges from the bottom of the massive Scituate Reservoir Dam and flows south for approximately 9-miles to West Warwick where it joins the South Branch of the Pawtuxet River to form the main stem of the Pawtuxet River.

Me and Cheryl in my Spirit II

The main stem then flows east for approximately 12-miles to empty into Narragansett Bay at the Pawtuxet Cove. Collectively, all three branches played an important role in the development of the textile industry in Rhode Island, and numerous dams still block their course.

We put-in at the Pawtuxet River Boat Launch above the Hope Furnace Dam (15 Hope Furnace Road in Scituate). We had 17 paddlers and 3 canoes for the 2-mile paddle upstream to the base of the massive earthen dam that creates Scituate Reservoir. The first part of the paddle took us through the winding marshland created by backwater from the Hope Dam. Eventually the river narrowed and we followed its tree-lined course with strainers and tricky currents up to the Scituate Reservoir Dam.

From the bottom of the dam

The Scituate Reservoir was formed by the construction of this large earthen dam in 1925. The Scituate Reservoir is now the largest artificial body of water in the state and provides water to more than 60-percent of the state’s population.

With last weekend’s rain, there was water flowing down the spillway from the top of the dam. There were trees down in the channel, but we still paddled up the short section from the spillway up to the dam. From there, it was a quick trip back down to the put-in.

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Fiskeville Gage
Hope Landing from Rhode Island Blueways

Charles River - Scouting the Bays Region – May 12, 2026

I did the first weekday paddle of my retirement yesterday at Redwing Bay on the Charles River. I’ll be leading a RICKA trip there on Saturday, so I went to scout it out. Great day for a paddle, but I needed to cut it short to get home for supper before the opening BVPC trip on the North Branch of the Pawtuxet.

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Coleman Camp Oven

Biscuits ready to go in the oven

I’ve been looking for a light-weight alternative to my Dutch oven. I have a reflector oven that works great when you have a big fire, but I also wanted to try a Coleman Camp Oven that sits on a stove.

Like the reflector oven, the Coleman Camp Oven is an aluminum box that folds flat for easy storage. Unlike a reflector oven that uses heat reflected from an open fire, the camp oven sits on a camp stove burner and uses convection (heat circulating in the box) and radiant heat (absorbed by the box and radiated back) to cook/bake food much like a conventional oven.

Cornbread coming out of the oven

Unfolding the oven is as easy as opening a box. It has built in latches that you use to attach the top, bottom and sides together. It comes with a steel baking rack that can be set at three different heights.

There is a thermometer on the door that you can use to track the oven temperature. Many people say the door thermometer is inaccurate and rely on an oven thermometer or heat probe instead. When I used mine, the door thermometer seemed fine.

Bakewell Cream Biscuits

Because the oven is single-skinned, it can lose a lot of heat to the surrounding air - especially in cold weather. To combat this you can seal any openings with fire resistant aluminum tape, cover the top with aluminum foil, or wrap the outside with a fire resistant cover to trap the heat.

Another issue with the thin metal skin is that heat radiates unevenly inside the stove. Some users place a heat sink (bricks, pizza stone, cast iron press) in the bottom of the stove to better radiate heat. Lugging around something to serve as a heat sink does eliminate one of the great benefits of the oven – its relatively light weight.

Jiffy cornbread

The oven is designed to sit on a two burner Coleman stove, but any stove that will support its 12” x 12” base will work fine. I used a single burner Coleman Powerpack and it worked great. It was able to maintain consistant temperature even with a low flame. Backpacking stoves are too small to support the oven.

When cooking outside you need to provide a wind screen to provide protection from the wind. Cold temperatures will also increase heat loss from the oven and reduce the efficiency of propane stoves. The manual recommends using 8” round or square pans to allow for good air circulation inside the stove.

Yeasted dinner rolls

I gave my oven a try with biscuits (Bakewell Cream of course), cornbread (Jiffy mix from the box) and yeasted dinner rolls. All three were baked in an 8” round pan with the rack in the middle. The thermometer seemed accurate. I started the biscuits at 450, and turned them down to 325-350 after 5-minutes. I baked the cornbread and dinner rolls at around 325-350. I didn’t really track time. When the sides started to brown I took them out to avoid burning the bottom. They all baked fine but didn’t brown on the top – even the dinner rolls that I topped with butter before baking.

Overall, it is a nice little oven. It will be a nice addition when I already have a large stove along, or when fires aren't allowed. It works great to keep things warm, to cook casseroles, to roast meats, or to bake biscuits, cookies, breads or cakes. Not sure it will replace my Dutch oven though.

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Coleman Camp Oven

Pemi - Woodstock to Thornton - May 2, 2026

Pemigewasset River Iron Bridge

It rained on the way up, and it rained on the way back, but in between we had a pretty good run on the Pemi from Woodstock to Thornton.

The Pemigewasset River, also known as the “Pemi”, arises at Profile Lake at the base of Cannon Mountain in the Franconia Notch. It flows south for 65-miles to Franklin where it joins the Winnipesaukee River to form the Merrimack River.

Mist is the hills

There are a couple of other sections of the Pemi that I have paddled including the quickwater section from Thornton to Campton and the whitewater section in Bristol. The class II section in Woodstock is one of my favorites. It is a 4.5-mile trip that alternates between quickwater and class I/II rapids. This time we extended it by another 5-miles and went down to Robin’s Nest Road in Thonton.

We met at 9:30 at the put-in behind the North Woodstock Fire Station at the Woodstock Family Park and ran the shuttle down to the take-out at Robin’s Next Road. We had 8 boats, all canoes – 4 tandem and 4 solo. The river was a little low – 3.5-feet, 450 cfs. but surprisingly fluid, although we skipped the bid drop at the put in.

Running the Ledges

This section of the river alternates between quickwater and class I/II rapids. There is the Woodstock Squeeze - the river narrows and takes a hard left turn at a large rock wall, the Powerline Rapid - a long s-turn, Tree Fall Alley – a fast moving shoot which is often full of strainers, and Gravel Pit Bypass – a fast moving shoot which terminates at another rock wall.

The largest rapid is the Ledges. Usually there are lots of lines through this series of drops, but at this level the line on the right was best. Everyone made it through fine, and we continued down to the take out at Robin’s Nest Road.

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Pemi Woodstock Gage

Big River - April 25, 2026

Zeke's Bridge

I was supposed to teach at the NHAMC Canoe School this weekend, but they had more teachers that students, so they didn’t need me. Instead, I ended up paddling the Big River in Coventry.

The Big River arises in West Greenwich at the confluence of the Congdon and Nooseneck Rivers. From there, it flows north through West Greenwich and Coventry to its confluence with the Flat River in the area now flooded by the Flat River Reservoir to form the South Branch Pawtuxet River. Much of the river flows through the Big River Management Area.

Reynolds Pond

Big River is a relatively new state management area. In the 1960’s, land was condemned by the state and the owners evicted so that a large reservoir could be constructed on the site. The reservoir was never built and the area is now a 8,300-acre conservation area that includes more than 1,200-acres of wetlands.

We put in at the Zeke's Bridge Fishing Access off Harkney Hill Road (Route 118) in Coventry, which is located on Johnson Pond near the bridge. We paddled under the bridge and headed south into Reynolds Pond.

Up the Big River

Reynolds is a beautiful winding pond with a mix of white pines and cedar lining the shore. At the far end of Reynolds Pond we continued under I-95 and Route 3, and up the Big River.

The Big River meanders through a through a mix of white pines and cedar swamps. The level was up and it was tricky to maneuver through the twists and turns. We stopped for lunch at the campsite, and headed upstream a little further before heading back to the put in.

The crew at the campsite

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Pawcatuck River Overnight - April 18-19, 2026

Chuck running the Richmond Dam

There were a few different options for this weekend. I could have headed out to the Knightville section of the Westfield for the annual release, but my knee was still sore. I also could have joined Jonathan for his annual trip on the South Branch of the Pcat, but it seemed like it would be pretty low – poling level. Instead, I decided to do an overnight trip on the Pawcatuck.

Jim organized this trip for members of the Mid-Atlantic, New England, And Northeast Canoe Fanatics Facebook group. We would be putting in at John (Jay) Cronin River Access in Richmond, camping at the boot-leg site at the confluence of the Wood River, and taking out at Bradford. The river was at a nice level – 300 cfs, 3-feet on the Wood River Junction gage.

Home for the night

It was drizzling as I drove down I-95, but it had stopped by the time I reached the put-in. We had six boats camping and two doing the run from Richmond to Bradford on Saturday. The forecast for rain on Sunday may have scared-off a few folks. We unloaded our gear, ran the shuttle and then headed downstream.

Chuck started us off by running the dam at the put-in. Even with a loaded boat he made it look easy. From there down to the campsite the river is narrow and we had to maneuver around numerous blow-downs. Chuck, Jim and Aaron had scouted it out a few weeks ago and cleared out a few strainers, so we were able to paddle through without too much difficulty.

Cinnamon rolls for breakfast

We arrived at the at the boot-leg site at around noon. This is a pretty site with lots of pine trees. Unfortunately, there was a fire in the area several years ago. Between the fire damage and strong winds, there are not lots of trees down around the site. Not as pretty as it was, but very easy to find firewood.

We got to work unloading our gear and setting up camp. Chuck brought Dynamite for lunch – good stuff. Eventually we got the evening fire going and cooked supper. For me it was steak and home-fried potatoes. I also cooked apple crisp in the Dutch oven for dessert. I lasted around the fire until around 10:00, and then called it a night.

Heading out on Sunday morning

I finally rolled out of the tent at around 6:00 on Sunday. I got the coffee going and started cooking cinnamon rolls in the Dutch oven for breakfast. Jim was up shortly after and got the fire going, and Terry grilled up some brown bread. After a carb-heavy breakfast, we got to work breaking camp and loading the boats.

By 8:30, we were on our way downstream in a light drizzle. This section of the river is bigger with the increased flow from the Wood River. We all ran the broken dam at Burdickville on the right, and made it through fine. From there, it is an easy paddle down to Bradford.

The crew - Jim, Ken, Cjuck, Peter, Terry, Erik and JD

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Wood River Junction Gage

Plummers Landing to Route 122 – April 8, 2026

Heading downstream

I have some vacation time left, so I decided to take a day to practice being retired before I actually retire on May 1st. I met up with Bob, Dan and Rick to run the section of the Blackstone River from Plummers Landing, through River Bend Farm, and down to Route 122.

We met at 9:00 at Plummers Landing to run the shuttle. The river was at a nice level – 3.6 on the Northbridge gage. This section of the river is in a considerable state of flux with the river constantly eroding its banks and creating new channels. The river twists and turns, and it can be a challenge to maneuver around the s-turns and through the strainers. 

Goat Hill Lock

About a mile downstream from the put in, the river breached the old Blackstone Canal on the right, and much of the water now flows down the old canal trench. The canal is blocked with trees, so you need to stay left to remain in the river. 

Eventually, we entered the calm water of Rice City Pond and paddled over to check out the Goat Hill Lock from the old Blackstone Canal. The Blackstone Canal opened in 1828 and utilized a series of 49 locks to move the canal boats up and down the 450-foot difference in elevation from Providence to Worcester. This is one of only two remaining locks – the other is the Millville Lock just downstream of the Millville Rapid.

Broken Dam at Route 16

We stayed right on Rice City Pond and paddled down the flooded-out section of the old Blackstone Canal to the stone-arch bridge at Hartford Avenue. From there, we portaged over to the river to continue our run down to the Stanley Woolen Mill and Route 16.

Like the section below Plummers Landing, the section through River Bend Farm twists and turns around s-turns and through low-hanging trees. You need to be careful to avoid the fast moving water that pushes you into the strainers on the outside of turns.

First swim of the year

We continued downstream to run the broken dam at Route 16. In spite of a large strainer in the middle, there was an easy line to the left. As I was trying to shift from sitting to kneeling in the eddy on the left, I had my first swim of the year – over I went in the squirrelly water of the eddy.

Below Route 16 the river continues to twist and turn. There were a couple of river-wide strainers that Rick was able to paddle through, but I decided to portage. We pulled into the take out at the Skull Rock Lock Trail Head on Route 122 at around 2:00.

The crew - Bob, Erik, Rick and Dan

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Northbridge Gage

Branch River Icebreaker - March 21, 2026

Heading downstream

As a nod to all the years that RICKA ran the Branch River Race, we always try to run the Branch River on the traditional third weekend in March. We call it the "Branch River Icebreaker", but there hasn’t been any ice to break for the past few years.

The Branch River Race, later the Rhode Island Whitewater Championship, was established by RICKA in 1980. It was the first race of the year on calendar of the NECKRA Downriver Series. The race continued for 25 years, but was eventually discontinued due to the high cost of insurance and problems with river access.

Mike running Whipple Drop

RICKA has continued the tradition of running a spring trip on the Branch River race course. This year we had three boats with four paddlers - me, Chuck, Mike and Aaron. The river was at a nice level - 4-feet, 400 cfs. The day was mostly sunny and relatively warm - it felt like spring.

We met at the put-in below the Stillwater Mill at 10:00 to run the shuttle. Since the usual take out along Nasonville Road is now posted “No Trespassing”, we decided to take out at the state boat ramp on the Slatersville Reservoir.

Erik running Glendale

We put in and paddled up to the Harrisville Dam before heading downstream. The first half of this trip is actually on the Clear River. There were a couple of blow downs in this upper section, but nothing that we had to portage around.

We ran Whipple Drop down the center and continued to Oakland, where the Branch River is formed at the confluence of the Clear and Chepachet Rivers.

Weaving through the strainers

After a break for lunch at the Oakland Dam we headed down to Glendale. The Glendale Rapid was flowing well. We all took the line generally left of center. I went a little too far left and had to back paddle off the rocks near the shore.

From there it is a nice quickwater run down to the Atlas Pallet Rapid. There were a lot of strainers in this section including one that we had to portage, and one that we ran but probably should have portaged. Aaron lost his camera into the river twice, but was able to recover it both times.

Chuck and Aaron running Atlas Pallet

I ran the Atlas Pallet Rapid left of center and made it through fine. I sat in the big shore eddy and got some pictures of Chuck, Aaron and Mike running the right of center line. The surf wave at the bottom wasn’t very retentive, so we continued downstream.

We portaged the Nasonville Dam and bounced out way down the rest of the easy rapids to Victory Highway. From there it is mostly flatwater as we paddled into to the Slaterville Reservoir to the take out.

The crew at the Oakland Dam - Chuck, Mike, Erik (kneeling) and Aaron

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Aaron's Video

Branch River Gage

River Description form American Whitewater

Bigelow Brook – March 15, 2026

Heading out from the put in

With the recent rain and snow melt, Mike put a trip on the whitewater message board for Bigelow Brook. It would be rare chance to do a natural flow run on this very pretty Connecticut river. The last time Mike ran it was about 10-year’s ago.

Bigelow Brook arises at the Mashapaug Lake in Union and flows generally south/southeast through Bigelow Hollow State Park, Bigelow Pond and Myers Pond. It then forms the border between Ashford and Eastford before joining the Still River to form the Nachaug River. We would be running the section from Westford Road to the Natchaug State Forest.

Below the Route 44 Bridge

I met Mike and Aaron at the commuter lot at the intersection of Routes 44 and 198 in Eastford to run the shuttle. We put in at Westford Road and headed downstream. The river twists and turns through pretty woodlands lined with Hemlock trees and Mountain Laurel. It is mostly quickwater with some easy class I/II rapids – the largest being under the Route 44 Bridge. Dodging rocks and staying in the deepwater channel was the order of the day.

We continued downstream past the confluence with the Still River and on to the Natchaug River. We took out at the Natchaug State Forest – about a 6-mile trip. The gage on the Natchaug River above Diana’s Pool spiked at about 1,000-cfs last week, and was about 300-cfs today. There is no gage on Bigelow Brook itself.

Taking a break at the confluence

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Aaron's Video
Natchaug River - Marcy Road (Diana’s Pool) Gage

Assabet - Maynard - March 12, 2026

Surfing below the ben Smith Dam

Rain and warm weather brought all the rivers up this week. When Dan told me about a trip on the class II section of the Assabet through Maynard, I decided to take the day-off and join in.

The Assabet River arises in Westborough and flows approximately 34 miles west to converge with the Sudbury River at Egg Rock in Concord to form the Concord River. There’s lots of great flatwater paddling on the Assabet including the section from Gleasondale to the Ben Smith Dam, and from the PowdermIll Dam down to Egg Rock. The section through Maynard is an easy class II with a couple of rapids at the bridges, and some nice surf waves by the Ben Smith Dam and along Walnut Street near the mills.

Center arch of the Mill Street Bridge

In 1847, textile manufacturer Amory Maynard purchased land in what is now Maynard from a farmer named Ben Smith and built a dam to power his textile mills. Originally known as Assabet Village, this became the town of Maynard in 1871. Maynard’s downtown textile mills, now Clock Tower Place, were the home of Digital Equipment Corporation from the 1960’s to the 1990’s. Digital was a major computer company with 140,000 employees in 1987.

I met Dan, Ozy, Rick and Bob on Taft Avenue to run the shuttle. The river was at a nice level – 4-feet, 650 cfs on the Maynard gage. We played in the waves below the Ben Smith Dam before heading downstream. There are six bridges over the Assabet River as it flows through Maynard. The first is the double arch Great Road Bridge. Either side is runnable, but we went to the left. A pipe runs along the downstream end producing a surfwave that can be caught from the left side.

Above the Walnut Street Bridge

The next bridge is the triple arch Mill Street Bridge. We ran the center arch, cutting to the left after the bridge to avoid the rocks in the middle. After some easy riffles comes the Florida Road Bridge. The river then turns right along Walnut Street and the mills. If you can catch the small shore eddies, there are a couple of nice surfwaves before you reach the Main Street Bridge.

Downstream from the Main Street Bridge, the river turns left as it goes under the Walnut Street Bridge. There are a few more riffles and one more substantial rapid as you approach the Waltham Street, which we ran to the left. With my sore knee, I only did one run. The cortisone shot helped, but it still hurt to kneel.

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River Description from American Whitewater
Maynard Gage

Noon Hill - March 8, 2026

Foggy as we headed out

Temp’s are warming and the rivers are starting to ice out, but with my sore knee I decided to join Papa Joe for his hike at Noon Hill in Medfield, MA.

Noon Hill is a Trustees of Reservations property with a prominent summit and scenic vista surrounded by 204-acres of open space. It offers 4.5 miles of hiking trails and is part of a larger network of open space that includes the Shattuck Reservation along the Charles River. A system of trails spans the two properties, some of which are part of the Bay Circuit Trail.

Selfie with the crew

It was a foggy morning as we headed out from the parking lot at 158 Noon Hill Road in Medfield. We followed the yellow trial to the red trail to the top of Noon Hill. At 370-feet, Noon Hill rises gently above the surrounding landscape giving great views to the southeast of neighboring Walpole and Norfolk.

From there the followed the red trail back to the yellow trail as we looped back to the parking lot. Distance was only 3-miles, but with the partially frozen snow, the footing wasn't the best.

The crew at the summit of Noon Hill

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Noon Hill Reservation
Shattuck Reservation