Pawcatuck Part 2

 A couple trips back, I did some exploring on the Pawcatuck River in western Rhode Island. Today, I returned to the Bradford put-in to go farther up the river.  

The day is calm, in the mid 60's and mostly overcast.  It's basically ideal for canoeing.  No one else is at the launch.  I set out upstream, pass a few houses, go under a railroad bridge, and after that it is just forest and marsh up to Burdickville.  This is not just a river running through a strip of forest.  There are fairly expansive forests and marshes on either side of the river with no road access and little, if any, trail access.  I spot two Green Herons and about a half dozen Great Blue Herons. A squirrel swims across the river.  

Squirrel

 

The special sighting is an Owl.  Owls are stealth fliers with soft feather that don't make any noise when they fly.  I only saw it because it flew across the river right in front of me. It perches at the top of a tall snag and I manage to get a couple of photos.  It's a Great Horned Owl.

Great Horned Owl

Oak trees (mostly red oaks, I think) seem to be the most common along the river.  There are groves of pitch pines here and there, and after awhile I start to connect the pines with sandy areas.  Some of the sand banks are 20-30 ft high.  The sand was deposited during the last ice age.  There are some sand quarries in the area.

At Burdickville, I meet three trout fishermen.  They say that the fishing is good.  There is an old mill dam here.  The dam has been breached, but still has to be portaged on river-left.  The portage is an awkward 30 foot stumble up out of an old mill channel.  

There is more current above Burdickville - 2:1 most of the time, with some stretches of slower water.  I pass the mouth of the Wood River.  The Pawcatuck is about half as big from now on.  There is also a lot more dead wood weave around and more current.  Even so, there is only one bank to bank jam, which makes up for it by being a real Jungle Gym to get through.  

Landmarks are few on the river.  2-1/2 hours out, I've only passed two railroad bridges, one road bridge, and one power line.  I finally pass another road bridge.  I continue on another half hour, until the current starts to become a bit more onerous and the amount dead wood in the water is a real nuisance.  I can hear road traffic, so I figure myself to be nearing the Jay Cronen access.  (I check the map when I get out - about a half mile short of Jay Cronen, and the road is paralleling the river about 1/4 mile off through the forest).

The Great Horned Owl, again

It's a good paddle back down, weaving through the deadfalls with a moderate current.  The Jungle Gym is easier in this direction. The awkward portage at the dam is also easier in this direction. The Great Horned Owl flies across the river again, pretty much in the same spot.  I see a third Green Heron and run my total of Great Blue Herons up to about fifteen.  It winds up a 6 hour paddle.