Pickerel Weed Time

Yesterday was a catch-up-on-canoe-maintenance day, and I spent much of the day scrubbing and sanding the woodwork of my solo canoe. I've been using linseed oil on the wood for many years, and although it protects the wood, it also mildews and blackens the surface. A bit of sanding and scrubbing with a tough cleanser and it all began to look like wood once more. I changed my oil this time, so I won't have the mildew problem in the future.

And so, today was a perfect excuse for a test run to see if the canoe is faster. I put in at Pettipaug about an hour and a half after low tide, exited the North Cove through the usual gap in the bar, and headed upriver. I favored the west shore today. Although I prefer the other side, the main boat channel is also over there and this being a nice summer Friday, I really like having as much space as I can get between me and the motorboat drivers.

As I near the bottom of Brockway Island, I spot a pair of immature Bald Eagles along with a pair of Osprey over on the lightly wooded point on the west shore. From the top of the island, I returned back to the west shore and followed up until I was below Eustasia Island. With no motor traffic in sight, I crossed over to Selden Island. 

Sometimes, you see something out of context and don't see it for what it is. A piece of drift wood, no more than a canoe length ahead of me turns into an animal. By chance, I approached it from behind, heading in the same direction. It doesn't startle, or dive, or make any attempt to evade, until I pull into the passing lane. A tail slap puts the exclamation point on, beaver. I've never sneaked up so close on a beaver without being noticed, and that really threw me for a second. I have no doubt that it reversed course under water and is currently watching me paddle away.

I head and around the top of the island. A mature Bald Eagle flies over the top end pond, chased off by an Osprey. Then, it is a particularly pleasant paddle down the Selden Creek channel. The pickerel weed is blooming. It's a beautiful purple flower cluster. The flowers bloom from bottom to top over several days, each individual flower lasting about a day. Bees love the stuff.

Pickerel weed, and a bee

The paddle back in the main river is as I came. The only difference is a cooling head wind that is unfortunately complicated by choppy water conditions. There aren't a lot of motorboats out today, but it is enough. The river surface is all dead boat wakes. It is a nonrhythmic jumble of peaks that just bogs the paddling down to something laborious. It never ceases to amaze me how long it takes for that wave energy to dissipate.