Floodwaters

We had a storm come through a few days ago. At our house it was a normal storm - winds near 30mph, gusting to the high 40's. It rained all day, but never too hard. It seemed to effect people more who lived inland. It was a big system that covered much of New England. They all got the same wind and instead of a foot or two of snow, they got rain. In fact, the temperature here was 60F during it all. Many of the rivers are running high, but the Connecticut River is outdoing itself. The Hartford gauge is normally about 5 feet at this time of year. Today, it is at 21.5 feet. When this happens, the Connecticut really gets moving, and most of the available put-ins get flooded out.

I put in at on the Mattabesset River at my usual spot. The typical 50 yard portage is cut to half of that, and the ten foot drop to the river is cut even more. 

I head upstream. Upriver travel from here is dependent on the water level. Low water creates some fast water sections that can only be passed by wading. If one can get past that, there are some tricky logjams with quick water that are always a dubious venture. But, during flooding, all that stuff gets washed out. The portage at the old trestle disappears, the fast water under the big bridge goes slack, and the logjam barely shows above water. 

Beaver

As soon as I can, I leave the main channel and paddle through the forest. The depth is at least six feet. I am up in the lower branches of the trees. I even manage to branch whip myself in the cheek. I forgot how much that stings on a cold day. A pattern of concentric waves pulls my attention to the bank. Something has slipped off into the water. I pull up and in short order, the block head of a beaver surfaces. At this water level, every beaver lodge and bank burrow in this river is flooded out. Tough time for them, although any predator is going to get pretty wet getting out here.  

The old trestle

The water is so high that I can touch the bottom of the old trestle. Normally, I'd have to reach up with a paddle to touch it. A quick zig and zag gets me past the logjam. There is a light current at this point as the river is in its banks up here. I pass my former high point, which is an old dam (that should be removed). Another 500 yards brings me to a 50 yard section of fast water that I would have to line the canoe past, and I just don't feel like wrestling with the river bank brush to pull that off. I turn back.

Back below the trestle, I spot the neighborhood outrigger canoe guy sawing on a branch. I'm not sure what the purpose of that is, as that branch is going to be 10 or 12 feet in the air pretty soon, and I don't think it is even over the river. I don't ask.

After the next bridge, I cut out into the woods again and just keep going. I spot an owl flying away from me. It makes no noise, a trademark of owls - they have soft feathers so that they can fly in on prey without being heard. I have spotted several woodpeckers today although ost were too far off to be identified. But, I had one Pileated and one Downy for sure. Also, a Great Blue Heron and a dozen Mallards.

View from the cattails

I really don't know where I am until I can see highway 9. It's a bit of surprise - I've cut off a few meanders by going through the trees. A couple of times today, I've paddled across the main channel without recognizing it. 

Bird nest

Then, I know where I am. I'm in the middle of a cattail marsh where I would not be able to get to without walking. It looks like a small lake today. I head down a ways and come back up through what is another cattail marsh. I find a tiny bird nest. It's outside diameter is 3 fingers. It is very solidly built and cup shaped. It might be a hummingbird nest, and if not, it's for a bird that isn't much bigger.

I head back up through more forest, find the main channel, find my way back.