A Calm and Rainy Day

I set out on Pond Brook for a trip up to the Shephaug cascades and back. There is a thick overcast, the air is humid and it is calm. It is a rare calm and a silence that is rare without being out a long way from the man-made. I become aware of the little noise that my paddling makes and take the care to make as little disturbance as possible. I slip the tip of the paddle into the water and ease up just a little on the power to avoid the swirling eddies that come off the edges of the paddle. 

There are few people out today. I spot from a distance a couple of paddle boarders, who are probably just far enough from their put-in that they are wishing they had somewhere to sit.

After rounding the point and starting up the Shephaug, it begins to sprinkle. It will sprinkle or, briefly, rain for most of the trip. But it stays calm. Not only does rain filter out distant sounds, but it also filters out other boaters. This reservoir has numerous fancy water ski boats and the conditions could not be better for water skiing. I come to the conclusion that no one is water skiing during on this rainy day because they don't want to get wet.

I pass 3 kayakers and a single fishing boat before getting to the cascades. The water is low and the river-right channel is all rocks. Earlier in the spring, there would be a good flow coming through, but only the left channel is running today.

The Shepaug Cacades