Quinebaug

My first trip to the Quinebaug was earlier this summer and it was time for a second visit.  Visiting a river is one thing, knowing it quite another, and it will take a lot more than 2 trips to know this one.

S joined me today. My records showed her to be overdue for a canoe trip. We put in at the Corps of Engineers ramp at the bottom of Long Lake. From there, it is a short paddle over to a tunnel that takes us under the highway and into Brimfield Lake. Then it is a half mile over to the mouth of the river. Long Lake is clear, but Brimfield is quite weedy. When I was here in June, there were no obvious weeds other than pond shield (I'm not sure what it is, but the leaf reminds me of pond shield) and pond lilies. 

The river also has a pretty good growth of weeds. Mostly it is the pond shield growth. It doesn't slow the canoe down and there is usually a clear open water path. Autumn is starting to show on the bordering shrubs and marsh plants with leaves hinting at tans and golds. The other difference that I notice is the large number of game trails leading to the water. I notice more beaver activity this time. I'm sure they were here in June, but this time I notice. We pass two broken dams, and then turning a bend not much higher, we find a new 2 foot high dam. It is new enough that a lot of the branches it is built from still have green leaves. It is an awkward crossing. I perch S on a small patch of firm ground at the end of the dam and then pull the canoe over. The dam is still quite narrow, probably because it is new and hasn't been reinforced too many times. 

We continue on up to Holland Pond, which is the end of any water big enough for a canoe. We've seen no one other than a woman with two toddlers on a patch of beach at the pond. After a short break, we turn and head back. 

We try to run the beaver dam, making it about halfway over, but with a quick step out and push from myself, we're on our way.