Wood River

Wood River.... 

I start at Alton Pond.  The last half mile of the Wood River is behind a dam just 20 yards away.  It joins the Pawcatuck down that way. It is a perfect day right now, but it will become a bit too warm for my liking this afternoon, so I got moving just after 9:00. I'm going upstream.

The Wood River breaks up into three sections that each can be paddled out-n-back, or I should say, most of each section can be paddled.  All three sections get faster and shallower as one nears the upper reaches, to the point where one has to wade some. But by that time, you'd find that you already had a good trip. The length can be paddled downstream in a day as well.  This section is the longest of the three.

I follow the weed-free and serpentine channel up through Alton Pond. It takes just a few minutes to get into the river proper. The pond weeds give way and the plant life is dominated by native plants.  Pickerel Weed is in bloom as are the Pond Lilies and many marsh shrubs.  One of the best reasons to paddle this river is that the plant life is so rich.  A half dozen Osprey are in the area near the pond.

Pickerel Weed

After leaving the pond, the river meanders through swamp and marsh.

About 45 minutes up is the portage around an old dam at Woodville.  It's about 150 yards from a rough spot on river-left, across a bridge, and back in on river-right. After a short bit of pond, the river narrows and begins twisting.  I spot a large snapping turtle hauled out on deadfall and manage a photo before it slips into the depths.  This upper section is narrower than below and also has a good amount of dead wood in the water, so it is a busy bit of paddling. There is less open marsh and much more forest or swamp, so it is shady.  Today, the water level is down, although not desperately so.  There is more maneuvering around deadfalls than normal and several shallow areas.  I only have to wade once, just two canoe lengths at that.  

I come across a raccoon swimming in the river.

Somewhere before, but pretty close to the fishing access areas, the river gets too shallow to bother with. As I said at the beginning, by the time you get to mandatory wading, you've already has a good trip.  

I turn back with a light current at my back.  I find the snapping turtle hauled out on the deadfall where I first saw it, and it slips into the deep to let me pass. 

It is definitely getting warm as I near the pond.  It is a good time to finish for the day.