Mount Norwottuck Five and a half years ago, my friend Ted led me on a hike up Norwottuck, a small mountain in Massachusetts’s Holyoke Range. I had climbed Norwottuck many […]
Good Friends Save The Day
The North River at Couch Beach. Our canoe trip on the North River began smoothly enough: it was a sunny, unseasonably warm October day, with fall foliage at its peak. […]
Musings of a Creek Paddler
It’s early October, a Sunday morning, and I am paddling my kayak in a narrow creek near the mouth of the North River. The tide is high, buoying me up […]
Thoughts from Fourth Cliff
The view from Fourth Cliff. It’s 7:30 AM, and I am standing on a second floor balcony at the top of Humarock’s Fourth Cliff. The beach is a hundred foot […]
Looking Down at the Stars
Imagine this. You are outdoors on a late summer night, well past twelve. For the first time all season, the breeze is crisp, offering the first indication of autumn’s steady […]
Her Life’s Work
A young woman kneels by the riverbank, brush in hand, putting the finishing touches on a small wooden boat. She has been working on this project for years, spending time […]
The River Girl
Looking downstream from the rope swing tree at Fox Hill Shipyard in Norwell. I spent ten days this July house-sitting in Norwell, not far from the North River. The house […]
A Shift in Perspective
The North River mouth, as viewed from above. In Walden, Thoreau asked “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” […]
Some Thoughts on Summer Safety
The South River canoe/kayak launch at the Francis Keville Bridge in Marshfield. As a kayaker, I’m feeling heavy-hearted these days. First I got word that an acquaintance from college had […]
River Time, River Magic, River Illusion
Summer on the North River at Couch Beach. It’s my favorite time of year on the river. The salt marsh is fully green. The grass has grown long enough that, […]