The Assabet river is a beautiful New England river - from
AssebetRiver.org
Like much of the landscape in New England, the current path of
the Assabet River traces back to the receding glaciers 15,000 years
ago. Large glacial lakes now form watersheds in which today tens of
thousands of people share space with the rivers, forests, and
hills.
The river has had many names over the centuries. The name
"Assabet" comes through the filter of time from the (spoken)
Algonquin word for "the place where materials for making fish nets
comes from"....
Starting in Westborough, the river falls 320 feet through the
towns of Northborough, Marlborough, Berlin, Hudson, Stow, Maynard,
Acton, and finally Concord where it merges with the Sudbury River
at Egg Rock to form the Concord River.
The energy in that 300 feet has been tapped or moderated along
the Assabet's length by nine dams (of which two are for flood
control). These dams not only changed the character of the river,
but the nature of human habitation along its banks. Farms gave way
to manufacturing plants, towns sprouted up, and the Assabet River
becomes an engine of commerce in the 18th and 19th centuries. I
placed this cache by kayak. My recommended get-in is at Ice
House Landing in Maynard. You can also walk to the cache by
using the trails in Gardner Hill/Stow
Town Forest.
The total walking distance will be around 1.5-2 miles depending
on the trails you take. Bikes are welcome in the forest, and there
are several trails that have clearly been made with bikers in mind.
If you do walk in, take the time to sit next to Assabet Brook.
When I placed the cache (mid-May), I saw Blue Herons, Red Winged
Blackbirds, Painted Turtles, and lots of other wildlife. If you're
lucky, you may also see microlights landing at the grass runway on
the opposite bank. The final section of the trail is pretty tough,
and there is abundant water around - be prepared for this, and
watch out for younger members. I hope that you find the location as
serene as I did. Please remember to do your CITO duty.