Paddling into Summer
After an unusually cool and rainy spring, we took advantage of a Sunday afternoon in April to rent a two-person kayak at Newton Paddle Boston in the historic Norumbega boat house. The staff provided us with paddles and life jackets and went over a few basics. We took a map of that section of the Charles and paddled in the direction of the Waltham dam.
This brought us into a wider section of the river called the “Lakes District” that was created in 1817 when the river spread across a pasture after the previous dam was raised to power the Boston Manufacturing textile mills in the early 1800s.
We quietly floated near several homes and picnic areas among the trees on the shore and paddled along a couple of small islands or into an occasional cove. One of these islands was noteworthy because we were surprised by lifelike wooden statues of animals, including a deer, and that of a Native American.
This was pleasant, peaceful paddling, requiring little effort as we rowed with a light current on a quiet afternoon. We had started later than we had planned, and the skies were darkening when we reached the two-mile mark, so we rowed back to the boathouse where strong-limbed staff members helped us climb back onto the dock. For a future paddling experience we plan to row in the direction of Newton, stopping before we reach Newton Lower Falls.
Paddle Boston has other locations, including the dock at Cambridge’s Kendall Square where the rower passes through a short canal into Boston’s basin to glide beneath the Longfellow Bridge and enjoy a number of landmarks that line the shore. Canoes and kayaks are available as well as standup paddle boards. (SUPs). The same amenities are found in Brighton near the Eliot Bridge along Soldier’s Field Road, and another location is on the Needham/Newton line on Kendrick Street.
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