The October River Sweep
John Hicks-Courant
johnhc@theworld.com
 
We decided at the October meeting at the Tewksbury Public Library that we would return
to the Bayou but that we would not be working in the river. Due to the temperature and
depth of the water, we opted for a river sweep instead.
 
Starting in Andover just downstream from the Balmoral dam, we paddled to the traditional
Bayou staging area at Costello Park in Lawrence. There were two boats — where was
everybody? — on this sweep, and we completed the trek in 3? hours.  The water was high, fast, and cold.
 
Bob Rauseo — who else would it be? — was the only one to get out of the boat and into
the river to extract an inflatable raft from the bottom. Jack Brady very nearly got in
at that point. Later, he nearly fell off the jungle gym in the river at the Take-Out,
trying to snare a piece of fence that was floating by. This was a piece of trash that
he and Frank had been trying to extract earlier, but had given up. They got it this time.
 
Both of our canoes were full of trash long before we reached the end. We found ourselves
looking at floating garbage as we passed, unable to move the heavily laden canoes across
the river to get it. We saw only one tire in the entire trip, and it was on the bank,
waiting to be retrieved. By then, our boats were so full that we weren’t able to get it.
 
The participants in this river sweep were:
. Bob Rauseo
. John Hicks-Courant
. Jack Brady
. Frank Perdicaro
 
At the end of the sweep, we had no tires and five 40-gallon bags of miscellaneous debris.
We also left a small pile of miscellaneous debris at the Take-Out. Each of us was thoroughly exhausted.
 
I’m lobbying for one more river sweep in November, this one from Middlesex Turnpike in Bedford
to the Knights of Columbus in Tewksbury.  November 15th, the third Saturday of the month, 
looks like the ideal date. What do you say?
 
One more for 2003?