Boston: On the Charles

Sunday morning, the boy and I headed into Boston early to take advantage of the gorgeous day that was forecasted. The weekend prior, I had been walking around Cambridge with a friend when I stumbled upon Charles River Canoe & Kayak Co. in Kendall Square. This past week I did a little research and was surprised to find that the price of a rental was reasonable. 

Upon arriving at the dock, we signed waivers, took a quick safety quiz, grabbed a dry bag for our backpack and headed down the launch. I opted for a kayak, while the boy chose to SUP (stand-up paddleboard). To be honest, I went for the kayak because the notion of falling into the Charles River seemed a little gross; it's not the cleanest river around. 

We paddled down Broad Canal, passing underneath First Street and Memorial Drive, and came out into the Charles River. To our left was the Museum of Science and to our right was the Longfellow Bridge. At 9:30am, the river was fairly quiet. The only boats we saw were canoes, kayaks, SUPs, and a few rowing sculls. We continued on, past the Harvard Bridge and then crossed the river to the opposite shore. We paddled through the Esplanade, which was bustling with people. 

I must say, it was a strange combination of natural beauty and the filth of a city. There was abundant trash, duckweed, and dead fish, which took away from the adorable bridges, the ducks and their ducklings, and water lilies in bloom. It was a little oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle and it was clear to me that the people of Boston appreciated it, and used it.  

By the time we emerged back onto the main section of the Charles, the waterway had gotten much busier. Sailboats dotted the horizon, duck boats zoomed around packed with tourists and small boats zipped up and down the river. The wind had picked up, and there was a steady breeze. The sun beat down relentlessly and the only shade to be found was underneath the bridges. Back at the Longfellow Bridge, we stopped for a while to rest before calling it a day and heading back to the launch. 

All in all, it was a great adventure. I would definitely do it again, maybe a sunset paddle. We left happy, refreshed and slightly sunburnt.