prudenceb Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 My prayer for not great weather that would allow,us easier access obviously not answered. I for one am not going to fight the crowds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yong S Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I'll b missing nxt few weeks at walden have fun w/o me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 No crowds at Chebacco Lake on Thursday nights - just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Except on route 128 trying to get there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 This is true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted July 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 Rob, Thursday is for surfing! Also known as practicing an occasional combat roll. I didn't mean to scare everyone off, just to adjust their timing. So far as I know, I was the only NSPNer present tonight. I missed you all. They say it is a bad sign when a social drinker starts drinking alone. After missing Walden and Surfing last week I was suffering so much rolling withdrawal I finally started rolling alone tonight. I wonder how long it will be until I'm rolling alone every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfolster Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 50 minutes ago, billvoss said: Rob, Thursday is for surfing! Not for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaKayakNE Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Anyone going this week? My wife would like to join in as well. Haven't had much time to play with my new Aries 150 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 Unless the pond closes (https://twitter.com/waldenpondstate) I expect to be there again this week. I hope you and your wife can make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Foster Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I will be there tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted July 21, 2016 Author Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) I had a great time with Dan last night, who seems to be catching the Greenland bug! Sorry nobody else made it, there were at least 7 free parking spaces at the boat ramp. DCR News: They have installed a parking pass machine at the boat ramp. It is no longer necessary to purchase your pass at the main gate! (Credit or Debit card only.) Edited July 21, 2016 by billvoss added (Credit or Debit card only.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 I'm hoping to arrive at Walden around 4:30pm today instead of my usual 5:00pm. Look for me at "We usually practice here" if you get there later. Currently https://twitter.com/waldenpondstate shows the pond is open today. Perhaps in part because two days ago they posted: Quote Walden Pond @waldenpondstate Aug 1 Until further notice, the only bathrooms available at Walden Pond will be porta potties. Water fountain will not be available. If Walden does close before I get there, I'll join the AMC Boston paddlers at White's Pond instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Foster Posted August 3, 2016 Share Posted August 3, 2016 I'm heading over to Walden shortly, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaKayakNE Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Anyone coming tomorrow? My wife and I would like to go if there are others coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneC Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 I'm planning on going Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted August 10, 2016 Author Share Posted August 10, 2016 Looking forward to seeing you Jane! I'm going as usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneC Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 It's pouring at my house. Can't drive an hour for a potential bust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaKayakNE Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Weather is pretty clear here might still try to make it. Just clouds here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaKayakNE Posted August 10, 2016 Share Posted August 10, 2016 Scratch that thundering here in Billerica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted August 11, 2016 Author Share Posted August 11, 2016 Three Walden sessions to go this summer. I drove the hour to Walden. There was plenty of parking, beach open with guards, bathrooms open again, a bit of drizzle, but would have been a wonderful evening if a 2nd person had shown up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Foster Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 Bill, I'm sorry to hear you ended up paddling alone last night at Walden. I had a dinner conflict last night and was never planning to be there. Earlier in the day it looked like plenty of people were going, so I didn't want to post "not-going" and scare anyone off. It seems like attendance at our Walden sessions has declined from when I started showing up a few years ago. I'd certainly like to keep the weekly sessions going next year. The "show and go" format only works well when enough people show up each week. When attendance starts dropping to 1-3 people each week, not knowing if anyone else will be there gives a strong incentive to not show up, and the downward cycle continues. I'd suggest that we start encouraging everyone to RSVP for each weekly session, and if there aren't two RSVPs by 4PM on Wednesday afternoon, we post the session as cancelled. For 2017, I'd suggest that we consider spinning the pond sessions off into a new meetup group, or open the Walden sessions up to AMC WW, AMC SK, or other local paddling meetups if there isn't enough interest from NSPN members to keep a weekly session going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted August 11, 2016 Share Posted August 11, 2016 I'm sorry not to have attended at all this year. June was eaten up by my UK adventure. Then there were the two consecutive super hot Wednesdays where parking ended up being closed until 5:30. Then I was in Maine. Now back, I would like to resume, but have suffered a leg injury that needs to be checked out before I can get back in boat. Were it not for this trifecta, I would be a faithful attender. Indeed, I have had list of things I wanted to work on - rescues etc... I'd be interested in hearing what has kept other more or less faithful former attenders from being there. But they may well not be looking at this thread. Perhaps we might start a new thread on either the trips or general forums, asking people to weigh in on their interest in general, and impedimemts to going. Surely parking started to be an issue last year, and has been one this year as well. I'd want more info before changing anything. pru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 Pond session popularity certainly varies from year to year. Chebacco almost died from lack of attendance last year, but this year is booming. I've made a point of going to Walden every day I could this year. Attendance has been light, but if I had also skipped two rainy days, I would only have been at Walden once without company this year. We have been missing a bunch of the usual faces this year. Apparently lots of people didn't even realize the sessions started June 1st, I know at least one former regular used to work near Walden but now works much farther away, Leslie has posted about being chained to her desk this summer, Pru has been adventuring, multiple paddlers have been dealing with injuries, and lots of people have been discouraged by the closures. Ironically, I think only two evenings have actually been impacted by Walden closures. General parking has been restricted by the construction which began in 2015 and is scheduled to finish this year. That has certainly contributed to the July and August closures. Hopefully closures will not be as big an issue next year. I do not know how the new facility will impact us, but the new parking ticket machine at the boat ramp will certainly make life simpler for people who don't buy an annual pass. I hope the restored parking will also reduce closures to the rare inconvenience they were years ago. I'm not sure a Walden Meetup makes sense. Mainly because Meetup charges fees these days. I could imagine occasionally cross-posting the Walden pond sessions to existing Meetup groups for greater publicity. However I'm not a Meetup event organizer except with AMC. As a New Hampshire AMC Sea Kayak Leader I could schedule AMC trips to Walden. However a Boston AMC White-Water leader has been hosting a Wednesday night “Pond Social For Paddlers” event at a pond near Walden since before I joined NSPN. Though her event is mostly attended by WW paddlers, sea kayakers are also invited. In fact that is my normal plan B if Walden closes some Wednesday. Having two pond events in Concord, MA every Wednesday provides redundancy, but having two AMC pond events every Wednesday seems fraught with political issues. An AMC Walden event might be practical if we moved the Walden session to another day. However, if I hosted it as an AMC event I would have to make everyone sign the AMC liability waiver every week, and since I do occasionally miss some weeks it would be better if I had at least one other AMC leader backing me up to prevent canceling the trips I miss. Any volunteers? Signing waivers can also be especially awkward when paddlers show up late. So I guess my first choice would be for Walden to remain an NSPN event (though before that I believe it was actually a pure Greenland “Walden Pond Scum” event). I would like to see more people commit to coming regularly. If we have at least three people who commit to attending, I could see adding a “cancel” clause to the calendar announcement, though it would have to be earlier than 4pm to do me any good. Because many potential Walden regulars are not reading the NSPN forum in April/May when Walden Wednesdays are usually posted to the calendar, it might make sense to start soliciting regulars this fall. Especially since I would like to start May 31st next year! Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Debski Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I may be switching from Chebacco to Walden as I have a conflict thursday now through the end of the season. Might not make every wednesday but I can make an effort too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billvoss Posted August 16, 2016 Author Share Posted August 16, 2016 I plan to attend Walden as usual August 17th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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