Westwoods Trails

10/24/2010

Blue Circle Trail Starting at Dunk Rock Road to Green Circle Trail, then Green Rectangle Trail to Orange Circle Trail, then Red Triangle to cross over to the White Circle Trail, then we took the Green Rectangle back to Dunk Rock Road.

Confused yet?  🙂  Maps of this Trail System are available in the CT Walk Book East and at the following website:  http://guilfordlandtrust.org/wordpress/properties/westwoods

The Westwoods Trail System within the Cockaponset State Forest is a great place to get your feet wet in the world of hiking.  It’s got a little taste of everything.  If you stick mostly to the Rectangle, square, and triangle trails you’ll be in for pretty easy walking.  If you want something more challenging check out the circle trails.  Keep in mind that the Yellow Circle Trail is recommended only to experienced, agile, and energetic hikers.  Based on what we saw of the White Circle trail I would heed that warning as it required some agility as well. Also, based on what we experienced of the White Circle Trail, we’re looking forward to heading back to do the Yellow Circle Trail soon.

All Photo’s by Ahren Niles.  (Yes, including the one he’s in, he set the camera up for the conditions, I just aimed and pushed the button.)

Click the pictures to see a larger version.

Ice along the Blue Circle Trail.

In a crevice along the White Circle Trail.

Sidetrack in the crevice.

Squeezing through the last narrow bit of the crevice. We both had to take our packs off to fit.

Here’s a link to what my GPS tracked of our hike for the day.  Pay no mind to the stats as they seem to be really off.  There’s no way we hiked 11 miles, and there’s no way our max speed ever hit 7.83 miles/hour.  Silly GPS.



Cockaponset Trail

Cockaponset Trail
Wildwood Trail
Old Forest Trail

Approx 5.8 Mile Loop

12/19/2010

This made a nice loop trail, it’s always nice when it’s possible to do a trail as a loop using another trail so that we can take one car instead of having to take two.

Click the first picture to go to the album.

Cockaponset Trail

Cockaponset Trail
North Pattaconk Trail
South Pattaconk Trail

Approx: 7.6 Mile Loop
Old Country Road, Haddam, CT – Rte 148, Chester, CT

This was a really nice hike that had a little of everything. Nice mountain laurel, pretty hardwood forest and even a reservoir. I would definitely recommend this hike, hiked in the direction we did it North & South Pattaconk Trails out and Cockaponset Trail back it felt like the elevation was pretty even, I felt like we did a lot of downhill hiking for a change instead of feeling like we were going uphill all day.  That was a nice change of pace.  🙂

Freezing Stream

 

Pattaconk Reservoir

I heard the coolest sound ever at the reservoir!  We were hiking along and all of sudden we hear the most otherworldly noise, like a spaceship was about to land!  The best description of it I can give would be like someone wiggling a very flexible piece of metal, only it was very muffled.  I stopped suddenly and I’m looking around trying to figure out what it was.  Sidetrack smiled, the noise was familiar to him but was something he hadn’t heard in ages.  He seemed surprised that I didn’t know what it was.  He explained that it was a sound that ice makes when it cracks on warmer days on large bodies of water.  Sidetrack often heard the noise as a kid when ice skating.  Ah, that explains why I’ve never heard the sound, I was raised in the middle of suburbia, if we wanted to ice skate we went to the ice skating rink, not to a large body of water.  🙂  Anyway, we didn’t hear another long drawn out sound again like the first one but we kept hearing little blips of the noise for the rest of our walk along the reservoir, the blips kind of reminded me of the frogs down by our pond in the summer.  It was very neat.  If you get the opportunity to hang out by a large body of water on a day when ice is melting I recommend it just for the chance to hear that noise.

Need a lesson in Tree Identification? This is a shagbark hickory.

 

This is a white oak. There was a red oak too but I didn't photograph it, it was farther back & I didn't realize there was a whole series. 🙂

 

The CT Walk Book mentioned this as a short, steep ledge requiring the use of hands. We didn't really find it to require the use of hands, just a little bit of care.

 

Blaze on the ledge.

 

 

Lillinonah Trail

5.9 Miles

12/05/2010

Notes: Lillinonah Trail is closed from Dec 15th – March 15th each year so that nesting bald eagles will not be disturbed.

There is a free trail map available through the CT DEP.  Click for map in PDF Format.

Legend of Lillinonah’s Leap (pdf file)

The Hike:

This was a really nice, easy, hike.  You get to enjoy walking along Lake Lillinonah (a man-made lake).  There are a number of stream crossings as well, this is a good hike to wear waterproof boots on if you have them.  😉

Stream Crossing & Lake Lillinonah

Me posing with my shiny, new, trekking poles. 🙂 (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Logs that have collected. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

I loved the bark on this tree & had to have a picture so I could identify the tree when we got home. It is a Sycamore tree in case you're wondering. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Nehantic Trail

11/27/2010 – Nehantic Trail Completion Hike

Route 49 – Hopeville Pond

7.3 Miles

Pond & Bridge near the picnic area at the Mt. Misery Camping Area.

This hike took us up and over Mount Misery, which is actually only 441 feet in elevation, so really it only qualifies as a hill as the survey marker we found will show.  Regardless, it is the highest point in the vicinity and offers up a nice view of Pachaug State Forest.

View from the top of Mt. Misery.

Mt. Misery Graffiti. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Misery Hill Survey Marker (Photo by Ahren Niles)

As we got further into our hike we heard a lot of gunshots.  Of course, this is Pachaug State Forest, which is really popular with hunters.  This was also the weekend right after Thanksgiving, which is a really popular time to go hunting.  It may not have been the wisest time to hike, but we donned our blaze orange and went for it.  Partway into our hike, in an area that has recently been logged, I spotted two hunters staring down at us from the top of a hill.  Sidetrack and I had been talking pretty loudly about how sparse the blazes were in this area.  Then, just as I saw the hunters Sidetrack manages to, with amazing timing, switch over to joking loudly about not wanting to get shot (as we often do when we hear gunshots in the woods).  Oh, boy, great timing Sidetrack!  I shushed him and we continued silently on though we probably managed to scare off all their deer.  So, yes, we were those damn noisy hikers that day.  Sorry guys!

All in all this was a pretty nice hike except for part where the blazes got pretty sparse in the middle of Pachaug Forest.  Fortunately though, the trail follows a logging road and what seems to be an old forest road in this area so it’s easy enough to stay on track.  Though, as a hiker, I definitely prefer the positive ‘you’re on the right track’ reinforcement passing blazes offers.

Hopeville Pond

Me taking a break before heading back to our car.

Note: Hopeville Pond State Park Trailhead Parking – The parking described in the CT Walk Book was not available on our hike.  It was closed off for the winter and there is no street parking in this area.  If you continue down Rte 201 less than half a mile past the pond parking area, there is another parking area that is the Hopeville State Park Entrance and not the parking for the pond. There are wide footpaths connecting the two lots.

 

Happy Trails!

~Molasses

 

 

Chatfield Trail

11/24/2010

I had more fun on this trail than I’ve had since we did Mt. Higby on the Mattabesset.  This trail was like a giant jungle gym!  Rock scrambles, tunnels, it was truly a blast.  Now, I recognize that not all people like crawling through tunnels, hey, to each their own.  That being said, the blue trail doesn’t actually go through a lot of the crevices and tunnels and if it does there is often a bypass trail available.  A lot of the actual tunnelling and such is along a yellow blazed trail while the blue trail has been moved to bypass the trickier stuff.  In these situations we often chose to follow the hiker rule of Hike Your Own Hike and take the yellow trail.  🙂

Here are the pictures from our day on the Chatfield Trail:

Macedonia Brook State Park

11/13/2010

We ended up doing this trail in two hikes.  The first hike we started out on the blue trail as described in the CT Walk Book West (pg 78), but instead of hiking up Cobble Mountain we stopped at the green trail and followed it out to the Orange Trail/CCC Road which led us back to our car.

(Click on the pictures to see larger version)

 

This structure would have been part of the 19th Century Kent Iron Company which was in operation from 1826 - 1865.

The Appalachian Trail ran through this area at one point. Is this random old white blaze a remnant? Maybe.

Brook just on the other side of a camping area we passed.

This little bird was very busy. It let us get very close without seeming even a little bit worried, it was much more interested in eating. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Rocky Trail just before Hilltop Pond. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

CCC (Civillian Conservation Corps) Road. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Looking back at the descent to get to the view on top of Pine Hill Outlook (1,200 feet).

Sidetrack taking pics of the view from Pine Hill Outlook.

Pine Hill Outlook. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Me, on my way down from Pine Hill. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

The Ascent to Cobble Mountain (to be conquered next time). (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Wet moss along the Orange Trail. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Bridge along the main park road, on the way back to the car.

 

11/29/2010

On our second hike at Macedonia Brook State Park we took the white blazed trail up to the top of Cobble Mountain where it ends, and then we followed the blue trail back to where we had stopped on our last hike.  Then back up Cobble Mountain and down via the blue trail, which we then followed up and over South Cobble Mountain and back to our car.

 

Ascent to Cobble Mountain. (Via White Trail)

Sidetrack taking pics from the Cobble Mountain Summit.

The view from Cobble Mountain. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

The view from Cobble Mountain. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

The hazy mountains in the distance are the Catskills in New York, as seen from Cobble Mountain. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

The hazy mountains in the pictures are part of the Taconic Mountain Range. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

View of the ascent on the other side of Cobble Mountain. This is a pretty tough ascent, the CT Walk Book warns that this is not for children, dogs, and is not easily negotiated in wet or icy conditions. Experience and good hiking boots recommended. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Sidetrack.

Me, taking a much needed rest before heading back up Cobble Mountain. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

More of the tough climb up Cobble. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

Sidetrack climbing up Cobble Mountain.

View from South Cobble Mountain. (Photo by Ahren Niles)

We decided we'd totally like to live in that house! (Photo by Ahren Niles)

 

Macedonia Brook is a beautiful park to visit any time of the year.  There are lots of really nice trails that can be combined to create pretty much any length or difficulty of hike.  During the summer there are also a couple of camp-grounds.  Great place, highly recommended!  Macedonia Brook State Park.

 

Mattabesett Trail Completion

CFPA Mattabesett Trail Completion Patch

One patch earned, two to go…

There are three trails in the state of CT that offer patches as rewards upon completion.  Those three trails are the Mattabesett Trail, the Metacomet Trail & the Quinnipiac Trail.

We were excited to receive our first patch last week for our Mattabesett Trail completion!  Of course, hiking the trails is reward in and of itself but who doesn’t want a spiffy patch to attach to their pack?  🙂

Hikers who complete all 800+ miles of blue trails in the state of CT get accepted into the CT 400 Club and get a certificate.  Now, the funny part is you have to walk 800+ miles to join the 400 Club now.  When it was first started there were 400 miles of blue trails.  If they keep adding trails we’ll never finish!!  🙂  Oh, well…

Hike on,

~Molasses

 

~Valley Falls~ Vernon, CT

Valley Falls

11/11/2010  ~Solo Hike~

Pond at Valley Falls

Valley Falls is one of those places that has a little something for everyone.  The rail trail that runs through Valley Falls is part of the larger Rails to Trails System and offers a nice, flat, walk, and is popular with joggers and bicyclists as well.  There is also a system of loop trails here that leave plenty for Day Hikers to explore.  There is also a pond that’s popular with fisherman and is a popular place to swim on hot summer days.

Since yesterday was a cold, but very nice and sunny day, I decided to head out for a short hike.  I had read that the white blazed lookout trail at Valley Falls offered up a nice view and I was dying to check it out. Since this place is literally about 5 minutes from my house, I figured why not?

View from the white trail.

I followed the Blue Blazed Shenipsit Trail up to the Rail Trail, then crossed the rail trail where I found an un-blazed trail leading upwards.  As I stood there consulting my map a woman came over and mentioned to me that the trail led to a really nice view.  I thanked her and decided to go that way even though it wasn’t blazed with the yellow/blue blazes I had been looking for.  I decided it might be the Jeep Trail that is marked on the map.  If it was I would eventually find the blue/yellow trail because it criss-crosses the blue/yellow a couple of times.  Indeed, I eventually came to a blue/yellow blaze and turned off to follow it.  Very soon I found myself at the white lookout trail, which I followed to the end. The views from the top were pretty nice and the hike up was pretty easy.  After enjoying the white trail I decided to finish out the upper part of the blue/yellow loop before heading back to my car.

View from the white trail.

According to my GPS I ended up hiking about 3.8 miles in an hour and a half. I would definitely recommend this trail to anyone looking for an easy-to-reach view. Take some snacks & sit and enjoy the view awhile. Just don’t forget to pack out what you pack in. 😉

Courageous Chloe at the first view.

If you look over the edge you can see the rail trail below.

View of the rail trail.

View of the rail trail.

Happy Trails,

Molasses

GPS Map of my hike.  Made with Google MyTracks:


Parciak Conservation Area (Tolland, CT)

Nov. 05, 2010  ~Solo Hike~

Trails Hiked:  Ridge Trail (1.2 mile), & Yellow Loop (1.6 mile)

I was having a really bad day this past Friday.  Sometimes the only cure for a bad day is a hike, even just a short hike.  So, to my computer I went to search for a place to go.  I ended up settling on the Parciak Conservation area, printed off a map, gathered my gear and hopped in the car for the 10 minute drive over to Bald Hill Rd.  The Conservation Area was easy to find, there was parking for 2 or 3 cars.  Being around 2pm on a Friday though, I was the only one there.  This Conservation Area is also accessible from Burbank Road, by the way.

Trail-head

I decided to head down the Ridge Trail first to see the Quartz Rock that’s mentioned on the map.  There’s a nice plaque on a tree near the rock that explains the Native American’s belief about Quartz Rocks.  If you want to know you’ll just have to visit the Conservation Area.  🙂  I can’t spoil everything here on my website, now can I?

Quartz Rock

Next, I decided to take a walk around the Yellow Loop Trail, figuring I may as well see the rock labelled Meteor Rock on the map.  There was no plaque here but I can only assume this rock was a meteor, but since I’m no professional I can’t say for sure whether it’s really a meteor or just a glacial erratic, nor do I know if it’s been verified.  Either way, it was pretty cool, so I took a picture of it & a picture of me with it.

Meteor Rock

After seeing the Meteor Rock I finished the Yellow Loop trail and headed back to my car in a much better mood than I had been when I first arrived here.  Thanks, nature.

Happy Trails,

Molasses

Me with the Meteor Rock