Hall's Pond, Eastford, CT - June 12, 2015

Lucky for me, the Rambler Award can be earned both by water as well as by land.  After my exuberant hike in April, my left ankle was left feeling not so great, with a bit of a case of tendonitis.  So if I couldn't work my lower body, it was time to do the upper body.  In 2014, I lamented that I could not paddle much, so 2015 has been a better year for putting my kayak in the water.  Hall's Pond is a few miles down from our house, and is an easy destination, especially after a day's worth of telecommuting.  On this particular day, I was able to cut work a little early, and off I went for some much needed aquatherapy.

Scenic Hall's Pond

Hall's Pond, according to the State of Connecticut DEEP website, is about 81 acres in size.  The pond has a small boat launch for carry-in craft.  The pond is dotted with lots of little islands, which make for great exploration.  On any given day, one can see all sorts of wildlife: blue heron, turtles, and beavers all make their homes here.  Watching a heron fly off is almost like watching a pterodactyl fly away.  It takes a well-trained eye to spot a beaver; if you don't see them, they will alert you to their presence with a flap of their tail against the water.

Animal Signs:  Beaver lodge

 On this particular trip, it was mid-June, which means Connecticut's state flower, the mountain laurel, was in full bloom.  "Kalmia latifolia" can be found in acidic soils (think oak trees and evergreens) and is native to our state.  Mountain laurel has been cultivated into many different varieties that are commerically sold.  The wild plants can be colored white or light pink.  One of the plants I found in full bloom had rich, deep pink flowers.  I found it in my National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England, and it's actually called "Sheep Laurel".  Both of these plants were growing along the edges of the many islands in the pond, hanging over the water.  They were just beautiful and made this particular trip more special.

 

Mountain Laurel

Sheep Laurel

I was hoping to prepare a Google map to show where some of these places are, but I can't seem to figure out how to share the photos... so for now, I'll settle for a Google satellite view of the pond... it's quite picturesque and worth a visit.  The launch is just off of Kennerson Road.  Some parts between the islands are quite shallow; during a drought, you might actually bottom out, so if you see rocks sticking out, beware.

Mileage Count:  According to the Google Maps measuring tool, I counted up 1.97 miles around the pond, including some meandering around the islands.  I'll round that up to 2.0 miles.  Running total: 14 miles... 84 miles to go!!

To view more photos, visit my online album.