Hike to Heublein Tower, April 24, 2014

Sensing a bit of momentum with a few good hikes under my belt, I decided to pack my Rover uniform on the morning of Thursday the 24th of April, and by the end of the workday, I decided I needed to get outside and out of sight for a while.  I had left my CT Walk Book at home, so the decision was made  to stick again to familiar territory, so I headed for my old favorite "stomping ground" as I liked to call it.  Up off of US-44 in West Hartford is one of several reservoirs for the greater Hartford area with beautiful foot trails.  This particular reservoir, Reservoir #6, also hosts a section of the Metacomet Trail which piggybacks along part of the reservoir loop trail, then heads up the side of Talcott Mountain and then along the ridge to a landmark famous to Avon & Simsbury residents: the Heublein Tower.  Unfortunately, my journey would be held up by nearly an hour due to heavy traffic in Farmington.  By the time I arrived, it was already 5:30pm and sundown would be around 7:40pm.  Having done this hike before, I seem to recall it taking at least an hour & a half one way under ideal conditions, so if I was going to make it, I was going to have to hoof it.

The first few paces of the trail are quite lovely.  The route is for the most part level, meandering gravel road.  The reservoir itself is lined in many places with tall, gorgeous pine trees.  A few minutes into the trail, I realized something was wrong.  As I was heading up the west side of the reservoir, I realized that some serious tree removal had been happening along  the left hand side of the trail.  I had been out here last fall and remembered that some trees had been cleared, but this was nearly a clear cutting.  I said, "Well, they didn't do this all the way up the reservoir," but it turns out they cleared a lot more than what I remembered from last October.  I mean, they even put in a handful of logging roads along the way, that weren't exactly un-wide.

I tried my best to put the destruction out of my mind, but it was a good mile and a half of spoiled scenery before I finally got to the Metacomet Trail turnoff, which incidentally is clearly marked:

I gleefully turned left and attempted a trot up the hill, only to be met with tire ruts and mud for the first 100 yards or so.  I suppose I shouldn't carry on so much about the clearing.  Working against my pleasant mood was also the fact that I was rushing thru my journey as fast as I could to get to the top.  All along the loop trail (before the turnoff), I practiced Scout's Pace to try to cover some distance.  Considering how out of shape I thought I was, I am actually grateful for the opportunity to practice without falling flat on my face. :-)  Anyhow... I slogged it out in the mud up thru the first portion of trail up the ridge.  Once I finally exited the tree-cutting zone, things began to return to normal, when suddenly I began to see signs of what had really been going on:

It was finally obvious that there was a lot of catastrophic tree damage from all the powerful storms that rolled thru the region over the last few years... recall "Snowtober" and "Snowmagedon".  The trees were all down in the same direction, so there was clearly a lot of previous wind damage.  In other spots, you could see tree branches snapped off and dangling near the tree tops.  I spent as much time looking up as I was looking at the trail, to be aware of "widow makers".

Much of the trail heading up the ridge is steep and rocky.  Be prepared and wear good boots.  PArt way up the ridge, you will come upon a clearing which, in warmer weather, will look a bit like a meadow, but it's really an electric transmission line.  Of course, being an ex-utility geek, I had to snap a picture of it:

... and the nearby underground gas line markers:

 

The closer you get to the top, the more signs you start to see.  In fact, near the top, you cross from the MDC's property (the company that owns/manages the reservoirs), over to Talcott Mountain State Park.  It was at this point I finally got the full story on the tree removal:

Just past this point, the trail crosses a road and heads to the right with a very clearly marked sign, pointing the direction to the tower.  Wander a bit further and you will pass a fenced State Police radio tower, and eventually the pavilions and picnic area which are just to the south of the tower.  The views at the top are simply stunning and must be enjoyed.  I believe the tower houses a museum that is open in the summertime.  My rover crew did this exact hike back in December of 2007.... that was probably the last time I did this walk.  It's well worth the trip.

Epilogue:  I did everything but run down the mountain to make it back to the parking lot in time before the park closed.  I finished up about 7:50pm.  Definitely allow yourself more time than I did so that you can ENJOY the trip!!

MILEAGE COUNT:   The first leg of the hike until the turnoff is about 1.5 miles.  It's probably another good mile up the mountain and along the ridge until you get to the tower.  Round trip: 5 miles.  Running total:  10 miles, 90 to go!!

For more information about the MDC and the reservoirs, visit:  http://www.themdc.com/recreation-areas/reservoirs

For a downloadable map of the trails around Reservoir 6, visit:  http://www.themdc.com/assets/uploads/files/Recreation/Res6TrailsMapWeb_12_2013.pdf

Hike to Castle Craig, April 2, 2014

It's really been a long winter here in southern New England, so when the thermometer went up into the 60's last week, I knew I needed to take advantage of the weather and get outside.  The days are getting longer but they aren't at their longest. I waffled at first as to where to hike.  I had been smart enough to pack my boots, socks, jeans, and even my red 1st Lone Scouts neckerchief, but overlooked bringing a map.  Then it occurred to me that any map that I had would be drastically out of date, as many of Central Connecticut's blue-blazed trails had been rerouted in recent years.... but there was an old standby that I knew would still be available and intact:  the trail up to Castle Craig at Hubbard Park in Meriden, CT.  I hastily changed my clothes and headed across town to take to the trail.

Hubbard Park is located just over the border from Southington in Meriden on West Main Street.  Interstate 691 goes right thru the park, so if you get off at Exit 4, you are not far.  The main road thru the park is one way.  Enter the park and keep to the left when the road turns right.  You will see a gravel parking area at the edge of the woods with a wooden sign indicating the put-in point for the trail.

 

Below the sign is a map of the park trails in case you need a visual reference.  Bear in mind, the only reason why I went without a map, is because I have done this trip many times... don't do what I did.  Be prepared: bring a map!

The first part of the trip is about a half mile along a badly disintegrating road.  If you look carefully at the gravel and sand below your feet, you can see bits of pavement from the original roadway.  You are walking along side I-691 until you get to the pedestrian bridge which takes you across the highway.  You will see it off to the right as you approach.  Turn right, and head over the bridge.

The above shot of the bridge is looking back across from the other side.  Get ready because the easy part is now behind you.  Most motorists can see the castle from the highway, about 1000 feet above the roadway.  That's the ridge you're going to climb up.  This next shot is looking up the trail after having just crossed the bridge.

Most of what you're climbing is shale or as we call it, trap rock.  It's a bit oxidized in nature but it has great commercial value when mined as drainage rock or for use as a gravel in asphalt mixtures.  Much of the state is made of alternating layers of trap rock and red sandstone, all tipped up on their sides a bit.  The tall ridges are trap rock and the lower areas are red sandstone.  The sandstone was more easily weathered down, leaving the trap rock ridges heading skyward.  Much of the sandstone dates from the Triassic period.  Take a visit to Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill to get an idea about how old these rocks are.

Anywho... so most of your trip up the mountain will be on a white blazed trail.  The trail will head up from the bridge to the right, and then comes back around to the left.  You will see a wooden foot bridge that spans a brook, I believe it is called "Beehive Spring".  Your best bet is to hang a right BEFORE you hit the bridge.  Go up a bit of an incline... you may see some old faded white blazes on the way up.  In a short while, you will find yourself intesecting with the main white trail again.  Turn right.  The trail is going to bring you along a relatively level area until it bends to the left when you start climbing again.  At this time of year, there was still a lot of melting and runoff happening, so much that at one point, what looks like should be a muddy trail instead starts looking more like a flowing brook... this shot looking back behind me:

Eventually you will come to an intersection with a red blazed trail which will enter from the left.  The white trail will turn to the right.  Go right.  Proceed for several yards (not sure how far), until you get to another intersection.  The white trail continues forward AND left up the hill.  You are going to turn left.  Now it gets interesting as the terrain gets a bit more rugged.  You may notice, particularly in this area, a general lack of large trees.  In this area once stood several large hemlocks which were lost to the blight back in the 1990's.    You may find that a walking stick to be helpful as the terrain becomes very rocky and steep up ahead.  In warmer weather, be aware of rattlesnakes that may be sunning themselves on the warm rocks.

 

looking down the trail from the rocky part

You will pass thru an area that seems to resemble a bit of a ravine, until finally you will junction with the blue-blazed Metacomet trail.  Turn left onto the blue trail.  It will bring you quickly up out of the woods and onto a paved road, with the castle dead ahead in front of you.  Wander over.  Enjoy the views.  In the summertime, the castle should be open (I found it to be gated on this trip).  On a clear day, from the top of the tower, you can see New Haven in one direction and Hartford in the other.  I have been told this is the highest point along the entire eastern seaboard within 50 miles of the shore.

 

A view of the tower as you pop out of the woods.

 

Castle Craig

There are several trails that traverse the ridge, and several different paths you can take to get up to this point.  I walked pretty quick to get up there because I wanted to beat the sunset at around 7:15pm.  I left the parking lot at around 5:45pm and made it to the top in about 45 minutes.  I made it back down in another 45 or so, going back exactly the same way I came.  Rough guess, this hike was about 3 miles. The Meriden Land Trust brochure rates this hike as a moderate hike.  In the shape I'm in, I rate it as a strenuous walk for me!  But I made it, and I'm glad I did it.  My knees barked at me for about a day, but my legs are happy.

For more information, visit: http://www.meridenlandtrust.com/Hubbard_quad.pdf