Woodbeads I - Part One: Urban Hike in Portland, OR

The trip to Portland, OR for Woodbeads I was the adventure of the summer!  I think I had more fun than my luggage did, which unfortunately got jammed up on a conveyor belt at Logan International Airport, so when I landed and met my Northeast Regional Commissioner, Rick Saunders at the Portland airport, we had a few hours to kill before heading out to Lost Lake, so we did what any good Rovers would do... we went exploring!

The downtown Portland area was just beautiful.  The city is on a human scale.  The city blocks are smaller, and there are transit buses cris-crossing the city on nearly every other street.  We parked our rental car and made our way to the visitor center, which is nestled in amongst some man-made waterfalls in the center of town.  We met with a Vistor Center guide, who helped us lay out a simple route of must-see sights.  All points along our walk are laid out in this handy Google map I made:

Our walking tour - click to enlarge

We had parked at a parking deck, estimated to be at pin 5 (above).  We walked to the visitor center (pin 1), then from there, nearly across the street to the old Pioneer Courthouse (pin 2).   While stopping to take photos, my sunglasses snapped, thus necessitating an unscheduled trip to DD's Discounts (pin 6).  From there we made our way down SW 5th Ave and then left onto SW Oak, to the famous Powell's Bookstore.  We easily spent an hour in the store looking at field guides, history books, you name it, it was there.  I left with a handy laminated, folding star map which is perfect for backpacks.  We left the store and made our way over to Deschutes Brewery; pulled up to the bar in full uniform, had a tasty beverage, and met a young student from the Netherlands.  After what seemed like another hour, we made our way back to the garage, and then on to our final destination: Lost Lake.

Pioneer Courthouse

Powell's Books

I have to admit, it was great fun exploring a new city.  We certainly got stopped a bunch of times, as people could tell we were not your average Scouts.  The best comment, "You look like a cross between a boy scout and the Canadian mounted police".  Rick did an awesome public relations job.

Rick taking photos

Mileage Count:  According to the Google Maps measuring tool, I counted 1.67 miles.  No rounding this time...  Running total: 15.67 miles... 82.33 miles to go!!

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.

UCONN Forest Hike Part 2: Nipmuck & Talmadge Spur - April 19, 2015

When the snow finally started to melt after a typically long winter, I dusted off this blog to see where I had left off.  It seems I had planned to do more hiking last summer than I actually ended up doing.  It turns out I spent the summer helping my sister with a few landscaping projects, so this ended up putting a few hikes on hold.  So when I took a look at this blog sometime in mid-March, I was a little disappointed to see that I had only accumulated a total of 10 miles toward my rambler badge.  Okay, no problem.... I kept myself active in the gym during the winter, hitting the treadmill -- with inclines -- and hoped I had kept myself in shape for the ever-elusive first springtime hike.

After laboring for hours at the computer on a beautiful spring afternoon, Sunday April 19th to be exact, I finally decided that enough was enough.  I don't even remember what I was working on, but I finally disengaged at about 4pm, threw on my uniform, lemon-squeezer and all, and drove down the road to the put-in point for the Nipmuck Trail, which is just about a mile down the road from us.  When I parked my truck, I realized I had missed the actual Nipmuck Trail crossing, but instead discovered a spur which looked to be pretty well blazed.  At the crossing was a brochure box with maps in it; I grabbed a map and off I went.

This particular spur is called the Talmadge Spur trail.  At the point where the trail starts on Mason Road in Willington, it heads west and then north into a 28 acre parcel called the Talmadge Tract (sign pictured above) and then junctions about a half mile down with the blue-blazed Nipmuck Trail in the UCONN Forest.  Across the street is the put-in point for another spur trail called the Knowlton Spur Trail, which crosses through the 138 acre Royal Knowlton Preserve, and eventually junctions with the Nipmuck trail further east.  All three trails form a loop of about 2.2. miles of beautiful hiking.  The brochure I picked up contains a map of the entire area with information and mileages noted as well. 

The Tamadge trail is blazed with blue and yellow blazes.  As the trail is relatively new, the blazes are presently very bright and easily seen.  The trail heads downhill from Mason road and meanders through a mixed hardwood forest, dotted with occasional hemlock trees.  The trail crosses a few small streams, and in a few places there are footbridge crossings. 

Partway down the hillside, the trail bends to the north, and if you look westward in the general direction of the Fenton Rover, you can see the forest switches over to mostly hemlock.  The photo below was looking to the left (west).  With the deciduous trees not fully leafed out, you can see the evergreens clearly.

The hike down the hill to the Nipmuck junction is relatively quick.  Where the trail ends, you can see the back side of a wooden trail sign indicating the opposite entrance to the Talmadge Spur Trail (photo below of the front side).  At this point, you can turn either left (south) onto the Nipmuck and head back towards US 44, or right (north). At this point, you have left the Talmadge Tract and have now entered the UCONN Forest.
 

On this particular day, I chose to go right and head north along the Nipmuck Trail.  The trail is currently well blazed and well maintained.  A short while down, the trail turns eastward, but in the genreal area of this corner is a smaller blue-red blazed loop trail off to the left (west side of the trail) that takes you out to the Fenton River and carries you along a scenic gorge that the river passes through.  A word of caution, the blue-red blazes are old and presently in need of repainting.   They are obscure and require a careful eye to make sure you don't end up off the trail.  The loop itself is beautiful.  You'll know you're getting close to the river as the mosquitoes start biting a little more aggressively.  Closer to the gorge, you will see some beautiful boulders left behind by the glaciers, one of which I've photographed below, covered with moss and ferns.  The river is not far from this point.

Upon finishing the loop, you join back up with the Nipmuck.  I continued east and uphill until reaching Mason Road again.  This particular part of the trail is well traveled and rocky in spots.  Upon emerging at Mason Road, you really can't miss the fact that the trail crosses the road here.  See below:
 

Mileage Count:  On this day, ended up turning right and heading back down Mason Road to where I parked my truck, as daylight was running out.  I want to come back and finish the loop.  For now, this excursion clocked in at 2.0 miles.  Running total: 12 miles... 88 miles to go!!

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

UCONN Forest Hike - Part 1 - April 22, 2014

On Tueday the 22, as luck would have it, I got sent home around 2pm because I had some software maintenance to do later that evening.  I took advantage of the beautiful spring afternoon to hit the Nipmuch Trail located not too far from our home in eastern Connecticut.  The Nipmuck cuts right across a beautiful tract of land known as the UCONN Forest, which is owned and maintained by the University of Connecticut.  They have a modest webpage about it at http://www.canr.uconn.edu/rh/rh/images/facilities/forest.html

The Nipmuck Trail crosses US-44 in the vicinity of Old Turnpike Road.  I believe the brook that crosses 44 in this area is called "Fenton Brook" on the sign, but Google maps shows it as "Mason Brook".  In any case, just past the brook, if heading east, turn right on to Old Turnpike Road, cross back over the brook, and look for the trail put-in point on the left / south side of the road.  There is a pair of signs nailed to a tree at that point:

 

The trail heads south towards Gurleyville Road, a key east-west route between the UCONN campus on CT-195 and.... well, Gurleyville itself which is a small quaint New England village.  There's not much out this way, at least by Connecticut standards, but I digress.  I had intended to do the whole trip to Gurleyville Road, which I will estimate to be about two miles one way.  Since I had to be off the trail and back home at a certain time, I really only had time to go about halfway into the forest before I had to turn around and head back.  So I still got two miles out of it, but to do two miles in and back would have put my employment in jeopardy.  So I'll describe the first half of the trek here, and will detail the second half at a later date.

It was a beautiful mid-spring day when I set out to do this trek.  Many of the trees are either budding or just starting to put out their leaves.  This portion of the trail begins along a wet marshy area that drains into the Fenton Brook / Fenton River, so one of the first things I noticed were the skunk cabbages starting to turn green and pop out of the ground.  The trail crosses at least a half dozen streams that empty into the Fenton, so a good pair of waterproofed boots and a staff would come in handy.

Fenton River tributary

The very first crossing had a very convenient concrete block sunk right in the middle of the brook to help you get across.  Some of the others along the way were not so well furnished.  When you get to this first major crossing, take a moment to look up... you will notice some rather tall mountain laurel.  This spot will be beautiful in late May/early June.... I will most definitely need to return in about a month.

Tributary crossing

The trail will make a few turns as it gets closer to the actual Fenton River.  Once along side it, the trail will at times be right at the river level, and then later ascend quite high enough so that a slip off the trail down would be rather dangerous.  There are assorted fire rings around, the largest being just a few feet from the river itself.  I'm still not sure if these are actual campsites available for use, so I need to do some more digging to figure this out.  Just past this large fire ring (you can't miss it), there is a rather large tree down that makes the trail hard to find.  Stay to the left of this and you will remain on the trail.  I suspect there was a blue blaze on this unfortunate giant.

Fire ring

Trail - keep left!

The website I mentioned above states that parts of the forest are over 100 years old. I believe the next part of the hike takes you through one of these old sections.  Eastern Hemlock trees will become more plentiful as you continue, many of which are quite old.  Be sure to look up... its as close as we get here in southern New England to gazing up at giant redwoods.

 The trail will cross a few more brooks thru this zone and will enter a marshy area.  Eventually, the trail will exit the forest and enter a grassy meadow of some sort.  Look for green metal poles with blue blazes to find your trail.  I can't wait to see this area again in mid summer when everything is green and growing.

At the other end of this meadow, the trail will enter the woods again.  In this area, you will see signs of civilization in the form of a paved road, and signs put in place by the College of Natural Resources, identifying trees and explaining about the ecology of the area.  I continued only a little bit more when the trail actually crossed this service road.  I stopped to take a selfie, then it was time to turn around...

#butfirstletmetakeaselfie

The trip back was just as nice. I was able to stop and grab a bunch of snapshots along the way.  I could easily fill this blog with photos but it would be easier to refer you to my online album.   So meanwhile, I will count this as two miles, with my running total at 5 miles, with 95 to go!

For more information, visit: http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/development/parks.html

Coney Rock Preserve Hike - April 10, 2014

On a particularly lovely evening after work, my hubby Matt & I met up to hike one of our favorite spots, the Coney Rock Preserve located in Mansfield off Chaffeville Road.  The land is comprised of two parcels, one owned by the town of Mansfield, and the other is part of Joshua's Trust.  We feel very lucky to live so close to so many forests and trails; now that life is settling down, we are making an effort to use them more often.  Anyhow, the land itself seems to be a ridge of some sort that seems to level off near the top.  At the trailhead is a well marked sign and a board with a map of the different trails on the properties.

 

We started up the ridge along a white blazed trail which was rather well marked.  The start was a bit steep but not as aggressive as the Castle Craig inclines.  As you made your way up the ridge, the trail tended to switch back and forth a bit, often with clever arrow signs to point the way:

 

On the way up the ridge, I noticed that many of the trees were oaks of some sort, based on the leaf litter on the ground.  As we got further up the ridge, a beautiful hemlock grove opened up in front of us.  It was nice to see that not all the hemlock trees were destroyed by the recent blight.  Each of the trails in the preserve, it seems, have their own name.  This became apparent just past the hemlock grove as we came to an intersection with Chaffeeville Trail, which turned to the left and continued deeper into the preserve.  To continue on the trail we were on would have taken us across the preserve in the direction of a very old white oak tree.  More on that later.

 

Hemlock Grove

We decided to turn left onto the Chaffeeville Trail, which was rather nice.  It continued for a ways along some old scenic stone walls.   We hit another junction, this time with the Olsen Trail.  We turned left onto the Olsen Trail and followed it along until we crossed over into the Joshua's Trust part of the preserve, which was easy to tell based on the white diamond shaped signs indicating the trust's boundary.  In this general area is where we hit a T junction with the yellow-blazed Chapin Trail, which brought us right across the preserve and thru a pretty mountain laurel grove, which I would like to see again in June when it should be in full bloom.  Just past this, the trail hooks around and takes you under an overhead wooden sign to indicate your arrival at the outlook point.

The outlook point was nice.  There was a sheer drop which one would want to be aware of when approaching the edge.  There was also a pretty stone bench with these words inscribed in it:  I saw the last leaf of fall ask the first snowflake to dance.  We enjoyed the outlook for a little while but then realized we would soon be running out of daylight if we didn't start moving.  We continued along the Chapin Trail, which brought us slightly downhill and then back towards the left.  Eventually we reconnected with the Olsen Trail, took it back towards the Chaffeeville Trail, and almost headed right back down the ridge, but realized we had some time to cut back across the preserve to pay a quick visit the "Great White Oak".  The tree itself was magnificent.  Of course, I had to stop to take a selfie to prove I was there...

We headed back and then down the ridge, just in time to lose daylight.  It was a really nice way to spend the evening.  

The town of Mansfield publishes a brochure on the preserve's trails which is available online.  The brochure says there are over 5 miles of trails on the properties. I would say we probably did about 2 miles based on the time it took us to do.  This would put my running total at 5 miles.  95 to go!

For more information, visit:  http://www.mansfieldct.gov/filestorage/1904/5357/coney_rock.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