Giant Master!

-

That's it!  The Nature Path was the last trail I needed to complete my goal of hiking every blazed trail in Sleeping Giant Park.  There were trails I've been on over and over, and trails I have never seen before.  And it just took a few weeks.  It's a great park to wander around - come on out!

But in hiking all over, and reading about the park, there are spots I haven't checked out yet.  What's the Lost Vista trail?  Where was the Carriage Path?  Is there really evidence of a long dead volcano?

I guess I'm just not done yet.  The Sleeping Giant Park Association sponsors the Giant Masters Program, and recognizes each member who has hiked all the park's trails.  But they also note Four Season Giant Masters, and 12 Month Giant Masters.  Since I've done the trails, and it's still spring, I could always do it again this summer... and fall, and winter...  Here we go - the Four Season Giant Masters Program!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 8, 2010 at 7:10 PM

    Congratulations! It's a great feeling! I'm working on the 12-in-12 - just started June - isn't' it fun - and amazing how different the trails look going backwards or forwards - in spring, winter, summer or fall? Keep going - it's worth it - someof my friends think I should be committed, but what the heck - keeps me off the streets and out of trouble! Good luck!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good Things, Small Packages - Southford Falls State Park

-
Image
         Southford Falls State Park , Oxford , CT           State Park site                         Trail Map There are over a hundred state parks in little Connecticut , and beyond Sleeping Giant, I’ve only been to a few – those with miles of trails on their own or where one of the blue-blazed trails passes through.  At 120 acres, Southford Falls is one of the smaller parks. But I am a sucker for waterfalls, and when a photo group planned a shoot at Southford Falls , I had to check it out.  The falls are a beautiful photo spot, but don’t stop there.  The state park is a great place to spend some time and wander around.  The falls run on Eight Mile Brook as it flows from Lake Quassapaug to the Housatonic River .  If you're mapping it out, be careful to avoid wrong turns from the naming convention used out here - this waterway is not to be confused with Seven Mile Brook or Six Mile Brook that both flow into the Eight Mile, or with Five Mile Brook
Read more

Mattabesett Trail – Mount Higby.

-
Image
Route 66 to Country Club Road :  4 ½ miles                 Trail Map How do you turn a 4 mile hike with friends into an 11 mile solitary excursion?  Some would answer “by being stupid!”.  But that might be a little harsh, it seemed like a good idea at the time... This hike started at Route 66 in Middlefield, then north to Country Club Road in Middletown . The Mount Higby section of the Mattabesett runs along another of the string of trap rock cliffs of the Metacomet Ridge.  Like the Beseck Ridge section to the south, Mount Higby has a long line of scenic outlooks to the north, west and south. Starting from the parking lot, follow the blazed and rocky connector trail a short distance north to meet the blue trail.  Head west, parallel to Route 66, and pass junctions for two local trails.  And then it’s time to climb the mountain.  The trail heads up the hill, switchbacks in the steeper sections, and opens to a view south toward Black Pond and Beseck Ridge.  A little farther,
Read more

The Legend of Mad Mare's Hill

-
Image
Gather round, my fainthearted friends.  It's a Halloween tale of ghosts and ghouls and the Mad Mare of Hamden's Hills.  She was a monster, black as night, standing 16 hands high.  Bred of Mustang and Shire Horse, she was wild and ill-tempered. But when the moon rises on All Hallow's Eve, something evil awakens in her very soul.  Nostrils flared, searching the air; the red tint of her crazed eyes glowing like fire in the moonlight. With a chilling whinny, an ear splitting neigh, she goes mad on Halloween night, terrorizing any who are fool enough to cross her hill... hmmhmmwah ha ha...
Read more