It's just a nice morning for a hike...

-
My son was down from Boston, we took time for a little hike this morning - starting at the Tuttle Ave Red Circle trailhead, east over the horsetrail to the Red Square trail.  We took an unmarked trail off the Square.  It's on the park map as just a dotted line.  Maybe the Lost Vista trail I've heard of?  If so, the vista was lost behind the trees.  I'll check again in the winter - there should be good views north and east.


I took the map and pointed out the unmarked trail as our target.  Just after we passed the ski trail, I asked "Is this the turn-off?"
"I think so" he answered, "but we'll know if we pass the Violet in a minute."
"There it is - we're like Lewis and Clark!  Do you want to be Lewis or Clark?"
"Clark" he says.
"Why?  Did something happen to Lewis?"
"No, but his name was Meriwether."

Fair point.

After a little bushwacking, we picked up the blue trail and headed west, taking in the views from the Giant's knee.  A little farther, a pair of turkey vultures were riding the air currents - and flew up the cliffs just as we broke out of the trees.  It's impressive when a bird that size looks like it's coming right at you !

We hiked down the Red Circle along the stream and past the waterfalls, back to the trail head. With the stream running low, it was easier to check out the cave in the waterfall at the start of the Cascade - scaring a couple of birds off their nest in the process.  OK guys, the place is yours.  We're just passing through.



Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 8, 2010 at 7:17 PM

    Lost Vista is the unmarked trail between Violet and Blue on the East End. Go just past the intersection of Violet and Red Square and turn left onto the unmarked trail. It actually starts on the Red Square, but I've never taken it from there. There's a nice view of Castle Craig (if you've got good eyesight). If you keep on, you come to the Blue.

    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 ...
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 ope...
Read more

Chatfield Trail, Killingworth

-
Image
4.7 mile trail, with a ¾ mile alternate trail to make loop hikes possible. The Chatfield Trail runs between Route 80 and River Road in Killingworth, just south of Chatfield Hollow State Park .  The north section of the trail travels through Foster Pond State Park , an undeveloped section of the Cockaponset State Forest .  The southern section skirts state land and wanders through some privately owned property. I couldn't find good maps on line, so here's one more good reason to go out and buy the Connecticut Walk Books .  Chatfield Trail is in the East book. The north trailhead, with parking for about eight cars, is ¼ mile west of the state park on Route 80.  And old forest road starts you off from the parking area.  There’s also a new trailhead right across the street from the Chatfield Hollow entrance – it joins up with the main trail about a ¼ mile in.
Read more