A Walk Across the Giant

Violet and Yellow Trails - 5.4 miles After all the snow a few days ago, it was time to get out into the woods for a couple of hours.  Head to toe on the Giant and back again.  I picked the Violet and Yellow trails since they stay off the rocks (for the most part anyway) and were likely to have the best footing.  Packed snow most of the way, with just a bit of blazing my own trail.

Sunday - Boxing Day - low 30's, driving wind, snow threatening - perfect day for hike (but just a short one).  Hiking with some of the Sleeping Giant crew on a small section of the Mattabesett Trail: Giuffrida Park and Chauncey Peak in Meriden. Giuffrida Park is just off Westfield Road in Meriden, with a parking lot at the south end of Crescent Lake.  The hike takes us on the white trail around the west side of the lake, then up Chauncey on the blue blazed Mattabesett Trail, back down the mountain and around to the parking lot - a 3 mile loop around the lake with views all around from the mountain peak.                                                                 Trail Map No skating yet, good thing we're just here for a hike Once around the lake, we crossed a bridge over the stream to start the climb...

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...

On Sunday,  the Sleeping Giant Park Association celebrated the season with their Holiday Hike and Social.  About 50 people showed up for a two mile hike, and more met up for the party a little later.  After all, who can resist a roaring fire, cookies and snacks and hot mulled cider with friends on a chilly afternoon.  Add in a Christmas Carol sing, and you've got the Holiday Social. Hiking down the Nature Trail A short break at the overlook Almost time for the carol sing The SGPA is a volunteer organization to protect and enhance the park - maintaining and improving the hiking trails with the Trail Crew, organizing hikes to bring more people into the park and to teach them what's around, maintaining the park website and its quarterly newsletter to keep us informed about what's going on there.  And keeping an eye on neighboring land to protect and expand the park. They do a tremendous job making sure Sleeping Giant stays a great place to visi...

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.

Colchester CT 6.7 mile loop trail through the Salmon River State Forest and the Day Pond Brook State Park .      Trail Map                   Salmon River State Forest              Day Pond State Park The Salmon River Trail starts with a stroll across one of the last active covered bridges in Connecticut , the Comstock Bridge .  This photo is from a great site that chronicles the covered bridges in the state.  The bridge was built in the 1870’s for horse and buggy, and then pedestrian, traffic.  But here’s the state of the bridge today.  It was starting to sag and fail, and the great news is that instead of being replaced with a modern bridge, it’s being restored with much of the original material and design.  Expected completion next June.  You can catch up on the details here . 

For all the research I do about the park or forest I'm hiking, sometimes there's a welcome surprise or two. While I finish cleaning up the photos, here are a few shots of the day. For any of Carmi's friends visiting from Written, Inc - black and white with a twist. Come back in a few days and I'll take you on a wander around the Salmon River and Day Pond Brook. It's too nice to stay inside.  Besides, I don't know any of the symphonies for two hands and a paw. Hunters forewarned - I AM NOT A DEER Even black and white, I love the falls!

American Legion State Forest – the trails that  CCC built Park Web Site                                    Trail Map The American Legion State Forest is on the west bank of the west branch of the Farmington River in Barkhamsted , CT.   It’s a beautiful area, great for camping, fishing, canoeing along the river, with two short blue-blazed trails: the Henry Buck Trail , and the Turkey Vulture Ledge Trail.  I was at Bradley Airport early Thursday morning, about 20 minutes away, so picked these for a quick hike.

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...

Heartbreak Hill I'm working toward the Four Seasons Giant Master - hiking all 30 miles of trails at Sleeping Giant State Park once each season.  Spring and Summer are done, and since we're almost halfway through Fall with weekends getting busy, I packed the trek into two days.  No stories, no camera, no photos - just plugging along, getting the miles done. It's either training for a Giant Marathon (everything in one day) or justification for taking it slow and enjoying the trails.  Give me a couple of days to decide! OK, one photo with my phone snuck through:  my version of Heartbreak Hill above - looking up the trail to the ascent of Giant's Head halfway through day 2, and wondering if my rubbery legs will get me there - go Gumby go.

or at least Connecticut' s little piece of it. Bear Mountain, Mt. Frissell , Brace Mountain loop Bear Mountain - as seen from the west on Mt Frissell Bear Mountain , in the northwest corner of Connecticut , is the state’s highest summit.  But not the state highpoint.  That honor belongs to a little section of the south face of Mount Frissell .  This New Haven Hiking Club hike took us up and over Bear and Round Mountains , and then up Frissell in Massachusetts , over to the Taconic Ridge and Brace Mountain in New York .  Three states, one state highpoint, four mountain summits and a great hike; about 12 miles on a beautiful autumn Sunday. We started from the Route 41 parking lot and trailhead, about three miles north of Salisbury , CT on the blue blazed Undermountain Trail.  This is a popular spot; the parking was already filled when we got there at 9am .  Two groups headed up with us, but we were hiking at a pretty good pace, and lost them...

Have you been to Sleeping Giant State Park ?  I spent a long lunch there today, but not where you'd expect. Northwest across Tuttle Avenue, the Butterworth Brook property is not developed - no trails yet - but this time of year is really worth a look... Enter along Butterworth Brook

Sunny and 60 o – an absolutely beautiful morning in Kent .  The leaves are starting to turn – reds and yellows brighten the day.           State Park Website                                     Trail Map You couldn’t script a better start to the hike today.  Sound – babbling brook in the main park picnic area, wind rustling the leaves, a hawk screeches in the distance.  Cue the wildlife – three deer bolt off into the woods as the hawk circles overhead.  And action – start east up the hill on the Blue Trail in Macedonia State Park .  This 2300 acre state park has camping spring to fall, fishing and of course, hiking – seven marked trails including the 6.7 mile blue-blazed loop. 

Route 68 to Route 66 section, Middlefield / Durham - 5.7 miles But since I hiked it out and back and around a little, make it about 12 miles. Where to hike next?  A friend from work remembered a photo she had, a view off a cliff with water in the background, somewhere around Middletown – maybe Mattabesett Mountain ?  A confirming email from her friend came back – the Mattabesett trail south of 691.  Check the Connecticut Walk Book – that sounds like the Beseck Ridge section of the trail. I parked at the Route 66 parking lot on the north side of 66, just west of the Baileyville Rd (Rt 147) intersection.  A trail leads north and then east from the lot, passing the Mattabesett sign, and the ubiquitous CFPA  warning: “STOP – PROCEED WITH CAUTION.  This section of the Blue-Blazed Hiking Trail traverses a portion of the Metacomet Range , a series of high traprock ridges that drop precipitously at the cliff edge.  A fall from the ridge wil...