A Walk Across the Giant

It's New England.  If you don't like the weather, wait a minute. The warm weather from the last few days gave way to howling winds and plummeting temperatures - back down anyway to the 20's and 30's where it belongs for January.  It's clear and sunny, and the last day of holiday before I go back to work tomorrow, so time for a little hike. You may have noticed photos from the last few days are trails at Sleeping Giant State Park.  I wrote an article for the Giant News - the association's newsletter.  The article was about being a Four Season Giant Master , hiking all the marked trails in the park in each season - spring, summer, fall and now finally winter.  On the off-chance the article is published in February's edition, I figure it's a good idea if I actually become  a Four Season Master by then.  Otherwise, my limited credibility as a writer suffers.  So I'm back on the Giant for the next few weekends pumping out the miles. ...

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.

April 18, 2010 Red Square Trail - 1.6 miles, 45 minutes Full Hike- 3½ miles, 2 hours I almost didn't make it.  A group of four deer ran across Tuttle Ave in front of me as I was driving to the trails today.  I saw them, I could stop.  But the guy behind me was paying more attention to his phone call than what was going on in front - so two things:  watch for deer around here, and put down the damn phone!! The Red Square trail is a north-south trail at the eastern end of Sleeping Giant Park - up and down over the Giant's shins.  I parked on Mansion Ave at the north trail head, so had to walk back north after I finished the trail.  I took a leisurely route - back the Square trail to the Yellow, then Yellow/Green, then Green trail to the Chestnut Lane parking lot, and then north on the Horse trail along the park's boundary back to the Square trail parking area.