A Walk Across the Giant

Folklore, tribal knowledge.  Happens all the time at work - a certain method, something we do for one product and not another, something we all "know" about a customer.  Tribal knowledge.  It's not written down (at least somewhere you can find), it's passed down from one person to another - one operator, engineer, salesman. Sometimes the story grows, a little bit added each time.  Until it becomes more legend than real and loses any effectiveness.  Or it goes the other way, ignored.  And unless it gets written down, someday the storytelling ends and it's lost forever.  But even then, the written version never seems as good as the telling. I met an old friend for the first time.  Which sounds weird, but I went hiking Saturday with Julie. She writes a blog (or better stated the blog) about hiking Sleeping Giant, http://hikeagiant2.wordpress.com .  I Googled Sleeping Giant Trails when I started hiking again this spring and her blog came up....

“The Westwoods trail system is the largest recreational area for hiking in Guilford . Westwoods contains 39 miles of trails on 1,200 acres. It contains a wide diversity of fascinating natural formations such as cave structures, water falls, salt and fresh water marshes, inland tidal lake, carved rock sculptures and rock formations.” That's the intro on the Guilford Land Trust website .  A copy of the trail map is available here , but the best bet is to stop at Bishop's Orchards nearby on Route 1and pick up a larger copy (along with any fruits, veggies and pies you might need - I love this place!). The hike was organized by the meetup.com New Haven Treks .  It was a cloudy day, but cool and breezy - good hiking weather.  We hit the White, Yellow and Orange circle trails, along with a few side trails; approx 5 miles.  These are multi-use trails – a biker in full battle gear rode out of the trail just as we were gathering, and did a wheelie drop off the parking lot ...

Trying to pick a trail?  Anything along the water works for me... Post inspired by Carmi's Thematic Photographic 114 - Reflections

Zoar Trail – 6 ½ mile Loop Trail on the west shore of Lake Zoar in the lower block of the Paugussett State Forest in Newtown, CT Note - normally I can find a trail map online to share.  This time you'll just have to pick up a copy of the Connecticut Walk Book. Scenic , /’ si n ɪ k,  ‘ s ɛ n ɪ k / (adj) 1.       of or relating to natural scenery < a scenic view> 2.       having pleasing or beautiful scenery Would you describe this as scenic? How about this – is this scenic? If you weren’t sure, let me fill you in.  These were taken along the 2.4 mile section of the Zoar Trail designated as a “Scenic Trail”.  Now what do you think?  Quite scenic, eh??  Good thing they told you, wasn't it? A really empty beach From the parking lot on Great Quarter Road in Newtown, the trail runs along the shore of Lake Zoar (the Housatonic River north of the Stevenson...

9  ½  mile loop hike - Mattabesett Trail and Lone Pine Trail - Guilford and Madison, CT Trail Map - Guilford's Northwoods Trail System What better place to start hiking the Mattabeset than right in the middle? I was on my own Sunday, so I picked a loop route - 5 ½ miles of the Mattabesett, then back around on the 4 mile Lone Pine Trail. Starting and ending at the trail parking lot on Route 77 in northern Guilford. Heading west from the parking lot, the trail starts off with a bang – a very steep climb up Bluff Head. The main trail climbs almost straight up to the 720’ crest, but there’s a side trail (blue blaze with orange dots) that takes an easier route up the hill. Your choice – 300 yards straight up, or 1 mile zigzagging up the side. I had almost 10 miles to go, so straight up it is!  Complete with warning signs from CFPA noting it's a bad idea to fall from the ridge! There are a series of rock outcroppings along the edge that allow great views east and south ...

To follow up on my last post about Coke’s “Vote for Your Favorite Park” campaign ... I was at Sleeping Giant today, and met a seemingly sane young woman. During our short conversation, I happened to mention Coke’s marketing contest that will give $100,000 to the State or National Park that gains the most votes on their website. And that I thought it was a cool thing for the company to do. And then I got hit with a verbal two by four - Didn’t I realize that the reason America’s kids are overweight is because of companies like Coke! How could someone like me, who purportedly lives a healthy lifestyle (I hike therefore I am) even think of supporting this campaign to make Coke look better?? First I had to clear something up. I enjoy a good hike. I also enjoy a bacon cheeseburger and a bottle of Yuengling. Guess that makes me tough to pigeonhole. Next I turned her around, pointed out toward the mountain, and said “Coca Cola, a 30 billion dollar multi-national corporation, is goi...

Let's help Coca Cola spend some money!! The Coca Cola Company has supported America's National Parks for years.  And now they are running a contest, offering a $100,000 grant to the park that gets the most votes.  Click this link to check the contest website and vote for your favorite State or National Park.  Last time I looked, Sleeping Giant Park had 18 votes, and Bear Head Lake State Park in Minnesota was slightly ahead with 1.3 million votes.  Come on, Sleeping Giant fans - we can do it!! screenshot from Coke's livepositively.com