2020

2020 – Year in Exploration

Other Years: 201620172018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Stats:

  • 1 website complete crash
  • 6 months rebuilding
  • 99 locations explored
    • Coming back to update this with a breakdown
  • 150,878 website views
  • 1,017 hours of YouTube movies watched

[expand title=”Story of 2020″]

  • exploreCT.org’s 2020 mirrored the tumultuousness of the real world. I had the stirrings of server problems at the end of 2019 continuing through January and February until [The Great Crash] came in March.
  • I was forced to delete my site, lose my backups, and rebuild from square one
  • Rebuilding was much slower than I expected taking a full six months to get [Back to 100%]. But, the site was stronger, faster, better; or so I thought.
  • In the Fall, cleared from rebuilding the site, I had a list of changes accumulated that I was looking to fix. I would update one aspect, fix a gap, tweak and customize only to realize doing so had broken elements of my site and exposed weaknesses I didn’t know where there.
  • These broken elements and weaknesses were technical jargon filled messes. But, I treated it like a puzzle in a video game. I had to solve this puzzle by reading notes left by others (questions in online forums) piecing the disparate information together while figuring out how it applied to the unfamiliar style of puzzle in front of me. Let me tell you, it was SO satisfying to finally unlock the puzzle and fix the issues.
  • Heading into 2021, the site is (for now) at its best point ever and well positioned to in breadth, depth, and usefulness.

[/expand]

Talcott Ravine

★★★☆☆

41.823406, -72.493271

Talcott Ravine Northern Connecticut Land Trust Property 26 acres in Vernon, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near 9 Main St Vernon, CT Map         …

Hartman Park

★★★☆☆

41.426842, -72.286704

Hartman Park Lyme Town Park / Lyme Land Trust 302 acres in Lyme, CT Parking: Small lot near 122 Gungy Rd, Lyme, CT Trail Map     …

Bernard Church Woods

★☆☆☆☆

41.818962, -72.153062

Bernard Church Woods Joshua’s Trust 37 acres in Chaplin, CT Parking: Shoulder parking near 385 Bujak Rd, Chaplin, CT Trail Map        Trails: 0.5 miles   …

Nayantaquit Trail

★★★☆☆

41.395990, -72.307044

Nehantic State Forest: Nayantaquit Trail Connecticut State Forest and Blue Blaze Trail 1,667 acres in Lyme, CT Parking: Large lot near Keeny Rd, Lyme, CT Trail Map … Read more…

Walker Mountain

★★☆☆☆

41.975883, -72.140336

Yale Forest: Walker Mountain Connecticut Blue Blaze Trail in Ashford and Union, CT Parking: North end: Shoulder parking just east of the main entrance to Bigelow Hollow… Read more…

Yale Forest: Eastford Road

★★☆☆☆

41.924486, -72.162718

Yale Forest: Eastford Road Connecticut Blue Blaze Trail in Ashford, CT Parking: North end: Small pull-off near 253-77 Boston Hollow Rd Ashford, CT South end: Shoulder parking… Read more…

Nipmuck Trail: Marsh Road

★★☆☆☆

41.848349, -72.223530

Nipmuck Trail: Marsh Road Blue Blaze Trail in Willington and Ashford, CT Parking: North end – Shoulder parking near 298 CT-74 Ashford, CT South end – Spur…

Natchaug State Forest: Perry Hill

★★☆☆☆

41.880034, -72.194366

Natchaug State Forest: Perry Hill Connecticut State Forest and Blue Blaze Trail in Ashford, CT Parking: North end – Shoulder parking near 68-198 Oakes Rd Ashford, CT… Read more…

Nipmuck: Chaffeeville Silk Mill

★★☆☆☆

41.806279, -72.216923

Nipmuck Trail: Chaffeeville Silk Mill Connecticut Blue Blaze Trail in Mansfield, CT Parking: North end – Shoulder parking near Gurleyville Gristmill or along Stonemill Rd, Storrs, CT… Read more…