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
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.

Goodwin State Forest

★★★★☆

41.785700, -72.083707

James L. Goodwin State Forest Connecticut State Forest 2,003 acres in Hampton and Chaplin, CT Parking: Lot at 23 Potter Rd, Hampton, CT Trail Map       …

Codfish Falls

★★☆☆☆

41.823937, -72.226878

Codfish Falls Mansfield Waterfall Small waterfall in Mansfield, CT Parking: Small pull-off near 99 Codfish Falls Rd Mansfield, CT Trail Map       Trails: Less than a mile …

Schoolhouse Brook Park

★★★☆☆

41.7778619,-72.2277815

Schoolhouse Brook Park Mansfield Town Park 455 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: Small lot near 186 Clover Mill Rd Mansfield, CT Trail Map       Trails: 8.5 miles …

Sawmill Brook Preserve

★★☆☆☆

41.751402, -72.210572

Sawmill Brook Preserve Mansfield Town Park 80 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: Small pull-off near 139 Puddin Ln Mansfield Center, CT Trail Map            …

Mt Hope Park

★★☆☆☆

41.807315, -72.168146

Mt. Hope Park Mansfield Town Park 35 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near 652 Warrenville Rd Mansfield, CT Trail Map         …

Simpson-Wood Preserve

★★☆☆☆

41.806916, -72.171671

Simpson-Wood Preserve Mansfield Town Park 114 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: Small lot across from 627 Warrenville Rd, Mansfield Center, CT Trail Map       Trails: 2…

Whitney Forest

★★☆☆☆

232 Oliver Rd, Lebanon, CT, USA

Whitney Forest Connecticut Blue Blaze Trail 85 acres in Lebanon, CT Parking: Small dirt lot near 232 Oliver Rd, Lebanon, CT Trail Map           Trails:…

Coney Rock

★★★☆☆

41.794751, -72.202390

Coney Rock Preserve Joshua’s Trust Property and Town of Mansfield Park Location: 134 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: Small pull-off near 501 Chaffeeville Rd Storrs, CT Shoulder… Read more…

Shenipsit Trail: South Terminus

★★★★☆

41.576774, -72.551996

Shenipsit Trail – South Terminus at Great Hill Connecticut Blue Blaze Trail – Shenipsit in Portland, CT Parking: Small lot and shoulder parking off gravel Gadpouch Rd…

Nipmuck Trail: Rt 89

★★☆☆☆

41.775308, -72.193533

Nipmuck Trail – Rt. 89 Crossing CFPA Blue Blaze Nipmuck Trail 1.33 miles in Mansfield, CT Parking: Across Rt. 89 at 174 Warrenville Rd Mansfield, CT Trail Map …