2024

2024 Year in Exploration

Other Years: 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

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January

• Windsor Center Trail – Quick morning loop on New Years Day
• Angelo Sferrazza Memorial Park – Quick hike on the out and back with the CT River running swift
• Upper Three Mile River Preserve – Great loop hike with rugged terrain, dense mountain laurel, and clear swift waters
• Sellew Preserve – The outer loop offers wooded views, rushing brook water, and access to the Air Line Trail
• Pocotopaug Preserve – very short well-traveled loop near the lake
• Upper Pine Brook Preserve – Steep descent in the brook valley looping past the ruins (of an old paper mill?)

February

• Church Farm – Rexplored the property to visit the new (to me) blue access trail and reacquaint myself with the rugged loop
• William Jezek Memorial Preserve – Short rooty trails down to a view of the Moodus Reservoir
• Sabine Reserve – Winding trail loops along an abandoned road with old foundations and history
• PeGus’s Path Preserve –
• Roaring Brook Preserve –
• Miller Farm Preserve –
• Batz Property – Was pleasantly surprised by this loop hike in the snow
• Mattabesett East Terminus – First hike of this end of the trail, bit snowy and wet but hiked 80% out and back

March

• Fenton Ruby Park – Hiked through a couple of the trails, really enjoyed the adirondack chairs on the first sunny day in a long time
• Blue Flag Meadow – Rehiked this loop after remembering Teale doesn’t allow dogs
• Tower Hill Preserve – First hike since making the movie last year, the waterfall was flowing good
• Bradley Buchanan Woods – Rains and beaver activity have flooded key trails here
• Torrey Preserve – First hike since my full tour of the JT properties, still a simple short loop off the Nipmuck
• Banningwood Preserve – Well selected trail loop with history, geology and viewpoints
• Honey Hill Preserve – Short woods loop through glacial till
• Saunders Preserve –
• River to Ridgetop North – Two visits to this property, long hike options, overlooks galore
• Natchaug State Forest – Rehiked the CCC loop and loved it, they’ve expanded/rerouted the trail since my last hike
• Hemphill Woods – First hike here in about 7 years, lots of freshly fallen trees and wet trail but a nice loop hike

April

• Cockaponset State Forest – Hiked the length of the blue blaze Cockaponset Trail and then worked back on the rest of the trails
• Raymond Brook Preserve – Hiked in from a different parking area for a change of pace
• Woodtick Recreation Area – Rehiked this popular flat walking path around Scoville Reservoir
• Whitestone Cliffs Trail – This hike as everything you could want overlook, waterfall, and great hiking in one short loop
• Five Mile Rock – Short hike to this out of the way historical landmark
• Merrow Preserve – Figure eight double loop that doesn’t see much hiking but gets down to Lake Hayward Brook
• Urbanik Reserve – Hiked the double loop and sat in the adirondack chairs next to the pond on a beautiful spring day
• Lena Reserve – First hike and was surprised to find newly expanded green and purple trails

May

• Nayantaquit Trail – First hike here in a couple years, this section of the Nehantic State Forest is being actively managed so there were a few large clear cuts slightly disrupting the trail
• Potter Meadow – This hike was foiled by flooding in both directions on this short loop trail
• Wolf Rock – This section of the Nipmuck trail has a new slight reroute from eroded old wood steps to well placed stone steps
• Mahoney Pond – Hiked this short trail and found fresh forest management before taking another crack at searching for Devil’s Den
• Lillinonah Trail – First hike of this rugged blue blaze loop, great rock features and surprisingly challenging
• Pootatuck State Forest – Hiked out the fantastic overlook and then down into Squantz Pond State Park to see the impressive Council Rock

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