I spent quite a bit of time not writing this and trying to avoid mentioning both the season and my extended absence. As a result, it’s almost summer and it took me four months to get this out (so I failed at both goals here). It’s difficult to maintain productivity in all areas, so at least I can say I’m glad that it has been in hiking and adding new locations.Had I written this three months ago I would have mentioned how it had been a slow winter. I revisited a few favorites to get a sense of the seasonal differences, but there’s nothing like passing through a green fern glade or a shady hemlock grove to make you appreciate regrowth in spring. I did end up visiting all the parks of Mansfield (per my last entry). I hiked both River Park and Merrow Meadow as well as King Riverside and Nedweid to get a sense of the Willimantic River Trail. I learned of and then hiked Columbia’s Szegda Farm on the same day. I caught the overlook at Campbell’s Peaceful Valley and the birch grove at Stoppleworth. After torrential downpour, I snuck a late day hike at the Dorwart Preserve and turned around at the flooded iron bridges over the Fenton.
I followed strange sandwich plate trail markers at Thortonbrook Preserve (in the queue to add) and traveled the mountain bike trails of Moween (in the queue to update) by foot. I hiked the Nipmuck trail section north of Rt. 44 which nearly completes my section hike with just the last mile before the Massachusetts border left, something I’m saving for a special movie.
Speaking of movies, I released my first one in awhile about my hike on the Metacomet at Pinnacle Rock. I hiked up Rattlesnake Mtn., down Will Warren’s Den, over to Pinnacle Rock, and sought out the 1700s inscriptions on Hospital Rock. Hospital Rock is one of the most visited pages on this site and I knew those two miles of trail would be packed with history and wild wonder.
It’s also finally time to start filming Explore Connecticut: Season 1. I have three episodes planned and rough ideas for another set. Now comes the difficult yet rewarding work of piecing them together. Episode 1 will take place at Gillette Castle and should be ready soon. I’m excited to try to make my vision match the execution.
Ideas I’m considering for the site:
- A “Where to Start” guide
- Features like trail distance, main features, and perhaps a rating to the map popups
- A gif for each location
Around the State:
- CFPA – Events Calendar
- June 21st – Summer Solstice Evening Paddle 5-7PM