Hike #1: Great Pond - Simsbury, CT

Date Hiked:  Friday, January 1, 2016
Estimated distance round-trip: 1.43 miles
Weather: 39°F, cloudy
Resources: Massacoe State Forest, Great Pond Trail Map
Highlights of the trip: Pileated Woodpecker, winter colors

Not a very long hike, but I wanted to accomplish something on New Year's Day.  I chose a short, level hike because I was not sure what I would find in terms of ice. There had been about an inch of snow/sleet earlier in the week and I was afraid that if it had been packed down it would be icy.  Instead, I found that there were areas that were clear and then other areas that had mushy snow.  No sheets of ice.

I headed counter-clockwise around the pond and past a couple of beaver lodges.  The pond had a skim of ice on it in some places, but had open water in others.

Winterberry against White Birch

Red Pine and Rhododendron

Shortly after passing through the Rhododendron tunnel, I saw a Pileated Woodpecker.  He was working his way up a tree at the edge of the pond.  As I fumbled around with my phone trying to get a picture, he went around the back-side of the tree.  I never did manage to get a picture of him.

Open water on the north side of the pond.

There were a number of ducks out on the open water on this side of the pond.  They flew a little farther away as I approached the shoreline. 

This was a short, quiet hike that was a good start to the new year.