Stillman-Danaher Preserve & Topsmead State Forest - Litchfield, CT

Date Hiked: Saturday, June 9, 2018
Estimated distance:  1.85 miles at Stillman-Danaher + 3.07 miles at Topsmead
Weather: 73°F, sunny
Resources: Litchfield Land Trust, DEEP Topsmead SF
Highlights of the trip:  gardens, wildflowers, birds
Progress toward NET Hike 50 Challenge: 10.5/50 miles completed

Nearly two months ago, my hiking partner and I headed over to Litchfield to check out two properties neither of us had been to before.  First, we hiked the trail at Litchfield Land Trust's Stillman-Danaher Preserve and then we drove less than two miles down the road to Topsmead State Forest.

The hike at S-D was fine, but there were no views, even from Pinnacle Rock.  I think perhaps this is a trail best done in the winter, where you might get a peek through the trees or other features may stand out (see Peter Marteka's article here).  One thing we did find of interest were some young trees that seem to have some kind of disease.  I'm not sure this would be noticeable in the winter without the leaves.  It only seemed to be happening on young trees.  The thin branches were all twisted and there was a mass of dead leaves with new smaller leaves growing above.  My pictures were terrible and I haven't identified the tree.  The Land Trust thought it may be a beech tree, but I am not sure.  I have searched the internet for something similar, but without success.  I may have to go back and take better pictures.

What is wrong with this tree?

Spider with large egg sac.

 Topsmead State Forest

At Topsmead, we parked and strolled up to the former summer home of Edith Morton Chase.  The "cottage" is beautiful and is surrounded by lovely gardens and fields.  There is also an area of cedar and yew that forms a bit of a cave that I am sure kids would really enjoy.

Neat little "cave" under the trees.

As we wandered around the house, we also saw that there were bobolinks at the edge of the field.  I first saw these birds last year at the Winchester Land Trust's Hurlburt Field.

Bobolink

From the cottage we went back toward the cars, but turned north past a field with wildflowers to end up at a little pond lined with yellow irises.

Leafy spurge.

Cow vetch.

We took the trail that went past the pond and looped around back to the road and then walked across the fields on the southern side of the property.  There were lots of wildflowers and more birds.  The birds were blue, but I couldn't get a good enough look to say whether they were blue birds or barn swallows.  I am sure a real birder could tell simply from watching their flight, but I can't.

Ragged robin.

Orange Hawkweed aka Devil's Paintbrush.

Path through the pines.

  
Topsmead State Forest is an absolutely stunning piece of property and well worth another visit.  There are picnic tables in various places, so I would recommend stopping and getting some sandwiches and enjoying a picnic.  I would think this would be an ideal place to snowshoe or cross country ski in the winter months.

Auer Farm - Bloomfield, CT

Date Hiked: Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Estimated distance:  2.48 miles
Weather: 65°F, scattered clouds
Resources: Auerfarm, Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve, CTMQ
Highlights of the trip:  views
Progress toward NET Hike 50 Challenge: 10.5/50 miles completed

Playing catch-up blogging about my hikes.

In June, I joined the Take a Hike! Farmington Valley facebook group on a hike at Auerfarm.  Auerfarm is Connecticut's newest state park and it is well worth a visit.  This hike would be a nice one to do as a family, especially if you take the kids to visit the animals afterward.

We started our hike from the parking lot near the education buildings and walked back down the road to the turn off for the trail that goes up the hill.  For a shorter hike, there is parking near the trail.

When we reached the top of the hill, we followed the road around to a couple of abandoned cabins.  I love finding these old places, but it also makes me a little sad that they have fallen into ruin.

We then headed back to the mown trails that went across the fields.  The view from up here is spectacular and I was thrilled to find that I could see the Heublein Tower from the eastern side.

Heublein Tower is visible about a quarter of the way from the left hand side of the picture.

Check out that view looking north along the Metacomet Ridge!

We passed an apple orchard on our way down the hill back to the road.

 I highly recommend this hike and I am surprised it took me so long to get here.  I will be back.

CF&PA Trails Weekend: Scantic River State Park - East WIndsor

Date Hiked: Sunday, June 3, 2018
Estimated distance:  2.6 miles
Weather: 68°F, scattered clouds
Resources: Scantic River Park Map, American Heritage River Commission Facebook Page
Highlights of the trip:  new bridge
Progress toward NET Hike 50 Challenge: 10.5/50 miles completed


I have long wanted to participate in CT Forest & Park Association's Trails Weekend, and I finally made it happen this year.  I selected a hike in East Windsor that was along the Scantic River.  The parking for this event was at the end of Melrose Road on the east side of the river.  From the map, you can see that there is a Melrose Road on the other side of the river, but the road is not connected.

When I arrived, there were quite a few cars already lining the road and as I looked down to the end, there was a group of people all wearing the same color shirt.  Also, the person I parked behind had legislative plates on their car.  Ugh.  What was I getting into?  I thought I was just going for a hike.

It turns out, that the American Heritage River Commission, who had organized this hike, was having a ribbon cutting for the new bridge that had been laid down.  It was placed within the framework of the old Melrose Road Bridge.  The ribbon cutting and speech took very little time and then we were off on our hike.  I do not remember the name of the trails, but they make a big loop.  First we climbed up along the ridge and then came down and walked back along the river.

The river was very shallow and I don't think it would be good for kayaking right now.  When we got back, I checked out the new bridge.  I have included pictures of the signs that were on display. 

On the far side of the bridge, the volunteers have just started clearing a path that follows the old road bed.  It is still pretty rough, and it looks like it took a lot of work.  A lot of undergrowth.  I don't know if they plan on continuing it all the way to the western part of Melrose Road.  During the dedication of the bridge, someone in the audience was explaining that this used to be the main road for the farms to get their goods to the Connecticut River.  It makes sense if you look at a map.  Melrose Road runs straight into Route 140 which continues straight to the Connecticut River.

One of the highlights of this hike for me was speaking with the hike leader after the event.  I had been on the hike by myself, and didn't know anyone, so felt a little out of place.  After speaking with the leader and learning more about the work the Commission has done and other activities they organize, I left feeling glad that I had attended.

2017 Hike #28: McLean Game Refuge - Granby, CT

Date Hiked: Sunday, July 30, 2017
Estimated distance:  3.98 miles
Weather: 80°F, scattered clouds
Resources: McLean Game Refuge, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip:  Trout Pond
Progress toward 2017 Outdoor Goals:  28/52 hikes; 95.26/250 miles hiked


Catching up on blog posts. 

Spring Pond

Looking across field along Werbitzkas Loop.  I think this field may be part of Schiro Preserve.

West Branch of the Salmon Brook

2017 Hike #27: Peoples State Forest - Barkhamsted, CT

Date Hiked: Saturday, July 22, 2017
Estimated distance:  4.66 miles
Weather: 82°F, cloudy, humid
Resources: American Legion and Peoples State Forest, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip:  view
Progress toward 2017 Outdoor Goals:  27/52 hikes; 91.28/250 miles hiked

I joined the Simsbury Land Trust for a hike at Peoples State Forest.  We met at a pull-off on East River Road that had enough room for about 8-10 cars and was across from the Falls Cut Off and Jessie Gerard Trails.  It had been hot and humid during the week, but it was cloudy this morning which gave us a little reprieve.

We started our hike with the toughest part first (thank goodness).  We climbed the Falls Cut Off Trail and then headed north toward the lookouts.

Some tree clearing has been done and, at the first overlook, you can get a nice view of the West Branch of the Farmington River.  The second overlook that looks toward the town of Riverton has become a little more obscured.

After the overlooks we headed along the Jessie Gerard Trail, past the Veeder Boulders to Greenwoods Road.  We went through the Big Spring Area, crossed Beaver Brook Road and continued on the Charles Pack Trail.  We completed our loop by going west on the Agnes Bowen Trail to the Robert Ross Trail and then back down to our cars using the Jessie Gerard Trail.

A month has now passed since I took this hike and I realize I should have taken notes.  There was one woman in our group who was very knowledgeable about mushrooms.  We saw a lot of different varieties, but the coral fungus above is the only picture I took.

We also came across a foundation along one of the trails.  I can't remember the story behind it though!

Beaver Brook

Ledges near where we turned to go down Jessie Gerard Trail to our cars.

On our way down the Jessie Gerard Trail, we made a brief stop to see the Manitou Stones which mark an old cemetery.  This was near the Lighthouse Trail where there are some exhibits related to the old village that was here.  At this point many of us were pretty beat, and it had gotten fairly humid, so we skipped this short side trail.

Another great hike with the SLT.

2017 Hike #26: Northwest Park - Windsor, CT

Date Hiked: Sunday, July 16, 2017
Estimated distance:  3.77 miles
Weather: 84°F, scattered clouds
Resources: Northwest Park, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip:  butterflies, birds
Progress toward 2017 Outdoor Goals:  26/52 hikes; 86.62/250 miles hiked


Catching up on my blog posts.

I am working on a weekly photo challenge, and this week's challenge was "Path".  I decided to head over to Northwest Park because I knew they had some boardwalk-type paths over wet areas in the woods, plus trails in the fields that I thought might make nice photo opportunities.  I did take some photos, but I definitely need to work on my skills.

As you enter Northwest Park, there is a little pond on the left.  There are tons of fish and quite a few painted turtles there.  I took a few minutes to take a look.  When I left the park, there was a family tossing pieces of bread to the fish.  The kids were so excited to see all the fish coming up to get the bread.  Unfortunately, the turtles seemed interested, but weren't much of a match for the speedy fish.

Painted turtle

I started off taking the trails along the fields.  There were several butterflies.  While I would have said they were Monarchs, research makes me think they are really Viceroys.

Viceroy butterfly

I also saw some birds in the field.  While the coloring of the one below looks like a female Goldfinch, I don't think it is.  The beak doesn't look like a finch beak.  I am thinking some kind of warbler?  (Prairie or Blue-winged?)

There was also a male Goldfinch nearby, so maybe the previous one is the female.  I can't tell.

Goldfinch

After leaving the fields, I was on the Jurassic trail for awhile and from there to the Woody Succession trail. 

One of the boardwalks on the Woody Succession Trail.

And back out to the fields...

When I got back to the area of the barn and nature center, I took a little side trip to the Butterfly Garden and the Sensory Saunter Trails.  The flowers were beautiful and I loved listening to the aspen leaves rustle in the wind.

While I usually come here to hike, there are lots of other things to see and do.   The kids can go into the barn and see the animals, go to the nature center, and play on the playscape.  Bring a picnic and have some fun!