After some challenges, we reached the Raptor Woods Trailhead
Pyrola/shinleaf and Indian pipes
Glacial erratic
Stone marking Paugassett Indians
Recent human artifact 🙂
Obstacle course to reach our lunch
Success, and well worth it for good Greek food!
Par of DEEP Sky’s the Limit Challenge
30 May 2018
West Woods Trails starts on Peddler’s Road
(Text from Guilford Land Trust site) The forest and marshes in and around Westwoods were used by Guilford’s settlers as agricultural lands.
Lost Lake, looking south, with fog rolling in
Trees were cleared, stone walls were built, livestock were grazed, and where Lost Lake stands today, salt hay was harvested.
Lady’s slippers
The story of this forest is similar to that of many forests throughout Connecticut. As the demand for charcoal and firewood increased, Westwoods was further divided into smaller parcels to become wood lots.
At the Lost Lake overlook
There was some quarrying at its center. Around the turn of the century, Stiles Brick Company of North Haven purchased large tracts of the forest to supply wood for its kilns.
We couldn’t find the smiley face trail markers but we did find this!
After our hike, we enjoyed dining al fresco on the Guilford Green with treats from The Marketplace.
(Text from the DEEP website) Located in the rock-strewn valley of the Housatonic River amid the rugged hills of the northwestern uplands, Housatonic Meadows is an ideal setting for a variety of outdoor recreational activities. Camping under the tall pines on the riverbank gives the overnight visitor a genuine back-to-nature feeling. The clear, cold river water also provides a fine opportunity for fly fishermen to test their skills on trout and bass. A two-mile stretch of river (including the park shore) is limited to fly fishing. In 1927 Housatonic Meadows was established as a state park.
At the trailhead
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) along the way
At the overlook of the Housatonic River Valley
A group of Yale students hiking the AT
Fellow DEEP Sky’s the Limit hiker Jim with Cherry
Followed by lunch at the Goshette
Our waitress understood my taking home our left over french fries for my neighbor’s chickens.
(Text from the DEEP site)
The pond, which is the central feature of the park, was originally constructed by a pioneering family named Day. The water from the pond turned a large overshot waterwheel that powered the “up and down saw” of the family sawmill. Park visitors today will find only stone foundations as reminders of those colonial times. Day Pond is an attractive area for fishermen since the pond is stocked with trout. It was established as a park in 1949.
To begin the geologic exploration of the Day Pond, cross the dam, and then follow the blue trail to the left. The abundance of boulders in the woods indicate this area is covered with till, the unsorted material left behind by the glaciers. Till contains grain sizes from microscopic clay grains to boulders as large as houses. Till is generally found on the hilltops, while stratified drift is found in the valleys, where heavy melt water from the glaciers sorted the materials into deposits of similar sized grains. Natural sand and gravel deposits thus occur in valleys.
Wake-robin/Red Trillium
The Quaint
The Ugly
Rewarded with lunch!! Chili dog and whitefish sandwich. Yum.
Sky’s the Limit Site #11
From the DEEP website:
The Pachaug River was a major fishing ground for the Mohegan Indians. At low water the stone weirs, constructed by the Indians at angles from the river banks, are still visible. These weirs directed water flow as well as eels, shad, and other fish toward the center of the stream where the Indians placed baskets to trap them. Until blocked up by a dam, constructed in 1828 at Greenville, shad passed up the Quinebaug River in great numbers.
In pioneer times, the gristmill and sawmill were among the first requisites of a community. In 1711, surveyor Stephen Gates was granted fourteen acres of land within the limits of the present state park for the purpose of constructing mills. He erected a sawmill and cornmill at the natural falls (now underwater) on the Pachaug River for the convenience of the inhabitants. In 1818, Elizah Abel purchased this mill privilege and erected a woolen mill at the site. John Slater later purchased the woolen mill, sawmill, and gristmill; he then built a satinet mill faced with local granite. He named his new mill the Hope Mill. The name Hopeville was derived from this and has remained to the present time. In 1860, the village of Hopeville reached its zenith with the tremendous demands for woolens. At this time, it was owned by Edwin Lanthrop and Company and prospered until 1881 when the mill was destroyed by fire, never to be rebuilt. At the turn of the century, the church and four houses in the community burned. Furthermore, in 1908, the gristmill which had operated from 1711 until that time also went up in flames.
View from parking area
The site’s suitability for recreational activities was recognized in the 1930’s when the Federal Government purchased considerable acreage in Eastern Connecticut. These lands were managed by the Civilian Conservation Corps with evidence of much of the work done by the CCC still visible in the pine plantations, forest roads, and fire control ponds. Most of these federally purchased lands now comprise portions of the nearby Pachaug State Forest. In 1938 Hopeville Pond was designated as a state park.
High water flow on our hike
Bizarre canker in birch tree
We reach the small waterfall
It must be time for lunch!
Sky’s the Limit #5
Colonial New England was famed for its use of water power to drive the machinery in its mills. The potential energy that could be harnessed from flowing water was based on the steepness of the elevational drop in the streambed; the greater the drop, the more the potential power.
Water was raging during our visit!
(Text from the DEEP site) Iron making was one of the many industries to use water power. Iron ore was processed in a blast furnace and produced iron that could be formed into a wide variety of items necessary in 18th century America. It is from a former iron furnace on this site that the park draws its name. And this furnace was especially of value in the revolutionary war when it was a major supplier of horseshoes, a commodity greatly needed by the Continental Army. As times changed and the iron ore resource was exhausted, the need for and use of water power also changed. By the 1830s, this location was the site of a grist mill.
Interesting bridge crossing!
Through the years as local industry changed on the land, so too was there change in the ownership of the land. By 1909 the property owner, William Pike, made the decision to sell the location to the town of Killingly for a municipal park. Nine years after that, in 1918, Killingly sold the park property to the State of Connecticut which has since added more land to form the park we have today. And while explorers will find some remnants of the furnace operation still existing by the brook, many early features have been lost over the years to the landscaping that created the present park setting.
Rock formations
Today the park’s recreational landscape compliments the historic landscape of yesterday. One of Connecticut’s best short hiking trails is a case in point. Hikers may access the trail by crossing Furnace Brook opposite the picnic area and locating the light blue blazes on the trees. Any question of effort will prove worthwhile with the panorama from the rocky outcrops. The view, from 200 feet above the valley, is described by some as stunning, and encompasses Half Hill Pond (also known as Upper Ross Pond) in the immediate foreground and in the distance an unobscured view across eastern Killingly and beyond into Rhode Island. A lush mix of deciduous and coniferous tree cover surrounds the lowland wetlands and adds a special mix of vibrant color in the fall.
Beautiful ferns and formations
Brunch… (and she ate the whole thing!)
And so we start.
Pileated woodpecker holes
We heard peepers… spring IS coming!
Beautiful scenic overlook of Salmon Cove… kayaking soon…
Empty sunflower seeds and a small hinge in the base of the tree… a mystery
Yummy lunch at Two Wrasslin’ Cats, East Haddam, CT
