Swan Hill, Haddam

26 06 2013

Swan Hill 06.26.13 001It was hazy. It was hot. And it was humid. But Cherry and I, along with a million or so mosquitoes, trekked the Swan Hill preserve in Higganum. We began June 26, at 8:30AM, parking at Haddam Elementary School during the first week of summer vacation and the first (unofficial) week of Cherry’s retirement. We skirted the playing fields and entered the woods at the northern most trailhead. We started our conversation with a discussion about communication and its challenges.

We hadn’t walked far before we crossed a Bible Rock Brook, looking lovely and refreshing today. WeSwan Hill 06.26.13 003 climbed uphill to reach 240-foot Swan Hill and amazing views of the Connecticut River. We enjoyed the small bench at the top and continued assessing the pluses and minuses of several situations we were confronting. We were interrupted by a shout from a hiker, who turned out to be a church friend of Cherry’s and her two dogs. After a fun conversation, they continued on their way and we sat a bit longer before continuing in the opposite direction.

The trail map (available at http://haddamtrails.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SwanHill.pdf) did not include all the options on the ground. But we meandered around and were always surprised to discover where we ended. It was virtually impossible to get lost, but we were rarely certain where we were.

We enjoyed the second vista that overlooked Higganum and the reservoir, where we had hiked earlier. By 10:30 we were happy enough to find ourselves again at the main trail junction and headed back to the cars, taking the more southerly trail back to the school playing fields.

This may be the last of our Haddam trail hikes. We have set up our next adventure to be in the town of Deep River, and will take a day to explore some of its historical, natural, and cultural amenities.


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Haddam Trails: Route 81 Loop

24 05 2013

Route 81 loop 002On Monday, Cherry and I continued our Haddam trails visits with a hike at what is called Route 81 loop. We found the trailhead on the north side of Beaver Brook Road, west of the junction with Route 9, and began our hike around 8:45AM. It was cool and gray as we crossed a gently flowing stream and wandered through dense vegetation. The trail was initially distinct and we had a map. Keep to the left, we decided, in order to avoid inadvertently leaving the main trail and ending up at one of the other parking areas.

 Cherry talked about nearing retirement and all the activities she’d been pursuing. Between church variety shows and a Master Gardener trip to the Cloisters, symphony performances and trying to clean out her files, she had been quite busy. She affirmed that this was the right decision for her and we laughed about how the timing evolved.

Route 81 loop 003

We found a live oak peppered with pileated woodpecker holes and trekked through large laurel thickets. We had surprise eye delights of swamp pink and lady’s slippers along the way. Cherry said she’d decided not to travel to Buenos Aires, but would be joining a church group to the Holy Land in February. She would have plenty of time to renew her passport and have something to look forward to all winter.

Route 81 loop 007We crossed several small streams cascading over bedrock. With newly emerged leaves, the mixture of colors and patterns, combined with bird calls, the trail was enticing. I managed to discover yet another tick imbedded in me (that made three over the past 24 hours) and another crawling on me. I talked about progress with my city project to convert an old school to a senior center and the improved health of the 90 year old woman I assist (after a fall and stint at the hospital, she was now at the rehab center).

The area was delightful, showing little sign of overuse. However, in a few sections, more bright green trail markings would have been useful, and perhaps a sign indicating the direction of the side trail to parking. After about two hours, we’d returned to the car parked on Beaver Meadow Road, completing a 2.7 mile loop. True confessions? We stopped by a local shop in Higganum to grab a snack, sit at an outside table, relax together, and schedule our next trip.


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Middlesex County Rocks!

20 05 2013

Jim at Bible Rock 001Jim, who’s interested in caves and rocks, visited yesterday from Pittsfield, MA, so we did a rock tour of Middlesex County. We started at Bible Rock in Middletown/Haddam. Set back about a hundred feet from the road, this eight-foot high split rock looks like an open book, or Bible. The nearby brook is also named after this feature.

After taking photographs, we crossed the road to take a brief stroll along the rocks and stream flowing near the Seven Falls picnic area. Likely a CCC project, a mostly-intact table served as a spot for us to review maps and set our next stops.

We agreed to drive north to Dripps Road and visit Spiderweed, a Nature Conservancy preserve. After a brief exploration Spiderweed 002 of the ruined cottage, we reached the beryl-rich pegmatite outcrops and saw Appalachian sandwort (Arenaria glabra). Common to the south and abundant in these unusual rock formations in the north, it’s a spring flowering annual. We caught a glimpse of the Connecticut River through the lush spring foliage.

After a snack and return to the car, we drove south to Durham to start on the Mattabesett Trail leading directly to Coginchaug Cave. Rising thirty feet high and stretching more than fifty feet along the base of a cliff, it provided shelter to Native Americans long ago. Blacked rock and stone fire pits suggest recent fires but artifacts have apparently been uncovered at this site.

When we returned to the car, we decided to take a lunch break. We then went across the Connecticut River to Portland to try to find Bodkin Rock. After several futile efforts (and getting covered in low-tide mud), we decided a water approach would be more successful and would have to wait for a future adventure.

Before returning to Middletown, we drove along the old Portland quarry, recently converted into a tasteless zipline and water park (preference for the natural features showing here). By then, it was raining and the park was closed to visitors.

The Ledges 001In Middletown, we explored the conglomerate rock ledges off Kelsey Street. We saw flowering lady’s slippers and columbine, along with a long series of shelters. We attempted unsuccessfully to match the now overgrown landscape with some 1910 photos of the area. We enjoyed the flow of East Round Hill Brook before calling it a day.

Obviously, many other rocks of notice and importance are in Middlesex County, but this was a good start!


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Higganum Reservoir

29 04 2013

Cherry and I have started hiking again! check out: Higganum Reservoir.


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Higganum Reservoir

29 04 2013

Haddam Reservoir 04.29.13 001Cherry and I were ready to start hiking again! This time, we decided to focus on trails in Haddam, her hometown. We used www.haddamtrails.org as our guide.

It turns out there were thirteen trails in town, of which we’d already hiked one as part of the Mattabessett Trail. There also were three in Cockaponset and we’d tried some of that already. So, today, we started with Higganum Reservoir Trail. A round-trip of about a mile and a half, we knew it wouldn’t take long.

It was a cloudy day with temperatures in the fifties, which made for a perfect hike. At 8:30, we parked at the north end of the reservoir to look at the spillway, comprised of large brownstone slabs. We then meandered through a nearby cemetery to reach Hull Avenue and locate the trailhead. We talked about Cherry’s upcoming retirement and issues related to continuation of her programs once she was gone. She also shared about a potential trip she might take to Buenos Aires in January, which sounded quite exciting.

We were disappointed that the trail was so far from the reservoir, so we bushwhacked down to it and tried to follow along. We did get a few nice views of the waterway, while we talked about the current state of my writing. I talked about an in-progress short story and challenges in completing it by Thursday and Cherry was encouraging about its plot line.

Haddam Reservoir 04.29.13 002 Seeing no clear way to continue along the reservoir, we returned to the trail and encountered two women walking three barking dogs. We were glad to move past them and find the source of the reservoir, a lovely stream flowing over rock outcrops. Reaching the other trailhead, we backtracked, staying on the official trail. Cherry asked about my recent trip to Stockholm and Denmark and I told her about the various foods and sights we’d seen. By then, we had returned to our parked car.

 Since it was still early, we decided to hike along the railroad tracks along the river in the center of town. Not an official trail, it crossed Higganum Cove (a superfund site containing PCBs, municipal solid waste, and asbestos.) before reaching the river. Being very low tide, we were able to explore the small beach before hiking north along the tracks. After a half hour, we turned and retraced our steps and returned to our cars at 11:30AM.

 Cherry hadn’t been to either of these areas, so we had a nice introduction to Haddam’s trails. To top it off, we decided to lunch at Mamma Roux’s on chili and gumbo. Cherry suggested a plan for future adventures that included selecting a Connecticut town and spending the day exploring trails, shops, and museums, and sampling a restaurant. I didn’t hesitate to agree. We’ll pick our first town after retirement at the end of June. Meanwhile, we’ll head back to Haddam in May to sample another trail or two.


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Reaching the Sound

22 01 2013

Guilford harborLast Thursday, Cherry and I set out to hike the final portion of the Menunkatuck Trail to Long Island Sound. We met at 1:00pm at Chittenden Park on Seaside Lane and headed north with one car to the trail head on Clapboard Hill Road.

The entire route was along roads and, with snow recently, it was preferable to walk in the street when possible. It was about 40 degrees and sunny, but the initial section of street was rather busy and there were small shoulders. Cherry updated me on the almost completed status of her new garage, which was a huge relief for her. The Clapboard Hill section to Tanner Marsh Road, also known as Dudleytown (according to research done after returning home), had a host of historic homes. Cherry noted that one of them, dating from 1788, was quite similar to her house (1780). We turned down Tanner Marsh Road and were charmed by old farms and lovely homes and a much quieter neighborhood. Cherry spoke about coming to terms with being Alone, after significant loss in her life. She also whole-heartedly embraced her upcoming retirement in June, despite uncertainty about the future of her PEP program. We had an exchange about relationships and addressed that Alone concept again.

We then reached a stretch that covered Routes 1 and 146. As a main thoroughfare, this was most difficult to enjoy and almost impossible to carry on a conversation. Eventually, we reached Lovers Lane, which we followed to Old Whitfield Road past the Henry Whitfield Museum. We climbed up over the RR tracks (boo, no train going underneath), where I described the myriad options for me this coming weekend and how to make most of them happen. (Little did I know I’d wake up the following morning with a GI tract virus that forced me to cancel each and every plan over which I had angsted!)

We continued to Armster’s  Spaceship, before turning down Sunset Lane to the park and our final destination, a view of Long Island Sound. Clearly Storm Sandy had wrecked havoc here, although the water was tranquil and hid its potentially destructive nature. We were charmed by some flowering forsythia en route and, after covering the final 3.68 miles in just over two hours, congratulated ourselves on completing yet another milestone — hiking the Menunkatucket Trail from start to finish.

What will we do next? Find out next month (weather permitting).


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Third Time’s The Charm

22 12 2012

Cindy Lane to Clapboard Hill Road 002Thursday, for the third time, Cherry and I set out to walk the Menunkatuck Trail between Cindy Lane and Clapboard Hill Road (the first time, we lost the Cindy Lane trail head; the second time, Cherry had car problems). Check out: Third Time’s The Charm.


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Third Time’s The Charm

22 12 2012
Cindy Lane to Clapboard Hill Road 002

Massive blow-down

Thursday, for the third time, Cherry and I set out to walk the Menunkatuck Trail between Cindy Lane and Clapboard Hill Road (the first time, we lost the Cindy Lane trail head; the second time, Cherry had car problems). Today, our car maneuvers brought us close to four deer leaping across the road before us, as they merged into the woodlands along the road margins. Eventually, we parked one car on Clapboard Hill Road and the other on Cindy Lane and, at 9:00AM, headed south on a sunny day that started mid-thirties and ended mid-forties.

Our hike was easy and steady, as we traveled through forested lands, skirted open fields, and glimpsed charming tidal marshes along the East River. Our conversation drifted to holiday plans, our perspectives on Newtown, and personal updates. Cherry was excited to announce she had given six-month’s notice of retirement to her employer and would be a free person starting in July!

Hugging the edge of an open field, we were surprised to hear voices and turned to see three women and three dogs were coming close behind. The women quickly leashed two dogs but one exuberant golden retriever (are there other kinds?) kept running pell-mell toward us, so we stopped to let him catch up before collapsing. We exchanged pleasantries and the women surged past us, pulled by their canine companions.

We continued under power lines, flushing a small rabbit and encountering another group of dogs and their owners. I confessed to some small recent victories, such as knitting a remaining sock and creating hats from a sweater my aunt had begun many years ago. We agreed that getting these nagging items off our plate provided a sense of freedom and exuberance that opened the way for new opportunities.

By 11:30, after stopping briefly for a snack, we reached the southern end of today’s trail. We reviewed the remaining section, which traveled along roads to Long Island Sound. We agreed that it would be a perfect January quest, in case snow or ice made woodland trails difficult. After discarding a tick wandering over my hand, we headed our individual ways until next year.


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Loveliest Hike Thus Far

1 10 2012

It was in the forties when Cherry and I met and rode tandem to park my car on North Madison Road and then park at the Route 80 lot. The sun was strong, the air crisp, and a tint of color marked the maples. By nine o’clock, we were on the trail, with 2.2 miles ahead.

With its clear markings, we had no difficulty hiking this section known as the Timberlands. We continued a conversation that had begun in the car about relationships and whether to pursue them. “I tend to fall in love with people, all kinds of people, men and women,” Cherry explained. “I just love them. And I am attracted to what certain men do.” I told her I understood what she meant. She went on to clarify that it didn’t mean they would be appropriate partners. In fact, she wasn’t certain she wanted a partner. She was feeling so connected to her home community and didn’t want to lose that.

About an hour after starting, we found ourselves along the shore of Upper Guilford Lakes. The multiple shades of green and juxtaposition of water, sky, and vegetation was breath taking. We decided to sit on the bank and enjoy the view for a few minutes. I shared some of my recent experiences including time with some mutual friends at the Durham Fair, music at Pipes in the Valley in Hartford, the Last Green Festival in Brooklyn, and cold leads and hot starts with relationships.

A short distance away, we came to the Lake’s feeder stream, merrily gurgling along, cascading over rocks under a canopy of green. We were mesmerized by the sounds and scene. Cherry gushed over the view (anyone who knows Cherry understands what I mean) and again we paused to enjoy before continuing along.

Along the way, we noticed attractive cairns marking trail junctions, some of which resembled small fairy houses. We were nearing the end when I spotted a garter snake sunning on the trail. Cherry, afraid, hung back, while I shooed it safely into the brush and stood between it and the trail, so Cherry could pass.

The last section passed through forested wetlands with short boardwalk sections that again engaged the senses. “This is the loveliest hike we’ve done so far,” Cherry said.

And I had to agree with her.


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Menunkatuck Continues

30 08 2012

Cherry and I are on track as Menunkatuck Continues.


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