Posted By auntie on October 25, 2014

1.3 miles; north stonington, ct

the avalonia land conservancy recently acquired two properties in north stonington, one through purchase and one as an inheritance. the purchase was babcock ridge, a parcel that runs along babcock road in north stonington opposite yet another great avalonia preserve, the henne property. the inheritance was erisman woods, bequeathed to avalonia by adele erisman, who passed away recently at the age of 104. the three parcels make one long swathe of open space which stretches from the shunock brook all the way up to reuteman road.

this past saturday avalonia hosted a guided walk and picnic on the combined erisman woods and babcock properties for members and donors, and because my garden club donated money towards the purchase of babcock ridge, i went along.

top of the ridge

there is parking for maybe 3 cars at either end of the trail, and it is blazed with a bright blue. the erisman woods end is clear and a perfectly lovely stroll. the babcock ridge side is a little more of a work in progress. the property line between the two at the top of the ridge is marked by, what else in new england, a stone wall.

a great picnic spot

we stopped at this spot to have donuts and cider and wine and cheese. mm… cheese.

fungus shot

another fungus shot.

bruce fellman and a two-line salamander

this hike was led, by the way, by bruce fellmen, a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide, a fellow blogger, and a fantastic wildlife photographer. i highly encourage you to visit his blog. and he told me to assure everyone that his hair is normally much more kempt.

i will add this hike to the hikefinder in the near future, and update this post when i do.

UPDATE: i have added a map of all three preserves (erisman woods, babcock ridge, and the henne preserve) to the hikefinder under erisman woods.

Categories: Connecticut, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 2 miles or less, CT, North Stonington CT