Posted By auntie on April 17, 2019

.89 miles; Ledyard, CT

[Editors Note: Once again I’ve broken my solemn vow to not let unposted hikes accumulate. I wound up almost a full month and 8 hikes behind. Mea culpa. Won’t happen again. I hope.]

Stop the second was at a Connecticut State Park I must have passed by 1000 times and never realized was there. In my defense, there’s not much to it besides a boat launch and a couple pretty little trails that follow the Thames River. Still, it’s kind of embarrassing. “Wait, what? There’s a State Park here? Since when?” [Ed. Note: Since 1954. Just sayin’]

From the Boat Launch

You can’t launch a very big boat from here, unless it’s your intention to putter around in the little cove, because you have to go under that little rail trestle to get to the river. Still, it might not be a bad thing to putter around for a while if the weather is nice.

Fishing Spot

It seems this little park is more commonly a fishing spot than a boat launch, if the remains littering the parking lot were any indication.

Stoddard Hill

The “hill” of Stoddard Hill appears to be one gigantic pile of boulders. We did not attempt to climb it, but followed a few trails that paralleled the river instead.

Cemetery

There is also a small historical cemetery here, and we gathered this was a civil war era grave, based on the dates.

Track (click for details)

You can find out more about Stoddard Hill State Park from this DEEP website (scroll down). You should also check out this article in the New London Day for a bit more info. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

Category: Connecticut, Walks and Hikes | No Comments »
Tags: 2 miles or less, CT, Ledyard CT

Posted By auntie on April 17, 2019

1.4 miles; Ledyard, CT

[Editors Note: Once again I’ve broken my solemn vow to not let unposted hikes accumulate. I wound up almost a full month and 8 hikes behind. Mea culpa. Won’t happen again. I hope.]

I met my friends Ernie and Jenn today to do a few short exploratory hikes in the area. This pretty little spot was our first stop.

The signage here at this small preserve is excellent. I especially like the map.

Pond

We had a sparkling clear day and the blue sky was reflected in the little pond on the property.

Coke

And not an old coke can, either. This is one of those new-fangled flavors, or so I am told. I never personally developed a taste for soda of any kind.

Red Buds

This property is a nice mix of rolling hills and fields surrounded by woods. The majority of the trees weren’t even close to leafing out yet, but this red maple was showing off a preview of coming attractions with its red buds and flowers.

Throne

I remember remarking to my hiking companions that almost every small preserve or trail seems to have one thing that makes it special, and White-Hall Park & Forest is no exception. A short little side trail leads to this rock “throne.” I can’t be convinced it’s entirely natural, but it’s still pretty cool, and it makes this short walk unique.

Track (click for details)

You can find out more about this little preserve from both this Ledyard Town website and this much more informative Peter Marteka column. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

Category: Connecticut, Walks and Hikes | No Comments »
Tags: 2 miles or less, CT, Ledyard CT

Posted By auntie on April 17, 2019

.9 miles; Ledyard, CT

I’d been here once before and remember negotiating the blue trail just fine, but today for some reason today I just balked, and Jenn and I both took the yellow by-pass trail instead. Which was pretty strenuous also, but not “strenuous and treacherous” as the map says the blue trail is. Believe the map.

Boulders. Lotta Boulders.

It really is an amazing sight, especially when you see the blazes going off across the massive jumble of rock.

Moar Boulders.

If you squint very carefully you’ll see the tiny figure that is Ernie somewhere in the middle of that mess. Yes, he sucked it up and took the blue trail right across the rocks. Brave guy.

Rock Shelter

This is an ideal little camping site, and the charred bits of wood littering the ground are testament to that. Still, it gives you a bit of pause to see that giant slab of rock resting atop that small rock…

Track (click for details)

You can find out more about this property from this town of Ledyard website, and also from this Peter Marteka column (because of course he’s been here). As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

Category: Connecticut, Walks and Hikes | No Comments »
Tags: 2 miles or less, CT, Ledyard CT

Posted By auntie on April 16, 2019

4.4 miles; South Kingstown, RI

[Editors Note: Once again I’ve broken my solemn vow to not let unposted hikes accumulate. I wound up almost a full month and 8 hikes behind. Mea culpa. Won’t happen again. I hope.]

Instead of doing my usual loop at the end of Duval, I succumbed to “I Wonder Where That Trail Goes? Syndrome.” The answer? An old landfill, so it was particularly unrewarding. Maybe next time.

Trailing Arbutus in Bloom

Always a welcome sight, and in large enough numbers, scent, in early spring, the trailing arbutus was in bloom today.

Block Island

I know this photo is a staple of Duval Trail hikes, but today honestly, it was so clear and dry you could see the bluffs and the wind farm. Even in my crappy iPhone shot you can make out the bluffs.

Good Ol’ Butt Rock

Um, yeah, butt rock. I’m going to go out on a limb here and posit that it looks like a big heart from this angle. I <3 butt rock. (That’s a primitive heart emoji, or “emoticon,” for you kids in the audience.)

Trash Heap

So anyway, the “mystery” portion of the program came in after I took the right turn where the trail crosses an unnamed woods road. Not far down that track there’s a very obvious right turn with big wooden posts at the side which maybe once held a gate, and perhaps more significantly, big boulders blocking the way. “Hm,” I thought to myself. “I wonder where that road goes?” This is the bane of every curious hiker. On the one hand, it wasn’t posted. But on the other hand, there were those boulders. I succumbed. Apparently it is the road to an old landfill. Rats. Oh, not that there were any actual rats, I was just disappointed.

Sunlit Daffodils and a Cat Gravestone

The rest of the hike, once I bushwhacked back to the trail, was uneventful. I did take a small detour while crossing the Quaker cemetery to get a closer look at this fairly recent (1997) headstone. It had a cat carved into it, and the daffodils looked electric, backlit by the sun.

Track (click for details)

You can find out more about the Duval Trail from this South Kingstown Land Trust website. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

Category: Rhode Island, Walks and Hikes | 1 Comment »
Tags: 2–5 miles, RI, South Kingstown RI

Posted By auntie on April 6, 2019

9.5 miles; West Greenwich and Coventry, RI and Sterling, CT

I called this Day 2.5 because it’s the dreaded Day 3 18-mile section, and I just didn’t feel up to 18 miles. Instead, I met my pals Mel and Bob at Pinetop and hiked the last 9+ miles with them. The detour wasn’t as bad as I feared it would be and the weather was amazing. It was sunny and in the 60s, and we saw mourning cloak butterflies and heard billions of wood frogs and spring peepers. Perfect day for a hike!

Pinetop

I got to the parking lot at Pinetop a little early, and had time to sit and just absorb the sunshine.

Reading Material

Also, there was plenty of reading material.

Detour Signage

There wasn’t anything special of note, particularly along this stretch, which is mostly road-walking. But then, duh, duh, duh… The Detour.

The Detour has been necessitated by the closure of the bridge over the Moosup River in Nicholas Farm Management Area. Apparently the state is planning on upgrading the Trestle Trail on the stretch from Railroad St. in Coventry to the state line. This is the same Trestle Trail that is so lovely where it passes through Coventry, and further east, it becomes the Washington Secondary Bike Path, and ends in Cranston. If they ever get their act together, it’ll be great. No idea how long the N-S Trail will have to include this detour, though.

Sheep

The first part of the detour, heading into CT, is along Newport Road, and that’s where I found this pretty sheep decorating a boulder. But wait…

Sheep AND Lamb

When you get to the other side of the boulder, you’re treated to a smiling lamb as well.

Crossing the Moosup River in Sterling

From Newport Road the trail detour goes into Connecticut’s Pachaug State Forest, which demonstrated its “mixed use” status almost immediately as we were passed by a group of dirt bikers roaring through the woods. We also met some ATV drivers along the Trestle Trail. Good luck to whoever decides to try to restrict this trail to non-motorized vehicle use only…

Anyway, the state forest road eventually ends in a small neighborhood that seems to be an old trailer park. It’s a bit seedy, but the folks we met along our way were friendly. After that, there was a tiny little stretch of walking along Route 14 and then we were on the Trestle Trail again, this time headed back into RI. I had heard bad things about this portion of the trail, but it was essential just an old railroad grade with lots of “wales” or, as my husband likes to call them, “bunny humps,” where repeated motorized travel has created what almost seem like an endless series of  moguls, with dips in between. They make for somewhat uncomfortable walking, but it wasn’t actually bad at all.

Track (click for details)

You can find out more about the North-South trail from this rather old and slightly link-rotty website called HTML Outdoors Planet. There is also some very good info on “The Trek” website. But by far the best guide to the North-South Trail is published by the Great Swamp Press. It is, unfortunately, out of print right now, and essentially unavailable as a used book. It is, however, available from the Rhode Island Library system. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

<– DAY 1  DAY 4 –>

Category: Connecticut, Rhode Island, RI North South Trail, Walks and Hikes | 2 Comments »
Tags: 7–10 miles, Coventry RI, CT, RI, Sterling CT, West Greenwich RI

Posted By auntie on April 1, 2019

9.25 miles; Westerly and Hopkinton, RI

So today I meant to do as much of both preserves as possible, but as usual, I got a late start and had to rush to get home before dinner. I haven’t been on parts of this preserve in a long time, and the tree work they did is shocking in some places. Also, new trails!

First Stop, Polly Coon

I walked down the blue trail across Kedinker Island and took the Polly Coon Bridge over to the Hopkinton side of the river. Couldn’t do that last time I was here… the blue trail was mostly under the river!

Tomaquag Brook Bridge

Honestly, I just love both of these bridges. I think the Tomaquag Brook Bridge is more impressive, but the Polly Coon is so… shiny!

Skunk Cabbage up

I stopped by a little stream because I was astonished to see Water Striders out doing their thing this early. I tried to take a video of them, but, well, ya know, I’m not a tech whiz when it comes to that sort of thing. I did get a nice still photo of the the Skunk Cabbage, but to be fair, the Skunk Cabbage wasn’t moving.

Old? Mushrooms

I have no idea what these are. I’m 99% sure they’re old, like from last year. But they were not Chicken of the Woods, Laetiporus sulphureus, I do know that. I think they were old Spring Polypores. They were definitely not gilled. And so the 2019 Fungal Obsession begins!

Uh, ok

I found myself a bit confused trying to reconcile the new (2018) trail map of this place with the reality on the ground. If you look at the Westerly Land Trust’s new map you’ll see a white-blazed trail that runs perpendicular to the yellow-blazed trail about 300-400 feet from where the red-blazed trail crosses. There was no sign of this trail (I was hiking south on the yellow), but there was this rather emphatically-marked fire road (Not A Trail!) in the approximate location where I thought the white trail should be. This sign was on both sides of the yellow trail. And later on, following the red trail, I did come across the white trail, but I’m not sure how far it goes before it becomes a fire road (Not A Trail!). An exploration for another day, I guess.

Another Mystery

And then, on my way back up an old forest road towards my car, I saw these lighter-blue blazes. Another quick glance at the map told me it would be just as quick to go up this trail as the one I was traveling, so I took it. Imagine my surprise when I realized I was hiking on old pavement! Yup, this trail is about 70% paved for its entire length. Oh, not continuously—it’s in big chunks and ridges. I imagine it has something to do with the sign. But what is/was Douglas Park? I saw nothing that could be considered even remotely parkish anyplace along the trail. And the Westerly Land Trust webpage is decidedly silent on the topic. Guess I’ll have to shoot them an email and ask… Stay tuned for updates.

Track (click for details)

You can find out more about the Westerly Grills from the Westerly Land Trust, and the Hopkinton Grills, including a trail map, from this Hopkinton town page. The Hopkinton Land Trust page appears not to have been updated since 2013. As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

UPDATE: I heard back from the Westerly Land Trust!

Back in the early 1900’s when BDA (Bradford Dye Association) was in their glory days, many of the mill workers lived on Bowling Lane (the street leading up to Grills Preserve). Because of this, BDA decided to build Douglas Park to give their workers something to do. This was a park for baseball and soccer and could hold up to 300 fans! The park was built in 1920. After numerous years of use the park became abandoned. In its place trees began to grow and now a pine forest stands. This area is now a permanent part of Grills Preserve. The road that you see was the road that people used to get to the park for games.

Category: Rhode Island, Walks and Hikes | No Comments »
Tags: 7–10 miles, Hopkinton RI, RI, Westerly RI