Posted By auntie on February 5, 2019

4.2 miles; North Stonington, Preston, and Griswold, CT

What a surprise! Back here for Part 2 of the Wapayu Trail the very next day! Again, the weather was unexpectedly great, and I wound up more enamored of this trail than I was yesterday. This is a gorgeous hike. Seriously. Do. Not. Miss.

When I got back to the trailhead today I headed straight back up the Red Trail to get to the spot where I left the blue-blazed Wapayu Trail yesterday and continued my journey. I realized I’d been on this part of the Wapayu not once but twice before. The first time was in September of 2017, before Avalonia had even acquired it. And the second time was virtually this exact hike with a guide from Avalonia and some friends from the Providence County Hiking Club, in August of last year. But I find there’s a trade-off when hiking with a group, in that you get distracted and you don’t get to know the trails or see everything you do when you hike solo. Either way is fine, they’re just different from each other.

I Found Lost Pond

Not sure why this is called Lost Pond? I mean, it’s right there at the intersection of the Red Trail and the Wapayu Trails, and marked clearly on the map. Huh.

Lost Pond Dam

This is one of the two dams on Lost Pond. I was wondering why the track just didn’t go across the dam, so I left the trail to investigate. The reason is that the dam had been breached. This is also perhaps an answer to my earlier question, above. Ah. Okay. Makes sense now.

Bridge

There are mercifully very few water crossings on this hike, and all but this one (the brook that feeds Lost Pond) are easily crossed by step stones. In fact, as far as I know, this is the only bridge on the whole Wapayu loop. May be the only one on the preserve, but I don’t know that for sure.

Gorgeous Triametes

This is turkey tail fungus. The Latin name is Trametes versicolor, and the second word, versicolor, means “many colors.” I’ve seen some amazingly beautiful and varied turkey tail, but this one in particular was a real standout. I looks like a fancy dress ball seen from the balcony of the ballroom. Only everyone’s wearing the same dress.

Another “Mountain”

The second part of this trail takes in the second “mountain” on the preserve, Rixtown Mountain (520 feet, approximately).

The View

I really have to remember to note what direction I’m facing when I take these “view” shots. All I know is you could really see very distant hills from up here.

Old Lady of the Woods

When I was a kid my parents took us to New Hampshire, and I vividly remember them showing me the Old Man of the Mountains (who is, alas, no more). I should say trying to show me, but I could not see it. I didn’t get what they were even talking about. Old man? What old man? Unlike that elusive New Hampshire dude, I immediately saw the large knot on this old oak tree as the profile of a wise old woods woman, keeping a vigilant eye on her little valley.

The Track (click for details)

So between yesterday and today, I’d say the whole Wapayu Loop trail is about 5-ish miles, and the Red Trail from and back to the trail head comes to about 2 miles round trip. You can find out more about this property and get a trail map on its Avalonia Land Conservancy website (and check out the nifty new Avalonia logo!). As always, click the image above for details about this hike and to download the gps track.

Categories: Connecticut, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 2–5 miles, CT, Griswold CT, North Stonington CT, Preston CT