Saturday, October 29, 2011
October snow hike
Amazing hike with the dog in the first snow of the season - 2 days before Halloween! So quiet and peaceful - not another soul around. The autumn leaves were beautiful, colors underneath and white on top as they hung down across the trail. No snow under some trees but an inch and a half where the sky was open above. Just a wall of white from the lookout.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Different kind of hike
Although I've been a hiking fool for months, I haven't kept up this blog. I hiked all the trails in April, twice in May, and once again in June and July. I'm over halfway through accomplishing the feat again in August.
I started out with a wild idea of which pieces I would pick up this afternoon with Sadie, but things took a different turn. I went up the Red Circle to Yellow and turned left. At the first lookout, there was an Asian couple enjoying the view and I just said "hello" and we passed on. As we neared the Yellow/Green crossover, I saw another couple ahead with a baby and decided we didn't want to be following them down the stairs. So we turned up the Yellow/Green to White where we turned left.
I sat on a rock and gave Sadie a drink. As we continued on, we met a man coming the other way. I asked where he was going and he said he intended to do the whole White today and had been up there almost every day. I said I was surprised I hadn't seen him before. He said he envied the fact that this was my back yard. He drives in from New Haven.
A little farther on we met a young couple who were the most prepared of any that we would meet today. They were intent on doing the whole White trail to Chestnut and back. They confided that their only prior experience had been the entire Blue trail. I told them they were knocking off the two toughest trails and suggested that if they wanted an easier route back that they should consider either the Orange or Yellow trails.
Then Sadie and I followed White down the rocks to the Red Triangle. When we got there , a large black man was seemingly deciding his next move. He said his intent was to follow White to "the Nob". He seemed to be fairly familiar with the Giant and I suggested alternatives but he said he was going for it.
We turned right up the Red Triangle and soon encountered a young couple in flip-flops. I asked where they were headed and they admitted they weren't sure but the woman said they'd like to go to the tower. I told them they had to turn around and that I would take them most of the way there. They followed us to the Blue and I explained that was the shortest route and the scramble up the rocks we were looking at would be the worst they would encounter. They thanked me and Sadie and I continued on the Red Triangle.
A group of 4 Asians came up from behind and seemed to be sure of where they were headed. Another group with at least one dog was approaching from the left on the Tower Path so we kept following the Red Triangle down to the Violet trail. There we turned right and passed a couple of guys who seemed to know where they were.
At the Red Circle there was enough water running that Sadie got a drink and I splashed some on my face and head. We turned right and headed for home. As we neared the Green trail, we approached another young couple in sandals and he had a young baby on his back. I asked if they knew where they were and they sheepishly admitted they didn't. So I questioned where they wanted to go and they first said "Whitney Ave" but then confessed they were on the street across from the college. I suggested the Green and showed them it was right behind them and that they should follow to the Red Triangle and then perhaps take the Yellow to the parking lot. They asked where the Red Circle would take them and I said that if they were short on time we could all go down it to my home and we could give them a ride to their car. The mom expressed concern that we wouldn't have a carseat and, after exploring the possibility of going to Mt Carmel Ave and walking down the road, I convinced them that their best route would be taking the Green to the Red Triangle and taking that down to the road.
Sadie and I continued on the Red Circle and as we neared the Orange trail crossing, a couple passed from left to right and I recognized them as the first Asian couple I had seen about an hour earlier. They were far enough ahead and moving along so we didn't exchange any words. A little farther and I saw another familiar face ahead. The large black man had made it that far on the White and was staring at the cliff ahead of him. He marvelled that we had walked around and I didn't want to tell him how far we had gone in the time since we parted company. He asked if that was "the Nob" and pulled out a trail map neatly marked in the colors of the trails. He thought we were at the Red Square and I showed him that we were on the Red Circle. I told him that although it was shorter to follow White, it would be quicker and easier to head to the Green and go around. I left him still contemplating his next move.
As we came to the Yellow trail, a woman had just crossed and was headed in the direction we had started. I called "hello" and she just waved without turning around.
We got home in a little less than an hour and a half. For all my big plans, we had only finished the one White section that we had started 2 days ago and the entire Violet section between the Red Triangle and the Red Circle. We had met or seen 10 groups or individuals and only one had another dog. One couple and one man we had seen twice. It was an interesting study in the meanderings of hikers on one afternoon on the Giant.
I started out with a wild idea of which pieces I would pick up this afternoon with Sadie, but things took a different turn. I went up the Red Circle to Yellow and turned left. At the first lookout, there was an Asian couple enjoying the view and I just said "hello" and we passed on. As we neared the Yellow/Green crossover, I saw another couple ahead with a baby and decided we didn't want to be following them down the stairs. So we turned up the Yellow/Green to White where we turned left.
I sat on a rock and gave Sadie a drink. As we continued on, we met a man coming the other way. I asked where he was going and he said he intended to do the whole White today and had been up there almost every day. I said I was surprised I hadn't seen him before. He said he envied the fact that this was my back yard. He drives in from New Haven.
A little farther on we met a young couple who were the most prepared of any that we would meet today. They were intent on doing the whole White trail to Chestnut and back. They confided that their only prior experience had been the entire Blue trail. I told them they were knocking off the two toughest trails and suggested that if they wanted an easier route back that they should consider either the Orange or Yellow trails.
Then Sadie and I followed White down the rocks to the Red Triangle. When we got there , a large black man was seemingly deciding his next move. He said his intent was to follow White to "the Nob". He seemed to be fairly familiar with the Giant and I suggested alternatives but he said he was going for it.
We turned right up the Red Triangle and soon encountered a young couple in flip-flops. I asked where they were headed and they admitted they weren't sure but the woman said they'd like to go to the tower. I told them they had to turn around and that I would take them most of the way there. They followed us to the Blue and I explained that was the shortest route and the scramble up the rocks we were looking at would be the worst they would encounter. They thanked me and Sadie and I continued on the Red Triangle.
A group of 4 Asians came up from behind and seemed to be sure of where they were headed. Another group with at least one dog was approaching from the left on the Tower Path so we kept following the Red Triangle down to the Violet trail. There we turned right and passed a couple of guys who seemed to know where they were.
At the Red Circle there was enough water running that Sadie got a drink and I splashed some on my face and head. We turned right and headed for home. As we neared the Green trail, we approached another young couple in sandals and he had a young baby on his back. I asked if they knew where they were and they sheepishly admitted they didn't. So I questioned where they wanted to go and they first said "Whitney Ave" but then confessed they were on the street across from the college. I suggested the Green and showed them it was right behind them and that they should follow to the Red Triangle and then perhaps take the Yellow to the parking lot. They asked where the Red Circle would take them and I said that if they were short on time we could all go down it to my home and we could give them a ride to their car. The mom expressed concern that we wouldn't have a carseat and, after exploring the possibility of going to Mt Carmel Ave and walking down the road, I convinced them that their best route would be taking the Green to the Red Triangle and taking that down to the road.
Sadie and I continued on the Red Circle and as we neared the Orange trail crossing, a couple passed from left to right and I recognized them as the first Asian couple I had seen about an hour earlier. They were far enough ahead and moving along so we didn't exchange any words. A little farther and I saw another familiar face ahead. The large black man had made it that far on the White and was staring at the cliff ahead of him. He marvelled that we had walked around and I didn't want to tell him how far we had gone in the time since we parted company. He asked if that was "the Nob" and pulled out a trail map neatly marked in the colors of the trails. He thought we were at the Red Square and I showed him that we were on the Red Circle. I told him that although it was shorter to follow White, it would be quicker and easier to head to the Green and go around. I left him still contemplating his next move.
As we came to the Yellow trail, a woman had just crossed and was headed in the direction we had started. I called "hello" and she just waved without turning around.
We got home in a little less than an hour and a half. For all my big plans, we had only finished the one White section that we had started 2 days ago and the entire Violet section between the Red Triangle and the Red Circle. We had met or seen 10 groups or individuals and only one had another dog. One couple and one man we had seen twice. It was an interesting study in the meanderings of hikers on one afternoon on the Giant.
Monday, June 6, 2011
June knew I'd have to do it
Hiked every day of June so far. On the first, Sadie & I just went up the Red Circle to Yellow and out to Chestnut to be picked up. On the second, we again went up the Red Circle to Green and headed West to the end on White. We took the Blue/White crossover and right on Blue to the Red Triangle and down to Mt Carmel Ave to be picked up.
June third we got a little adventurous. OK, don't blame Sadie. I don't think I'll take her over the head again OR that steep drop off Blue just before the quarry. We started out from the parking lot around the pavilion hill on Blue, crossed the bridge and up the steep climb to the rock ledge over Whitney Ave. Pat said Sadie just went down that steep drop but I had to coax her and carry her and almost fell with her. Then up the side of the quarry along with everyone else and their dogs. Very annoying. Down the other side was more peaceful and then left on the Tower Path to the tower. We took Blue back to the Red Triangle and went right. Down along the rocky stream where we took a left on Violet. That section of Violet is very tranquil in the setting sun. We went all the way down past the ruins to the rocks along the river, over the dam and back to the stairs along Mt Carmel Ave. Left on the park loop road and back to the van in 1:45.
On Saturday the 4th, Pat actually came with us. We started off of Chestnut on Green and I convinced her it wouldn't take long to go down the Yellow/Green crossover to Yellow and back. It didn't take long but she said that would be the last straying from our planned route. When we reached the Red Circle, she asked how far to the other Yellow/Green crossover. Of course I said "not far" but she knew and agreed. We got there in like 5 minutes and down to the Yellow. A brief stop at the lookout and then back home in just over an hour.
Sunday I did several chores around the house and Pat was working in her garden. So Sadie and I headed down the road to the Red Square. We took it up and over to Mansion, then back to the Horse Trail. The walk along the stone walls back there with the afternoon sun beaming through the trees was very enjoyable. I let Sadie stand in the stream while I sat on the bridge with the lowering sun bouncing off the water. We headed up the Red Circle and I helped a few guys figure out the best way back to the parking lot. We finished the Red Circle and got home in just over 2 hours.
Tonight we got a very late start. It was after 8 PM when we pulled into the parking lot and I parked at the start of the loop road on the left side. We headed up the Tower Path and got the rest of it that we hadn't done a few days earlier. Then we went down the Red Hexagon. I knew I was pushing it when I turned towards Tuttle but I wanted to touch the gate there to complete the Red Hexagon and start the Red Diamond. Even though it was getting quite dark, I let Sadie walk in the river and stand a drink for a moment. Then we headed back. The quarry was majestic in the final light of day but the next piece of the Red Diamond was very dark. I had the flashlight but refused to use it and soon we were out along the river and it was clear sailing back to the van. I had been afraid it might take an hour but we made it in exactly 50 minutes. A car was just pulling out and there was still one more left after us.
June third we got a little adventurous. OK, don't blame Sadie. I don't think I'll take her over the head again OR that steep drop off Blue just before the quarry. We started out from the parking lot around the pavilion hill on Blue, crossed the bridge and up the steep climb to the rock ledge over Whitney Ave. Pat said Sadie just went down that steep drop but I had to coax her and carry her and almost fell with her. Then up the side of the quarry along with everyone else and their dogs. Very annoying. Down the other side was more peaceful and then left on the Tower Path to the tower. We took Blue back to the Red Triangle and went right. Down along the rocky stream where we took a left on Violet. That section of Violet is very tranquil in the setting sun. We went all the way down past the ruins to the rocks along the river, over the dam and back to the stairs along Mt Carmel Ave. Left on the park loop road and back to the van in 1:45.
On Saturday the 4th, Pat actually came with us. We started off of Chestnut on Green and I convinced her it wouldn't take long to go down the Yellow/Green crossover to Yellow and back. It didn't take long but she said that would be the last straying from our planned route. When we reached the Red Circle, she asked how far to the other Yellow/Green crossover. Of course I said "not far" but she knew and agreed. We got there in like 5 minutes and down to the Yellow. A brief stop at the lookout and then back home in just over an hour.
Sunday I did several chores around the house and Pat was working in her garden. So Sadie and I headed down the road to the Red Square. We took it up and over to Mansion, then back to the Horse Trail. The walk along the stone walls back there with the afternoon sun beaming through the trees was very enjoyable. I let Sadie stand in the stream while I sat on the bridge with the lowering sun bouncing off the water. We headed up the Red Circle and I helped a few guys figure out the best way back to the parking lot. We finished the Red Circle and got home in just over 2 hours.
Tonight we got a very late start. It was after 8 PM when we pulled into the parking lot and I parked at the start of the loop road on the left side. We headed up the Tower Path and got the rest of it that we hadn't done a few days earlier. Then we went down the Red Hexagon. I knew I was pushing it when I turned towards Tuttle but I wanted to touch the gate there to complete the Red Hexagon and start the Red Diamond. Even though it was getting quite dark, I let Sadie walk in the river and stand a drink for a moment. Then we headed back. The quarry was majestic in the final light of day but the next piece of the Red Diamond was very dark. I had the flashlight but refused to use it and soon we were out along the river and it was clear sailing back to the van. I had been afraid it might take an hour but we made it in exactly 50 minutes. A car was just pulling out and there was still one more left after us.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
MAY Never Be Repeated!
I accomplished what not long ago I would have considered unthinkable - all the trails on the Giant this month... TWICE!
I had 6 segments left last night after our Memorial Day party so I took Sadie up behind the house hoping to get 2 of them. But she was dragging even after I let her drink from the stream for a minute or so. So when I got to the Red Square, I reluctantly turned right towards Mt Carmel Ave and called home for a ride. I did walk over to the stream there and Sadie drank and stood in it for awhile. There's a promising "slide rock" section right there. I pretty much gave up on my quest, convincing myself that it wasn't necessary to complete all of them twice this month.
So tonight I started up the White trail from Chestnut around 6:40 PM. Pat had taken Sadie in the afternoon and Sadie was pooped. I was glad to hear she was staying home because the White is one of the worst for her. I took it all the way to the Red Triangle in a little under an hour. I had a very close encounter with a "colony" of vultures (I looked that up) along the cliffs. I could hear the sound of their wings as they took off maybe 15feet ahead on the other side of a bush so I ran around the bush to see what kind of birds they were. There were a couple others still waiting so I got to see them very close. I have to start taking a camera with me. There were maybe 6 more in the top of a dead tree just below and they took off with their buddies. A little farther down the trail, there they were again. The last one to leave turned and looked at me and seemed to be thinking "Why are we leaving? We have him outnumbered."
I went down the White to the Red Circle and then back up to the large rock with the panoramic view. Guess who was there? The vultures on the rock and the top of a dead tree. I convinced them they didn't have to fly this time as I turned into the woods.
I turned right on the Red Triangle and again on the Orange. Along the pine-needle section there was a young deer that ran off, but not as far as if Sadie had been with me. A little farther along I surprised another one but it just walked into the woods and turned its head to look at me. I quietly walked around behind it and down the trail. It was still watching and had been only about 20 feet from me the whole time the trail curved around it. I could still see its head turned to follow me as the trail went downhill so I waved goodbye and headed on down.
I took a left on the Red Circle because now I knew I could finish. That Orange section had taken 22 minutes and it was just around 8 PM. I took a right on the Green because that was all I needed. When I reached the Red Square, I kissed my hand and patted the red square marker. I got all 5 that I needed and finished them all. I headed back to my car on Green and the whole hike took exactly 1:40. I was done around 8:20 and the sky was much lighter than it had been at the end of several other hikes.
I think I may try something else next month after I finish all the trails. I want to find out where the unmarked ones go. See you next month!
I had 6 segments left last night after our Memorial Day party so I took Sadie up behind the house hoping to get 2 of them. But she was dragging even after I let her drink from the stream for a minute or so. So when I got to the Red Square, I reluctantly turned right towards Mt Carmel Ave and called home for a ride. I did walk over to the stream there and Sadie drank and stood in it for awhile. There's a promising "slide rock" section right there. I pretty much gave up on my quest, convincing myself that it wasn't necessary to complete all of them twice this month.
So tonight I started up the White trail from Chestnut around 6:40 PM. Pat had taken Sadie in the afternoon and Sadie was pooped. I was glad to hear she was staying home because the White is one of the worst for her. I took it all the way to the Red Triangle in a little under an hour. I had a very close encounter with a "colony" of vultures (I looked that up) along the cliffs. I could hear the sound of their wings as they took off maybe 15feet ahead on the other side of a bush so I ran around the bush to see what kind of birds they were. There were a couple others still waiting so I got to see them very close. I have to start taking a camera with me. There were maybe 6 more in the top of a dead tree just below and they took off with their buddies. A little farther down the trail, there they were again. The last one to leave turned and looked at me and seemed to be thinking "Why are we leaving? We have him outnumbered."
I went down the White to the Red Circle and then back up to the large rock with the panoramic view. Guess who was there? The vultures on the rock and the top of a dead tree. I convinced them they didn't have to fly this time as I turned into the woods.
I turned right on the Red Triangle and again on the Orange. Along the pine-needle section there was a young deer that ran off, but not as far as if Sadie had been with me. A little farther along I surprised another one but it just walked into the woods and turned its head to look at me. I quietly walked around behind it and down the trail. It was still watching and had been only about 20 feet from me the whole time the trail curved around it. I could still see its head turned to follow me as the trail went downhill so I waved goodbye and headed on down.
I took a left on the Red Circle because now I knew I could finish. That Orange section had taken 22 minutes and it was just around 8 PM. I took a right on the Green because that was all I needed. When I reached the Red Square, I kissed my hand and patted the red square marker. I got all 5 that I needed and finished them all. I headed back to my car on Green and the whole hike took exactly 1:40. I was done around 8:20 and the sky was much lighter than it had been at the end of several other hikes.
I think I may try something else next month after I finish all the trails. I want to find out where the unmarked ones go. See you next month!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Squeezing them in
I can only get the hikes in when the weather and my family commitments cooperate.
Tonight I parked in the main lot and walked along Mount Carmel Avenue to the bottom of the Red Hexagon. I had forgotten how far down it was but that was still the closest place I could part to the trail. It took 3 minutes to walk there and then I headed up in the waning light. It was 7:41 when I left the parking lot.
I passed a few people coming down on my way up. I got to the White trail pretty quickly but I wanted the full half of the Red Hexagon so I continued to where it meets the Blue trail to the left of the Tower Path in the woods.
There was a couple walking along the Blue trail toward the Tower Path and I turned around to get back to the White section over the Giant's shoulders. I followed them down the Tower Path but veered off and up the White trail. It was about 8 PM when I headed up and I was up on top in 10 minutes. I stopped about a minute to take in the view and enjoy the cool breeze. It had been a fairly warm sunny day but now the cool of the evening was a welcome relief.
I headed down the steep drop to the Red Triangle as a couple of guys headed down to my right. It was getting fairly dark now around 8:20. I headed up the Red Triangle to finish the piece down to Tuttle. The flashlight came in handy, not that I couldn't see the trail, but just to verify in a few spots which way the trail officially went.
I called Evan a little before I got to Tuttle and he picked me up after a brief wait under the only streetlight that I could see.
I think I can do the rest in 3 hikes. We'll see...
Tonight I parked in the main lot and walked along Mount Carmel Avenue to the bottom of the Red Hexagon. I had forgotten how far down it was but that was still the closest place I could part to the trail. It took 3 minutes to walk there and then I headed up in the waning light. It was 7:41 when I left the parking lot.
I passed a few people coming down on my way up. I got to the White trail pretty quickly but I wanted the full half of the Red Hexagon so I continued to where it meets the Blue trail to the left of the Tower Path in the woods.
There was a couple walking along the Blue trail toward the Tower Path and I turned around to get back to the White section over the Giant's shoulders. I followed them down the Tower Path but veered off and up the White trail. It was about 8 PM when I headed up and I was up on top in 10 minutes. I stopped about a minute to take in the view and enjoy the cool breeze. It had been a fairly warm sunny day but now the cool of the evening was a welcome relief.
I headed down the steep drop to the Red Triangle as a couple of guys headed down to my right. It was getting fairly dark now around 8:20. I headed up the Red Triangle to finish the piece down to Tuttle. The flashlight came in handy, not that I couldn't see the trail, but just to verify in a few spots which way the trail officially went.
I called Evan a little before I got to Tuttle and he picked me up after a brief wait under the only streetlight that I could see.
I think I can do the rest in 3 hikes. We'll see...
Monday, May 23, 2011
Going for it
Haven't kept up with the blog but I'm officially obsessed with hiking on the Giant. I have hiked 19 out of the 23 days so far. I have started keeping track of how long each segment takes and only have one segment left.
I tried to finish up the segment times tonight. I started a little after 7:20 up the Yellow trail. It had been raining and was still raining off and on lightly so it was kind of dark when I started. I was also the only car in the parking lot!
I made it to the Red Triangle in 12 minutes and was hoping to get the last segment of the White to my left. But I knew that it was getting darker and wetter by the minute and for once I showed restraint, sort of. I decided to just keep going up the Red Triangle to the Tower Path. But of course, I had to do the whole Tower Path so I turned right on Blue and followed the path to the tower. There I circled around the back of the tower but took the Blue back to the Tower Path to pick it up where I had started.
From there it was a nice walk in the rain and the dark with absolutely nobody around. When I reached the bottom, it was almost exactly one hour after I had started, and still light enough when out from under the trees to see well.
Next quest - can I finish all the trails twice in one month? Stay tuned...
I tried to finish up the segment times tonight. I started a little after 7:20 up the Yellow trail. It had been raining and was still raining off and on lightly so it was kind of dark when I started. I was also the only car in the parking lot!
I made it to the Red Triangle in 12 minutes and was hoping to get the last segment of the White to my left. But I knew that it was getting darker and wetter by the minute and for once I showed restraint, sort of. I decided to just keep going up the Red Triangle to the Tower Path. But of course, I had to do the whole Tower Path so I turned right on Blue and followed the path to the tower. There I circled around the back of the tower but took the Blue back to the Tower Path to pick it up where I had started.
From there it was a nice walk in the rain and the dark with absolutely nobody around. When I reached the bottom, it was almost exactly one hour after I had started, and still light enough when out from under the trees to see well.
Next quest - can I finish all the trails twice in one month? Stay tuned...
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Giant Master in 11 Consecutive Days!
I had dreams of doing it in a week but I'll take 11 days.
Tonight's final hike was the White trail from Chestnut. I'm starting to track the times it takes for each segment and maybe high points in between. In 13 minutes we were on top of Hezekiah's Nob and 3 more to the Red Square. The White crosses the Orange and we got there in 7 minutes but it took 11 more to get over and down the cliff to the Red Circle. Part of that I blame on Sadie because I had to help her down some steep drops.
Up the White to the great view and got to the Y/G Cross in 11 more minutes. Then over the next mound with good views and then the switchback along the wall down to the Red Triangle. The second half took 12 minutes giving 23 total.
Now it was just the Orange back to the Red Circle. This segment is deceivingly long. We went up the rocks and over to the Y/G Cross in 7 minutes so I was thinking we'd be back to the car in a little over 20. But that last piece, while one of my favorites with the rocks surrounded by pine needles and the views over the central valley, took 16 more minutes! For a fairly flat segment, it took 23, just like the long White segment over the big hills.
But we did it! Giant Masters in 11 days! Sadie wanted to go home down the Red Circle but I knew from the night before that it would only take 16 minutes to the car. It was 7 to the Red Square and 9 more to the car.
What a great run! What beautiful weather for 11 straight days!
Tonight's final hike was the White trail from Chestnut. I'm starting to track the times it takes for each segment and maybe high points in between. In 13 minutes we were on top of Hezekiah's Nob and 3 more to the Red Square. The White crosses the Orange and we got there in 7 minutes but it took 11 more to get over and down the cliff to the Red Circle. Part of that I blame on Sadie because I had to help her down some steep drops.
Up the White to the great view and got to the Y/G Cross in 11 more minutes. Then over the next mound with good views and then the switchback along the wall down to the Red Triangle. The second half took 12 minutes giving 23 total.
Now it was just the Orange back to the Red Circle. This segment is deceivingly long. We went up the rocks and over to the Y/G Cross in 7 minutes so I was thinking we'd be back to the car in a little over 20. But that last piece, while one of my favorites with the rocks surrounded by pine needles and the views over the central valley, took 16 more minutes! For a fairly flat segment, it took 23, just like the long White segment over the big hills.
But we did it! Giant Masters in 11 days! Sadie wanted to go home down the Red Circle but I knew from the night before that it would only take 16 minutes to the car. It was 7 to the Red Square and 9 more to the car.
What a great run! What beautiful weather for 11 straight days!
Monday, May 2, 2011
14 Segments in 2 Days!
Yesterday Chelsea came over and said she was going to run up the Red Circle to Yellow to Chestnut and back on the horse trails. She said she would be up for a hike when she got back. I was so excited and didn't see the point of her coming back down and up that I went up to the "Table Rock" and waited for her with Sadie.
As she came running up, we surprised her because she had been watching her step and not looking ahead. We were trying to decide which way to go and she told me she had been to the bottom of the imbedded waterfall purely by accident. She had gotten way out by the roads and was trying to shorten her run so she had taken whatever left turn came up in the maze of trails on the north side.
I was intrigued because I had always wanted to see that waterfall from the bottom so she took me to the unmarked trail just past the Violet to the right off the Red Circle. The falls are impressive from below and there was a couple up top who started down alongside the falls on the east side so it can be done.
We may have taken a different unmarked back to the Red Circle and I told her I thought it was a short walk to the right to the camping area. It turned out to be farther than I thought and there were 2 women approaching with 2 dogs off the leash so we turned around. We all ended up at the Violet intersection and a mass of people coming down the Blue. I didn't realize the Blue jogs there but told them it continued to their right.
Chelsea said she had another hour so I told her we could see most of the route she is going to run in June. We took the Violet all the way to the quarry and then the Red Diamond down to the river. I wanted Sadie to drink in the river but there were too many dogs and people there for her to focus.
We took a left on the Blue around the pavillion hill and cut across the very crowded picnic area to the Yellow. From there we took the Yellow back to the shortcut to home.
This evening Pat had taken Sadie for a hike and when I was able to go out she was on her way down the Blue. I had decided to finish up around the head so I took the Violet down the stairs out of the parking lot around 6:20 PM making sure to go along the road to the true start of the Red Diamond. I took that along the river to the Blue. As I started up, Pat & Sadie were coming down. She told me it was the first time she had ever gone over the head in that direction and that it was very warm. I should have given her my sweatshirt because it was off soon.
I did the part of Blue along the river and then up and over the head. My sweatshirt was off and tied around my waist but soon even that was too hot so I carried it in one hand. My intention was to turn on the Red Hexagon and get the northern half but when I arrived I told myself that if it was before 7 PM, I would go for the next Blue section. It was 6:57.
I scrambled over the next Blue section and was happily surprised when it was only 7:09 at the Red Triangle. I walked easily down over the Tower Path and down to the Red Hexagon. From there it was a quick descent down to the Red Diamond. I dutifully walked out and touched the gate at Tuttle and turned back towards the quarry.
When I arrived at the quarry, I realized I had done that part of the Red Diamond the day before with Chelsea and decided to finish up the Violet down past the ruins and along the river. There were quite a few people fishing. When I got past the dam and in the beach area, I splashed some water on my face. I followed the Violet meticulously back to the stairs so that I officially finished both parts of the Violet in between the Red Diamond and Red Hexagon.
Between the 2 hikes I had done both halves of the Red Diamond, the northern half of the Red Hexagon, the four western sections of the Violet and the three western sections of Yellow and Blue plus the southern half of the Red Circle. 14 segments in 2 days.
Can I do them all in "7 Days in May"? Stay tuned...
As she came running up, we surprised her because she had been watching her step and not looking ahead. We were trying to decide which way to go and she told me she had been to the bottom of the imbedded waterfall purely by accident. She had gotten way out by the roads and was trying to shorten her run so she had taken whatever left turn came up in the maze of trails on the north side.
I was intrigued because I had always wanted to see that waterfall from the bottom so she took me to the unmarked trail just past the Violet to the right off the Red Circle. The falls are impressive from below and there was a couple up top who started down alongside the falls on the east side so it can be done.
We may have taken a different unmarked back to the Red Circle and I told her I thought it was a short walk to the right to the camping area. It turned out to be farther than I thought and there were 2 women approaching with 2 dogs off the leash so we turned around. We all ended up at the Violet intersection and a mass of people coming down the Blue. I didn't realize the Blue jogs there but told them it continued to their right.
Chelsea said she had another hour so I told her we could see most of the route she is going to run in June. We took the Violet all the way to the quarry and then the Red Diamond down to the river. I wanted Sadie to drink in the river but there were too many dogs and people there for her to focus.
We took a left on the Blue around the pavillion hill and cut across the very crowded picnic area to the Yellow. From there we took the Yellow back to the shortcut to home.
This evening Pat had taken Sadie for a hike and when I was able to go out she was on her way down the Blue. I had decided to finish up around the head so I took the Violet down the stairs out of the parking lot around 6:20 PM making sure to go along the road to the true start of the Red Diamond. I took that along the river to the Blue. As I started up, Pat & Sadie were coming down. She told me it was the first time she had ever gone over the head in that direction and that it was very warm. I should have given her my sweatshirt because it was off soon.
I did the part of Blue along the river and then up and over the head. My sweatshirt was off and tied around my waist but soon even that was too hot so I carried it in one hand. My intention was to turn on the Red Hexagon and get the northern half but when I arrived I told myself that if it was before 7 PM, I would go for the next Blue section. It was 6:57.
I scrambled over the next Blue section and was happily surprised when it was only 7:09 at the Red Triangle. I walked easily down over the Tower Path and down to the Red Hexagon. From there it was a quick descent down to the Red Diamond. I dutifully walked out and touched the gate at Tuttle and turned back towards the quarry.
When I arrived at the quarry, I realized I had done that part of the Red Diamond the day before with Chelsea and decided to finish up the Violet down past the ruins and along the river. There were quite a few people fishing. When I got past the dam and in the beach area, I splashed some water on my face. I followed the Violet meticulously back to the stairs so that I officially finished both parts of the Violet in between the Red Diamond and Red Hexagon.
Between the 2 hikes I had done both halves of the Red Diamond, the northern half of the Red Hexagon, the four western sections of the Violet and the three western sections of Yellow and Blue plus the southern half of the Red Circle. 14 segments in 2 days.
Can I do them all in "7 Days in May"? Stay tuned...
Monday, March 28, 2011
Crazy Late Hike
OK, I'm certifiable.
We started out at 6:30 from Tuttle on the Red Circle. Walking along and above the waterfalls is one of the most beautiful sections of trail in the park. We were passing through the group camp site after 10 minutes of uphill climbing. The trail had more turns than I remembered and one Boy Scout bridge before you reach camp.
From there the trail goes more off into the woods but still along a dryer stream bed. Soon I could see the rock pile that we had been to the other day on the Violet trail. The sun was pretty low and I had an ambitious plan in my head. When we reached the Red Triangle, I remembered the boulder-strewn stream that we had to climb up from other passes through here. We had seen a couple of people up in the boulders so I put Sadie on the leash and hoped that they didn't have a dog.
Sadie practically pulled me up and over the boulders but we never saw the people when we rounded the bend. There was a couple walking down the bend of the Tower Path to our right as we approached it. We crossed over and arrived at the Green trail. I turned left and called Sadie to follow me. The green markings are harder to see in low light than most of the others but you can't really get too lost on the Green trail.
As we got out of the boulders and onto the more solid ground, with some mushy spots, I began looking along the cliffs to the left for Dead Man's Cave. I had read some comments online recently about how it looks like a big scar in the rocks but the commenter had said that it was about 200 yeards past the Spider Cave in the direction I was headed. However, I saw something that fit the description well in advance of the Yellow/Green crossover, which is roughly across from where I remember the Spider Cave to be when I found it with Evan & Kyle last summer.
Soon we past the Yellow/Green crossover and Sadie wanted to turn onto it. We had been in this area in the snow when she took off on me and made it home by the time I called to admit that I had lost her. I told her we were going ahead on the Green and was consumed by a wild idea that I might find the ice grip I had lost in the snow. In a little while Sadie started running and I realized there were at least 2 deer crashing through the woods away to our right. Remarkably she stopped when I called and came back so I gave her a treat.
When we got to the Cantor Steps, named by me after the man who made them for his Eagle project, Sadie ran up them to head home on the Red Circle trail. I sometimes think besides being a better hiker that she may be smarter than me. I kept going on Green and soon she was racing past. It was already pretty dark when we reached what I call the Acorn Bridge, where I got beaned with an acorn in the snow last winter. We plodded on, trying to hit the rocks and not the muck.
As I said, it's kind of hard to get lost on the Green trail and I even remarked to myself that the next rise must be Hezekiah's Nob where I was planning to jump off to the Red Square. But somehow I missed it because the Green trail veers into the woods off of the wide carriage path that it follows most of the way. It was getting dark now and I was annoyed that I had walked even a little farther than I had to. I crashed through the trees to the real Green trail and back to Little Italy.
Again, Sadie wanted to take the shortest route home and started up the White. I started down the ravine to the left and she went up on the rocks behind me. She was right! The Red Square follows the rocks above the ravine. We roughly followed what I believe to be the Red Square but it was pretty dark now. At one point Sadie started to bark and I decided to put her on the leash so as not to lose her for my fourth time. When we got down to the lowlands and came to a rocky stream, I guessed that it was the Orange trail. We had been here not too long ago and I remember the intersection looking like that. I would have felt much better if I had seen an Orange mark anywhere or even something that I could convince myself was orange.
I had a decision to make here. We either had to stumble down the Red Square out to Mount Carmel Avenue OR stumble up this rocky stream and hope it was the Orange trail. I have to admit that I wanted another segment for my personal Four Season Giant Master but I knew that this Orange segment was short and I convinced myself that when I got over the hill that there would be a little more light.
I was a little concerned halfway up when I still hadn't seen anything that I could even delude myself into believing was an orange mark. At this point we were committed and there was no turning back. At some point Sadie pulled me to the left and I discovered that she knew the trail better than my eye could make it out in the dark. I was glad I had put her on the leash because she helped pull me up the trail and served as a seeing eye dog.
When we reached the saddle and I could make out white markers I knew where we were, crossing the White trail. There were a few frog-like noises but not as raucous as they had been in the warm weather a week or so ago. Sadie absolutely saved me in here because several times my instinct was to go forward and she would turn where the trail turned.
The intersection with the Red Circle was obvious, even in the dark without the benefit of the markings. We walked down the rock ramp and negotiated the swampy area. As we came to the table rock on our left, I could see the lights of civilization over the path ahead and felt certain we were going to make it now. We reached the Yellow trail and I opted to turn left for the shortcut as I was tiring of walking on rocks and concerned about twisting an ankle.
Again Sadie led me through the darkness. As we neared the ravine where the water runs most of the year, Sadie stopped and stared ahead. I have to say that the hair on the back of my neck stood up now. I couldn't see anything but some pretty wild ideas raced through my head. In a few paces I could make out the turn onto the shortcut even in the dark.
As we began the last leg of the journey the phone rang. Pat asked "Where are you?" I told her I was right behind the house, thinking she was home. Had I known she was calling from Dairy Queen to see if I wanted anything, I might have pushed it even more.
Besides surviving, the remarkable thing to me was that it was just after 8 PM when we got in the house. We had started out at 6:30 and I had estimated an hour and a half. Yes, I know, it's not at all light at 8 PM yet.
OK, I'm crazy.
We started out at 6:30 from Tuttle on the Red Circle. Walking along and above the waterfalls is one of the most beautiful sections of trail in the park. We were passing through the group camp site after 10 minutes of uphill climbing. The trail had more turns than I remembered and one Boy Scout bridge before you reach camp.
From there the trail goes more off into the woods but still along a dryer stream bed. Soon I could see the rock pile that we had been to the other day on the Violet trail. The sun was pretty low and I had an ambitious plan in my head. When we reached the Red Triangle, I remembered the boulder-strewn stream that we had to climb up from other passes through here. We had seen a couple of people up in the boulders so I put Sadie on the leash and hoped that they didn't have a dog.
Sadie practically pulled me up and over the boulders but we never saw the people when we rounded the bend. There was a couple walking down the bend of the Tower Path to our right as we approached it. We crossed over and arrived at the Green trail. I turned left and called Sadie to follow me. The green markings are harder to see in low light than most of the others but you can't really get too lost on the Green trail.
As we got out of the boulders and onto the more solid ground, with some mushy spots, I began looking along the cliffs to the left for Dead Man's Cave. I had read some comments online recently about how it looks like a big scar in the rocks but the commenter had said that it was about 200 yeards past the Spider Cave in the direction I was headed. However, I saw something that fit the description well in advance of the Yellow/Green crossover, which is roughly across from where I remember the Spider Cave to be when I found it with Evan & Kyle last summer.
Soon we past the Yellow/Green crossover and Sadie wanted to turn onto it. We had been in this area in the snow when she took off on me and made it home by the time I called to admit that I had lost her. I told her we were going ahead on the Green and was consumed by a wild idea that I might find the ice grip I had lost in the snow. In a little while Sadie started running and I realized there were at least 2 deer crashing through the woods away to our right. Remarkably she stopped when I called and came back so I gave her a treat.
When we got to the Cantor Steps, named by me after the man who made them for his Eagle project, Sadie ran up them to head home on the Red Circle trail. I sometimes think besides being a better hiker that she may be smarter than me. I kept going on Green and soon she was racing past. It was already pretty dark when we reached what I call the Acorn Bridge, where I got beaned with an acorn in the snow last winter. We plodded on, trying to hit the rocks and not the muck.
As I said, it's kind of hard to get lost on the Green trail and I even remarked to myself that the next rise must be Hezekiah's Nob where I was planning to jump off to the Red Square. But somehow I missed it because the Green trail veers into the woods off of the wide carriage path that it follows most of the way. It was getting dark now and I was annoyed that I had walked even a little farther than I had to. I crashed through the trees to the real Green trail and back to Little Italy.
Again, Sadie wanted to take the shortest route home and started up the White. I started down the ravine to the left and she went up on the rocks behind me. She was right! The Red Square follows the rocks above the ravine. We roughly followed what I believe to be the Red Square but it was pretty dark now. At one point Sadie started to bark and I decided to put her on the leash so as not to lose her for my fourth time. When we got down to the lowlands and came to a rocky stream, I guessed that it was the Orange trail. We had been here not too long ago and I remember the intersection looking like that. I would have felt much better if I had seen an Orange mark anywhere or even something that I could convince myself was orange.
I had a decision to make here. We either had to stumble down the Red Square out to Mount Carmel Avenue OR stumble up this rocky stream and hope it was the Orange trail. I have to admit that I wanted another segment for my personal Four Season Giant Master but I knew that this Orange segment was short and I convinced myself that when I got over the hill that there would be a little more light.
I was a little concerned halfway up when I still hadn't seen anything that I could even delude myself into believing was an orange mark. At this point we were committed and there was no turning back. At some point Sadie pulled me to the left and I discovered that she knew the trail better than my eye could make it out in the dark. I was glad I had put her on the leash because she helped pull me up the trail and served as a seeing eye dog.
When we reached the saddle and I could make out white markers I knew where we were, crossing the White trail. There were a few frog-like noises but not as raucous as they had been in the warm weather a week or so ago. Sadie absolutely saved me in here because several times my instinct was to go forward and she would turn where the trail turned.
The intersection with the Red Circle was obvious, even in the dark without the benefit of the markings. We walked down the rock ramp and negotiated the swampy area. As we came to the table rock on our left, I could see the lights of civilization over the path ahead and felt certain we were going to make it now. We reached the Yellow trail and I opted to turn left for the shortcut as I was tiring of walking on rocks and concerned about twisting an ankle.
Again Sadie led me through the darkness. As we neared the ravine where the water runs most of the year, Sadie stopped and stared ahead. I have to say that the hair on the back of my neck stood up now. I couldn't see anything but some pretty wild ideas raced through my head. In a few paces I could make out the turn onto the shortcut even in the dark.
As we began the last leg of the journey the phone rang. Pat asked "Where are you?" I told her I was right behind the house, thinking she was home. Had I known she was calling from Dairy Queen to see if I wanted anything, I might have pushed it even more.
Besides surviving, the remarkable thing to me was that it was just after 8 PM when we got in the house. We had started out at 6:30 and I had estimated an hour and a half. Yes, I know, it's not at all light at 8 PM yet.
OK, I'm crazy.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Quick One
Drove up to Chestnut around 5:30 with Sadie but I knew we only had an hour. I would have pushed it but my feet were hurting some so we just went up the Green to make a loop. We only passed one man with a dog but we did see some people up above to our left, probably on the Blue trail.
The trail was pretty swampy in spots. We crossed the Blue and then the Red Square and continued on Green. I was tempted to take it to the Red Circle to get another segment done but when we reached "Little Italy" again, I opted to hop over to the Red Square and roughly follow it (there was one area that was not marked well so I took the high ground rather than down the mud-filled rut) until we reached the Orange. From there it was an easy walk back to the van, but I had to do the little piece of Violet we missed yesterday. Have to keep things legitimate.
The trail was pretty swampy in spots. We crossed the Blue and then the Red Square and continued on Green. I was tempted to take it to the Red Circle to get another segment done but when we reached "Little Italy" again, I opted to hop over to the Red Square and roughly follow it (there was one area that was not marked well so I took the high ground rather than down the mud-filled rut) until we reached the Orange. From there it was an easy walk back to the van, but I had to do the little piece of Violet we missed yesterday. Have to keep things legitimate.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Springing into the Next Season
First hike of the spring - and it was a beauty!
Chelsea stopped by at the house on her bike and said she was going to run some of the trails - like Red Circle up to Orange or Green out to Chestnut and back on Yellow. I told her I was going to take Sadie up to Chestnut and hike the Violet trail. I was very pleasantly surprised when I turned around after locking the van and Chelsea was smiling there. She had taken the Green out to Chestnut and just got there when I did.
I told her I doubted I would keep up but she told me she was fine with hiking, even at my pace. So we started out on Violet but as soon as I let Sadie off the leash, she took off to the left and we soon realized she was frolicking with a dog on a leash. Chelsea got to Sadie first and Sadie took a parting shot at the other dog before I reprimanded her and put her back on the leash.
We continued on the Violet and crossed the Red Square and the unmarked trail pretty shortly thereafter. The walk along the flatter north side was very pleasing. We talked about how many unmarked, horse and cross country trails there are in that area. Soon the trail headed uphill and I talked about how we had done a 10-mile Boy Scout hike and that was the last piece so I remembered there were some painful ups and downs.
I can't remember now if the Blue/Violet crossover trail came first but I think it did. I said that the waterfall running down the cliff to the right always made me think of Africa but that Chelsea would know more about that. Then there was a steep scramble up some rocks so I took Sadie off the leash for the last time so we could climb detached.
We scrambled up the rocks and along the ridge with views to our right. Soon there was another daunting rockpile ahead when I realized that the Violet trail turned to the left. I saw a red arrow on a tree below and discovered we had reached the Red Circle trail. Sadie for some reason had chosen the high ground so I had to call her down.
We turned left on the Red Circle and headed for home. All in all the trails weren't that wet or mushy but Chelsea said that parts of the Green had been pretty swampy. We passed Table Rock and I explained the name. At some point there was a guy walking behind us as I showed Chelsea the uppermost parts of Evan's Eagle project.
The guy headed past the Yellow trail so I decided to show Chelsea the shortcut and she said she would probably use that in the future.
It was a great hike and very peaceful. Except for the first encounter with the dog and the guy at the end, we saw nobody else. As much as I enjoy hiking alone with Sadie, Chelsea's company was a welcome surprise.
So begins my spring hiking, but it can't get much better than this.
Chelsea stopped by at the house on her bike and said she was going to run some of the trails - like Red Circle up to Orange or Green out to Chestnut and back on Yellow. I told her I was going to take Sadie up to Chestnut and hike the Violet trail. I was very pleasantly surprised when I turned around after locking the van and Chelsea was smiling there. She had taken the Green out to Chestnut and just got there when I did.
I told her I doubted I would keep up but she told me she was fine with hiking, even at my pace. So we started out on Violet but as soon as I let Sadie off the leash, she took off to the left and we soon realized she was frolicking with a dog on a leash. Chelsea got to Sadie first and Sadie took a parting shot at the other dog before I reprimanded her and put her back on the leash.
We continued on the Violet and crossed the Red Square and the unmarked trail pretty shortly thereafter. The walk along the flatter north side was very pleasing. We talked about how many unmarked, horse and cross country trails there are in that area. Soon the trail headed uphill and I talked about how we had done a 10-mile Boy Scout hike and that was the last piece so I remembered there were some painful ups and downs.
I can't remember now if the Blue/Violet crossover trail came first but I think it did. I said that the waterfall running down the cliff to the right always made me think of Africa but that Chelsea would know more about that. Then there was a steep scramble up some rocks so I took Sadie off the leash for the last time so we could climb detached.
We scrambled up the rocks and along the ridge with views to our right. Soon there was another daunting rockpile ahead when I realized that the Violet trail turned to the left. I saw a red arrow on a tree below and discovered we had reached the Red Circle trail. Sadie for some reason had chosen the high ground so I had to call her down.
We turned left on the Red Circle and headed for home. All in all the trails weren't that wet or mushy but Chelsea said that parts of the Green had been pretty swampy. We passed Table Rock and I explained the name. At some point there was a guy walking behind us as I showed Chelsea the uppermost parts of Evan's Eagle project.
The guy headed past the Yellow trail so I decided to show Chelsea the shortcut and she said she would probably use that in the future.
It was a great hike and very peaceful. Except for the first encounter with the dog and the guy at the end, we saw nobody else. As much as I enjoy hiking alone with Sadie, Chelsea's company was a welcome surprise.
So begins my spring hiking, but it can't get much better than this.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Ambitious Weekend
I may or may not have mentioned before that Pat and I and all 4 children are Giant Masters. I have been interested in completing the Four Season Giant Master program, meaning you have hiked every segment of every trail in all 4 seasons. I have set this as a personal goal, not for publication, simply for my own motivation and satisfaction.
So with the onset of spring on Sunday evening, I was faced with 7 sections not completed in winter and one which was nagging at me from the hike I messed up the other night. I was hoping to get the two segments of the Orange and White trails in one hike but on St. Patrick's evening I got a late start with Sadie and went up the Orange from the picnic area. I suppose the Green trail would have been more appropriate to the day but I already have the entire Green trail. When I finally reached the Red Triangle, it was getting dark so I decided to just go down and take the Yellow trail back to the car.
To reach my goal on the weekend, I decided on two hikes, both requiring some distance and ups and downs. On Saturday, I went for the Blue and White trails between the Red Circle and Red Triangle. Sadie & I started up the Red Circle from home, making sure to get to the real Red Circle and not just the access road because I also have dreams of being a 12 month Giant Master someday so I keep track of each segment in each month also. We got to the Blue trail and took a right up and over the first ridge, one of my favorite parts of the park. Hiking along the trail atop the cliffs in the sunshine is one of the joys of the Giant.
I was intent on hitting the Blue/Violet crossover, which is an annoyance because in a case like this, in order to complete the Blue segment along with the B/V crossover, it's simply a hike down and back up again, and rather steep. I'm typing this days later but I remember taking times at the various intersections. I'm pretty sure I arrived at the Blue trail from home in 15 minutes and the top of the B/V crossover in another 15 minutes. The trip down and up the B/V crossover took about 7 minutes.
From there we finished the Blue segment at the Red Square and took that to Green and then to what I call "Little Italy" where Green, White and the Red Square come together. We started up the White from there, technically missing a tiny piece between Green and the Red Square and were soon up on top of the White cliffs. We scrambled down the rocks to the Red Circle and arrived home possibly a little over 1 hour after we had left but my numbers may not be correct from memory.
On Sunday I took Sadie out in the early afternoon intent on completing everything, including redoing the Red Hexagon out to Mount Carmel Ave. We parked in the picnic area again and started up the White trail. It seemed to me like we had done this recently but we were soon on the Tower path and shortly afterwards up on the wonderful White lookout over Quinnipiac. We walked right by "the pit" where I have since learned there may be another cave and possibly a cave system.
We continued on into the woods again, crossing the Orange trail and almost losing the trail on an unmarked extension that dead-ends. We hopped down the rocks to the Red Triangle. As we walked up towards the Tower path, I really only needed to get there and go down but I decided to pick up a few extra March segments and turned left onto the Green. We completed the Green segment which dead ends up on the White lookout again and I decided to get the Blue/White crossover done. There is some confusion when following the B/W crossover because the markers are Blue and somewhere in there you find yourself on the Blue trail without knowing that you completed the B/W.
We got back to the Red Triangle and jumped on the Tower path going down. This part was easy but following the Red Hexagon along the Tower path is not easy. There is a significant shortcut which I convinced myself was the Red Hexagon, as I had the previous week in the dark. Then we rounded the next bend and I was unsure where the Red Hexagon had gone. I knew it had to be farther to the east so we took the Nature trail off the end of the next east-pointing bend in the Tower path. When we got to the Red Hexagon, I saw that we had once again missed a segment and was determined to right my previous wrong. So we hiked up to the Tower path and up to where we had taken the erroneous shortcut. We turned around and headed back all the way down the Red Hexagon to Mount Carmel Ave.
At some point here I called home and said I was almost done. But I still had one segment left to complete in the waning winter hours. So I drove around to Tuttle and we hiked in to the quarry on the Red Diamond to complete that segment which lies between the quarry and where the Red Hexagon turns uphill. There is more of a climb up to the quarry than I realized but we went all the way across the opening of the quarry and I made sure to touch the marker on the Blue trail.
A Winter Giant Master! One season completed!
So with the onset of spring on Sunday evening, I was faced with 7 sections not completed in winter and one which was nagging at me from the hike I messed up the other night. I was hoping to get the two segments of the Orange and White trails in one hike but on St. Patrick's evening I got a late start with Sadie and went up the Orange from the picnic area. I suppose the Green trail would have been more appropriate to the day but I already have the entire Green trail. When I finally reached the Red Triangle, it was getting dark so I decided to just go down and take the Yellow trail back to the car.
To reach my goal on the weekend, I decided on two hikes, both requiring some distance and ups and downs. On Saturday, I went for the Blue and White trails between the Red Circle and Red Triangle. Sadie & I started up the Red Circle from home, making sure to get to the real Red Circle and not just the access road because I also have dreams of being a 12 month Giant Master someday so I keep track of each segment in each month also. We got to the Blue trail and took a right up and over the first ridge, one of my favorite parts of the park. Hiking along the trail atop the cliffs in the sunshine is one of the joys of the Giant.
I was intent on hitting the Blue/Violet crossover, which is an annoyance because in a case like this, in order to complete the Blue segment along with the B/V crossover, it's simply a hike down and back up again, and rather steep. I'm typing this days later but I remember taking times at the various intersections. I'm pretty sure I arrived at the Blue trail from home in 15 minutes and the top of the B/V crossover in another 15 minutes. The trip down and up the B/V crossover took about 7 minutes.
From there we finished the Blue segment at the Red Square and took that to Green and then to what I call "Little Italy" where Green, White and the Red Square come together. We started up the White from there, technically missing a tiny piece between Green and the Red Square and were soon up on top of the White cliffs. We scrambled down the rocks to the Red Circle and arrived home possibly a little over 1 hour after we had left but my numbers may not be correct from memory.
On Sunday I took Sadie out in the early afternoon intent on completing everything, including redoing the Red Hexagon out to Mount Carmel Ave. We parked in the picnic area again and started up the White trail. It seemed to me like we had done this recently but we were soon on the Tower path and shortly afterwards up on the wonderful White lookout over Quinnipiac. We walked right by "the pit" where I have since learned there may be another cave and possibly a cave system.
We continued on into the woods again, crossing the Orange trail and almost losing the trail on an unmarked extension that dead-ends. We hopped down the rocks to the Red Triangle. As we walked up towards the Tower path, I really only needed to get there and go down but I decided to pick up a few extra March segments and turned left onto the Green. We completed the Green segment which dead ends up on the White lookout again and I decided to get the Blue/White crossover done. There is some confusion when following the B/W crossover because the markers are Blue and somewhere in there you find yourself on the Blue trail without knowing that you completed the B/W.
We got back to the Red Triangle and jumped on the Tower path going down. This part was easy but following the Red Hexagon along the Tower path is not easy. There is a significant shortcut which I convinced myself was the Red Hexagon, as I had the previous week in the dark. Then we rounded the next bend and I was unsure where the Red Hexagon had gone. I knew it had to be farther to the east so we took the Nature trail off the end of the next east-pointing bend in the Tower path. When we got to the Red Hexagon, I saw that we had once again missed a segment and was determined to right my previous wrong. So we hiked up to the Tower path and up to where we had taken the erroneous shortcut. We turned around and headed back all the way down the Red Hexagon to Mount Carmel Ave.
At some point here I called home and said I was almost done. But I still had one segment left to complete in the waning winter hours. So I drove around to Tuttle and we hiked in to the quarry on the Red Diamond to complete that segment which lies between the quarry and where the Red Hexagon turns uphill. There is more of a climb up to the quarry than I realized but we went all the way across the opening of the quarry and I made sure to touch the marker on the Blue trail.
A Winter Giant Master! One season completed!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Light Later - but not that late!
So Sadie and I got a later start than I wanted. Tory dropped us off at the base of the Red Triangle across from Hogan Road around 6:30 PM. We climbed up what is pretty much a stream bed, except for the louder stream to our right on the way up. There were some fairly large trees down but I didn't have the time or energy to move them.
I was grateful when we crested near the Orange trail and got to take it easy as we crossed the Blue and Tower Path. The drop down the north side was steep in places. We crossed the gulley and could see Tuttle down below. The path takes a pretty long bend to the east but I was true to the path and reached the bottom near River Road. There was a pretty strong stream running along the road so I stayed up on the bank as long as I could although Sadie opted for the middle of the road.
I started to get concerned when I realized that the walk along Tuttle was a lot longer than I expected. I just measured it now as more than half a mile. The sun was pretty much down when we reached the Diamond/Hexagon start and headed in on the flat part. The sun was still reflecting off of the Mill River to our right.
I was trying to decide if I should just be satisfied with completing the Triangle and Diamond north of the Blue trail in my pursuit of the 4 Season Giant Master. I left the decision up to Sadie and soon there was a couple with a dog approaching along the Diamond trail. So we quickly turned up the Hexagon and now I was determined to complete it. I just wasn't sure how dark it would get.
We climbed the long gradual ramp along the back of the head. Twice I was hoping that the top was just around the next bend and twice I was fooled. But we reached the Blue trail and I was energized by the fact that we had completed another section.
It was getting pretty dark now and I was concerned about missing the spot where the Hexagon trail drops off the Tower Path down to the right. I probably should have studied the map a little closer before we left. The moon was reflected in the puddles on the Tower Path. I see now that I did miss it and just cut across the first switchback on the way down. Now I was sure that the Hexagon cut across the next switchback rather than follow the side of it so we followed a trail of sorts to the next crossing of the Tower Path.
At some point in here I was convinced that I saw a Hexagon on a tree leaving the Tower Path in one spot so I was proud of myself for finding it in the dark. We continued on this "trail" I had found. A few times Sadie balked and I had to call her to get her to follow me. I'm sure she knew we weren't on any marked trail. It may have been that I did see a Hexagon on the Tower Path because they coincide for awhile here. In essence, when we crossed the Tower Path the last time, we were crossing the Red Hexagon.
Tory called around this last crossing because they were concerned because it was after 7:30 and quite dark now. I told her I was just about to call (I was) and that I would be out soon. As we crashed through the dark woods, I now know that we were west of where we should have been. I thought I saw Tory's car and called her. I had her beep her horn and was surprised when she was off to our left. There is just enough of a rise along the road that I couldn't really tell where we were relative to the University entrance. I called Tory again and then saw her. We crashed out and walked to where she was.
I feel that we were close enough to the Red Hexagon to count the southern portion also for March 16th. Only a few more segments for the winter but only a few days left until Spring begins. Will we complete the mission?
I was grateful when we crested near the Orange trail and got to take it easy as we crossed the Blue and Tower Path. The drop down the north side was steep in places. We crossed the gulley and could see Tuttle down below. The path takes a pretty long bend to the east but I was true to the path and reached the bottom near River Road. There was a pretty strong stream running along the road so I stayed up on the bank as long as I could although Sadie opted for the middle of the road.
I started to get concerned when I realized that the walk along Tuttle was a lot longer than I expected. I just measured it now as more than half a mile. The sun was pretty much down when we reached the Diamond/Hexagon start and headed in on the flat part. The sun was still reflecting off of the Mill River to our right.
I was trying to decide if I should just be satisfied with completing the Triangle and Diamond north of the Blue trail in my pursuit of the 4 Season Giant Master. I left the decision up to Sadie and soon there was a couple with a dog approaching along the Diamond trail. So we quickly turned up the Hexagon and now I was determined to complete it. I just wasn't sure how dark it would get.
We climbed the long gradual ramp along the back of the head. Twice I was hoping that the top was just around the next bend and twice I was fooled. But we reached the Blue trail and I was energized by the fact that we had completed another section.
It was getting pretty dark now and I was concerned about missing the spot where the Hexagon trail drops off the Tower Path down to the right. I probably should have studied the map a little closer before we left. The moon was reflected in the puddles on the Tower Path. I see now that I did miss it and just cut across the first switchback on the way down. Now I was sure that the Hexagon cut across the next switchback rather than follow the side of it so we followed a trail of sorts to the next crossing of the Tower Path.
At some point in here I was convinced that I saw a Hexagon on a tree leaving the Tower Path in one spot so I was proud of myself for finding it in the dark. We continued on this "trail" I had found. A few times Sadie balked and I had to call her to get her to follow me. I'm sure she knew we weren't on any marked trail. It may have been that I did see a Hexagon on the Tower Path because they coincide for awhile here. In essence, when we crossed the Tower Path the last time, we were crossing the Red Hexagon.
Tory called around this last crossing because they were concerned because it was after 7:30 and quite dark now. I told her I was just about to call (I was) and that I would be out soon. As we crashed through the dark woods, I now know that we were west of where we should have been. I thought I saw Tory's car and called her. I had her beep her horn and was surprised when she was off to our left. There is just enough of a rise along the road that I couldn't really tell where we were relative to the University entrance. I called Tory again and then saw her. We crashed out and walked to where she was.
I feel that we were close enough to the Red Hexagon to count the southern portion also for March 16th. Only a few more segments for the winter but only a few days left until Spring begins. Will we complete the mission?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
DST Extra Hour
Celebrating the extra hour of daylight, Pat dropped me and Sadie off on Hartford Turnpike a little after 4 PM. It was 4:15 when we reached the top of the climbing trail from Hartford Turnpike. The walk was quiet as we crossed Chestnut Lane at 4:36.
We crossed the Yellow Trail at 4:42 and the Orange at 4:45. As we approached the wall, I knew we were in for a steep climb. We reached the top of Hezekiah's Knob at 5:00 and rested for awhile. Then we continued on the Blue until we reached the Red Square. I had planned on either continuing on the Blue or turning left on the Red Square. There was a girl hiking alone towards us on the Blue and she turned back. Rather than follow her, I decided we'd turn left on the Red Square.
We walked along the rock outcrop over the central valley. We passed below Hezekiah's Knob at 5:22 and continued down the rocky slope. We crossed the Orange trail at 5:29 and the Yellow at 5:33. The trail gets steep with a big switchback to the valley floor with the roaring stream off to the left. We got to the parking lot on Mount Carmel Ave at 5:45 and were home at 5:52. Almost 2 hours total - a great day to enjoy the later sunset.
We crossed the Yellow Trail at 4:42 and the Orange at 4:45. As we approached the wall, I knew we were in for a steep climb. We reached the top of Hezekiah's Knob at 5:00 and rested for awhile. Then we continued on the Blue until we reached the Red Square. I had planned on either continuing on the Blue or turning left on the Red Square. There was a girl hiking alone towards us on the Blue and she turned back. Rather than follow her, I decided we'd turn left on the Red Square.
We walked along the rock outcrop over the central valley. We passed below Hezekiah's Knob at 5:22 and continued down the rocky slope. We crossed the Orange trail at 5:29 and the Yellow at 5:33. The trail gets steep with a big switchback to the valley floor with the roaring stream off to the left. We got to the parking lot on Mount Carmel Ave at 5:45 and were home at 5:52. Almost 2 hours total - a great day to enjoy the later sunset.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Hiking on Leaves Again
I never thought that snow would "leave". But a lot of it has! I've been under the weather for a week or so and today I finally decided to go for it.
It's amazing how light it is at 5 PM. I headed up the trail at 5 with Sadie and we went all the way to the White lookout. Between the warm temperatures and the rain, a lot of snow has melted and now we have streams where the trails used to be.
I checked on Evan's Eagle project on the way up. Some of the water bars are doing what they were designed to do but some have been obliterated. I worked a little on the uppermost one to channel the water off the side of the trail and cleared the exit trough with a stick.
Mostly water, rocks and leaves as we made our way past the Yellow/Green Crossover and kept heading into the sunset on the White trail. I forgot how much of a descent there is on the far side before you reach the Red Triangle. There was a deer down below but Sadie could only bark from above. There was no way to get down there quickly.
We took a right on the Red Triangle and then headed East on the Orange Trail. Up a bit of a hill and then through the Mountain Laurel to the Yellow/Green Crossover again. We decided to continue on the Orange although it was getting darker now.
The Orange Trail is a bit more sheltered from the sun and there were places where we had to step in snow, sometimes kind of deep on the north side of piles of rocks. You also had to mind your step as there was some ice on some of the rocks. But we made it to the Red Circle and then headed for home. It was pretty dark when we got to the door around 6:30.
Great to be hiking on leaves again.
It's amazing how light it is at 5 PM. I headed up the trail at 5 with Sadie and we went all the way to the White lookout. Between the warm temperatures and the rain, a lot of snow has melted and now we have streams where the trails used to be.
I checked on Evan's Eagle project on the way up. Some of the water bars are doing what they were designed to do but some have been obliterated. I worked a little on the uppermost one to channel the water off the side of the trail and cleared the exit trough with a stick.
Mostly water, rocks and leaves as we made our way past the Yellow/Green Crossover and kept heading into the sunset on the White trail. I forgot how much of a descent there is on the far side before you reach the Red Triangle. There was a deer down below but Sadie could only bark from above. There was no way to get down there quickly.
We took a right on the Red Triangle and then headed East on the Orange Trail. Up a bit of a hill and then through the Mountain Laurel to the Yellow/Green Crossover again. We decided to continue on the Orange although it was getting darker now.
The Orange Trail is a bit more sheltered from the sun and there were places where we had to step in snow, sometimes kind of deep on the north side of piles of rocks. You also had to mind your step as there was some ice on some of the rocks. But we made it to the Red Circle and then headed for home. It was pretty dark when we got to the door around 6:30.
Great to be hiking on leaves again.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Walking Tall (and Far)
A beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. It was very cold this morning (14 degrees) but it warmed up into the low 30s. I drove up to the Chestnut Road trailhead with little expectations. Pat had said that everything that had melted over the past few days was now frozen solid and hard to walk on without slipping.
I parked in the ice covered parking lot, wondering why the 2 other cars had parked on the street. After I shut off the car and put it in park, I found out why. Even with my foot on the brake, the car was sliding backwards toward the road. So I decided to back it up to speed up the process and leave the back wheels on the dry pavement.
There were only 2 cars at the trailhead before us and one drove up right in front of us. Sadie had barked at them while they were putting on their snowshoes and I finally gave up and we started off. As I started up the trail I quickly determined that I could walk on top of the snow because the trampled path had melted during the warm week and froze solid. When I had to step on the path, the frozen footprints acted as toe holds going uphill or you could dig your heels into the deeper snow.
My intention was to go on the Green trail until the Y/G Crossover past the Red Circle trail and then up the Y/G Crossover, still looking in frozen footprints for the rubber grip that I lost a couple weeks ago. Once I got to where I had come up to before, I was free to hike where I wanted.
So I went back up a little way to the Orange trail and took it up to where it crosses the White trail. Even though it had been cold all day, the sun was warm out on the rocks of the White trail and had melted the snow enough to where the rocks were dry and not ice covered.
I stupidly went past the end of the Green trail, which is what I was looking for, even though I saw the markings on the rocks. I think that I didn't believe it was that close to where I had gotten onto the White trail. After going a little farther and realizing that we were heading downhill and remembering that the Green trail ended on the high section, I called for Sadie and turned back.
Coming down the Green trail was a little scarier in places because you sometimes were forced to step on the frozen path and the risk of falling was greater. But the ease of walking on top of the snow made me want to go farther than I expected to go.
We got back to the Y/G Crossover so we completed the entire Green trail! I went back up the Y/G Crossover but then turned left onto Orange to complete the Orange from the Red Triangle to Chestnut.
Besides the ease of hiking on the top of the snow, you were going by trees with your head a couple of feet higher than it would be without the snow. There weren't many places but sometimes you had to duck under a branch that normally would be well over your head. And every once in a great while, maybe 10 times the whole hike, one foot would crash through the frozen crust and my leg would be in snow sometimes as high as my mid-thigh.
Besides the 3 snowshoers at the start of the hike, we only passed one older lady hiking by herself on the Green trail. At the large map when we arrived back at the trailhead, I saw that the Green trail is 2 miles long so we had hiked at least 4 miles! I was a little tired but very warm and took off my hooded sweatshirt when I got in the car to drive home.
Another great day of hiking on the Giant!
I parked in the ice covered parking lot, wondering why the 2 other cars had parked on the street. After I shut off the car and put it in park, I found out why. Even with my foot on the brake, the car was sliding backwards toward the road. So I decided to back it up to speed up the process and leave the back wheels on the dry pavement.
There were only 2 cars at the trailhead before us and one drove up right in front of us. Sadie had barked at them while they were putting on their snowshoes and I finally gave up and we started off. As I started up the trail I quickly determined that I could walk on top of the snow because the trampled path had melted during the warm week and froze solid. When I had to step on the path, the frozen footprints acted as toe holds going uphill or you could dig your heels into the deeper snow.
My intention was to go on the Green trail until the Y/G Crossover past the Red Circle trail and then up the Y/G Crossover, still looking in frozen footprints for the rubber grip that I lost a couple weeks ago. Once I got to where I had come up to before, I was free to hike where I wanted.
So I went back up a little way to the Orange trail and took it up to where it crosses the White trail. Even though it had been cold all day, the sun was warm out on the rocks of the White trail and had melted the snow enough to where the rocks were dry and not ice covered.
I stupidly went past the end of the Green trail, which is what I was looking for, even though I saw the markings on the rocks. I think that I didn't believe it was that close to where I had gotten onto the White trail. After going a little farther and realizing that we were heading downhill and remembering that the Green trail ended on the high section, I called for Sadie and turned back.
Coming down the Green trail was a little scarier in places because you sometimes were forced to step on the frozen path and the risk of falling was greater. But the ease of walking on top of the snow made me want to go farther than I expected to go.
We got back to the Y/G Crossover so we completed the entire Green trail! I went back up the Y/G Crossover but then turned left onto Orange to complete the Orange from the Red Triangle to Chestnut.
Besides the ease of hiking on the top of the snow, you were going by trees with your head a couple of feet higher than it would be without the snow. There weren't many places but sometimes you had to duck under a branch that normally would be well over your head. And every once in a great while, maybe 10 times the whole hike, one foot would crash through the frozen crust and my leg would be in snow sometimes as high as my mid-thigh.
Besides the 3 snowshoers at the start of the hike, we only passed one older lady hiking by herself on the Green trail. At the large map when we arrived back at the trailhead, I saw that the Green trail is 2 miles long so we had hiked at least 4 miles! I was a little tired but very warm and took off my hooded sweatshirt when I got in the car to drive home.
Another great day of hiking on the Giant!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Hike
Super Bowl Sunday - big deal. But my second post of the day!
Decided to take a late afternoon hike with Sadie. After this morning's depressing outlook that the ice-covered snow was too treacherous, a very warm day changed things more than I could have anticipated.
Thinking it was going to be too hard to hike far, we started from Chestnut. I thought I'd just go Green to the Y/G Crossover and loop back to Chestnut on Yellow. But I realized pretty soon that it wasn't going to be that bad. We got to the Y/G Crossover pretty quickly so we kept going. My plan was either to loop on Red Square to Orange or continue on Green and take the Red Circle home.
The snow was a little annoying and I soon discovered that I should have worn the snowshoes. Not often but every once in awhile one foot would crash through up to your knee or sometimes as deep as your thigh. When we got to the Red Square, it was not very travelled. As much as I generally take the path less taken, the more trampling on a trail, the easier the hiking. And Sadie seemed to want to continue on the Green.
As we rounded the corner, still crashing through the snow surface, perhaps a little more frequently, we came to the area I call "Little Italy" where the Red Square and White come almost tangent with Green so we still had the option of hopping over to the Red Square. But there were no tracks to be seen so we kept going on Green.
The sun was still about a fist at arms length above the horizon so we had plenty of daylight left. But things were soon to get beyond our control. When we reached the Red Circle, only one set of prints went up the steps which were buried under feet of snow. Sadie usually is the one who wants to keep going but she seemed pretty intent on going the way she knew was toward home. But I was concerned about the lack of tracks, so we kept going on Green.
Along the Green trail through the upper valley I started to feel bad for Sadie. She was crashing through the snow almost as much as I was where she had been mostly walking on the surface before. The plan now was to go to the Red Triangle but when we arrived at the Y/G Crossover, there were no tracks ahead.
I was getting pretty tired by now and had fallen a number of times. As I worked my way up the Y/G Crossover, I remembered the time that Sadie had run away from me around there. At some point in here I was thinking that someday my luck is going to run out and they're going to find me up there. When I reached the high point on the crossover, I called home because I was afraid they might be wondering where I was. They weren't concerned and I said I would be home soon, now that it was all downhill.
The trip down was harder than I expected but we got to the Yellow lookout and I took in the view for a bit. As we started off, I hit the only spot all day that the ice coating was impenetrable and it caught me off guard. I went down like a few other times, with my bare hands into deep snow. It had been so warm when we started out and I was pretty well heated up after the workout, but I only had a light sweatshirt on.
A little way down the trail, Sadie started wagging her tail and running ahead. I thought she was just excited to be in familiar territory but then I saw a head cresting the next rise. It was a lone hiker, I later realized it was the guy who always parks near our house. We talked for some time and then Sadie and I headed home.
I think the whole hike took us over an hour and a half. The conditions were better than expected in that it wasn't as impassable as I expected in my earlier post but the unpredictable one foot punching through the snow had me off-balance a lot of the time. Also, all the deep snow stepping had filled both boots with snow which was now water. When I got inside, I poured the water out of the boots.
It had been tiring but it was a super hike.
Decided to take a late afternoon hike with Sadie. After this morning's depressing outlook that the ice-covered snow was too treacherous, a very warm day changed things more than I could have anticipated.
Thinking it was going to be too hard to hike far, we started from Chestnut. I thought I'd just go Green to the Y/G Crossover and loop back to Chestnut on Yellow. But I realized pretty soon that it wasn't going to be that bad. We got to the Y/G Crossover pretty quickly so we kept going. My plan was either to loop on Red Square to Orange or continue on Green and take the Red Circle home.
The snow was a little annoying and I soon discovered that I should have worn the snowshoes. Not often but every once in awhile one foot would crash through up to your knee or sometimes as deep as your thigh. When we got to the Red Square, it was not very travelled. As much as I generally take the path less taken, the more trampling on a trail, the easier the hiking. And Sadie seemed to want to continue on the Green.
As we rounded the corner, still crashing through the snow surface, perhaps a little more frequently, we came to the area I call "Little Italy" where the Red Square and White come almost tangent with Green so we still had the option of hopping over to the Red Square. But there were no tracks to be seen so we kept going on Green.
The sun was still about a fist at arms length above the horizon so we had plenty of daylight left. But things were soon to get beyond our control. When we reached the Red Circle, only one set of prints went up the steps which were buried under feet of snow. Sadie usually is the one who wants to keep going but she seemed pretty intent on going the way she knew was toward home. But I was concerned about the lack of tracks, so we kept going on Green.
Along the Green trail through the upper valley I started to feel bad for Sadie. She was crashing through the snow almost as much as I was where she had been mostly walking on the surface before. The plan now was to go to the Red Triangle but when we arrived at the Y/G Crossover, there were no tracks ahead.
I was getting pretty tired by now and had fallen a number of times. As I worked my way up the Y/G Crossover, I remembered the time that Sadie had run away from me around there. At some point in here I was thinking that someday my luck is going to run out and they're going to find me up there. When I reached the high point on the crossover, I called home because I was afraid they might be wondering where I was. They weren't concerned and I said I would be home soon, now that it was all downhill.
The trip down was harder than I expected but we got to the Yellow lookout and I took in the view for a bit. As we started off, I hit the only spot all day that the ice coating was impenetrable and it caught me off guard. I went down like a few other times, with my bare hands into deep snow. It had been so warm when we started out and I was pretty well heated up after the workout, but I only had a light sweatshirt on.
A little way down the trail, Sadie started wagging her tail and running ahead. I thought she was just excited to be in familiar territory but then I saw a head cresting the next rise. It was a lone hiker, I later realized it was the guy who always parks near our house. We talked for some time and then Sadie and I headed home.
I think the whole hike took us over an hour and a half. The conditions were better than expected in that it wasn't as impassable as I expected in my earlier post but the unpredictable one foot punching through the snow had me off-balance a lot of the time. Also, all the deep snow stepping had filled both boots with snow which was now water. When I got inside, I poured the water out of the boots.
It had been tiring but it was a super hike.
Tough Time for Hikes
This has been a brutal winter. We've had more snow than ever and also very low temperatures. The trails have become packed snow paths surrounded by deep snow that is impossible to walk through. And now we've had some warmer precipitation which has frozen on top of the snow so snowshoeing won't work either.
On Saturday, February 5th, I managed to get up to the trail from the house following my own frozen footsteps with the aid of grips attached to the bottom of my boots. It was very still and quiet up there except for the sound of ice breaking off of the trees as the sun melted it. Farther up the sounds got louder as the ice fell all around us, sometimes very close to where we were walking. It would crash to the icy surface of the snow and then slide down the frozen hillside with a roaring noise.
We made it up to the Yellow lookout but there was a light rain so we couldn't see far from up there before the trees and houses below were erased by the fog and low clouds. I thought about hiking from there out to Chestnut but was dissuaded from doing so by a phone call home.
So we worked our way back down, possibly for the last time in days. Today when I attempted our simple morning walk, the warmer weather had melted the icy footprints enough that sometimes you would crash through into the deeper snow below and sometimes you would be unable to make a dent of any kind, leaving you no traction at all. By the time I made it to the main path, I could see that it would be no use to try to go farther. Sadie has her claws to grip the path and was up ahead, wondering why I wasn't following her. I looked at the frozen path and could see that the more consistently packed trail had been frozen solid. Without some kind of serious crampons or something more substantial than what I had on my boots, I was not going anywhere.
So I may be signing off for awhile. Spring can't come soon enough - although I'm a little concerned about where all this frozen water is going to go.
On Saturday, February 5th, I managed to get up to the trail from the house following my own frozen footsteps with the aid of grips attached to the bottom of my boots. It was very still and quiet up there except for the sound of ice breaking off of the trees as the sun melted it. Farther up the sounds got louder as the ice fell all around us, sometimes very close to where we were walking. It would crash to the icy surface of the snow and then slide down the frozen hillside with a roaring noise.
We made it up to the Yellow lookout but there was a light rain so we couldn't see far from up there before the trees and houses below were erased by the fog and low clouds. I thought about hiking from there out to Chestnut but was dissuaded from doing so by a phone call home.
So we worked our way back down, possibly for the last time in days. Today when I attempted our simple morning walk, the warmer weather had melted the icy footprints enough that sometimes you would crash through into the deeper snow below and sometimes you would be unable to make a dent of any kind, leaving you no traction at all. By the time I made it to the main path, I could see that it would be no use to try to go farther. Sadie has her claws to grip the path and was up ahead, wondering why I wasn't following her. I looked at the frozen path and could see that the more consistently packed trail had been frozen solid. Without some kind of serious crampons or something more substantial than what I had on my boots, I was not going anywhere.
So I may be signing off for awhile. Spring can't come soon enough - although I'm a little concerned about where all this frozen water is going to go.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunny and warm end of January day
This was a great day for hiking! In the morning, I went to do our usual morning walk but as we went into the woods, Sadie stopped and I realized nobody had gone farther than about a dozen steps into the woods since the last snowfall. So we went around by the street and up the Red Circle trail on a pretty compact but narrow path through the deep snow. When we reached the area where it starts to level off, there was a significant trail crossing at right angles, obviously made by deer. I remarked aloud, "Wow, busy intersection." or something similar. Then I looked to my left and there was a deer standing there on this deer trail about 25 feet away looking right at me. I don't know how Sadie had gotten by without seeing the deer but she was quite a bit ahead. The deer just stood there for a moment and then turned and slowly walked away.
In the afternoon, I got out the snowshoes again and was determined to break through the virgin snow up to the Red Circle trail so we can resume our regular morning routine. Once we reached the Red Circle trail we headed up past the Yellow trail. The trail was no longer solidly packed but had diminished to the footsteps of a single snowshoer. Sadie was hopping from footprint to footprint until we reached the Orange trail. I hadn't decided if I wanted to turn left on Orange or continue on the Red Circle but Sadie was in trouble. Our single snowshoeing predecessor had turned right on Orange so whichever way we went, I'd have to lead because she gets tired of plowing through the deep snow. She had hopped 3 or 4 bounds into the snow continuing on the Red Circle and I turned left onto Orange and called her. She realized she'd have to stay behind me but she doesn't like that.
We hadn't gone very far when she stepped on the back of my snowshoe and I fell forward in the snow. It was a very warm (mid 40s) day and I only had a sweatshirt and no gloves so my bare hands went deep into the snow. I yelled at her and was contemplating turning back when the Swiss Rescue Squad appeared. Down the trail ahead we heard voices and an older couple was snowshoeing towards us. I stepped aside and told Sadie to be still as they approached. They had a definite Swiss-Austrian-German accent. I told them it must be easier to snowshoe without a dog stepping on the backs of your shoes. They laughed and wished me well and continued off. But now our trail ahead at least had holes for Sadie to hop in and lead.
We continued on. In a few spots, I was pretty sure that "Hans und Frau" had strayed from the trail so I plunged through the deep snow until soon meeting up with Sadie and their footprints again. They say "Silence is golden" but up here, silence was white. I was surprised how far it was to the Yellow/Green crossover but when we got there, it hadn't been traveled at all so we continued on Orange. I had looked ahead and saw that Orange wasn't going to do too much up or down.
We got to the Red Triangle and another decision. After seeing that Orange was going to go up and down ahead and the Red Triangle was more traveled, I called home and warned that I would probably again come down onto Mount Carmel Ave via Red Triangle.
As we headed down, I could hear voices below. When we reached the Yellow trail, it was very much more compacted so considering Sadie's efforts in the deeper stuff so far, and mindful that I could get a couple more segments of my Giant Master's log filled in, we turned right onto Yellow and headed for the front of the park.
Sadie disappeared ahead and around a bend I saw that she had made a friend. A couple was hiking with a golden retriever and both tails were wagging. I called Sadie and she came back. The guy yelled a "hello" and they continued on while we followed at a distance with Sadie now on the leash. A little farther down the trail, there were people to our right up the hill, probably on the Nature Trail, with a black labrador. Sadie was getting a little excited but we managed to work our way all the way to the map display at the front of the park.
I called home and Pat said she would pick us up. I called back and told her that we would be on the Quinnipiac side of the street because it looked drier over there so maybe Sadie's paws could dry out walking around there. The end of another great day of hiking on the Giant.
In the afternoon, I got out the snowshoes again and was determined to break through the virgin snow up to the Red Circle trail so we can resume our regular morning routine. Once we reached the Red Circle trail we headed up past the Yellow trail. The trail was no longer solidly packed but had diminished to the footsteps of a single snowshoer. Sadie was hopping from footprint to footprint until we reached the Orange trail. I hadn't decided if I wanted to turn left on Orange or continue on the Red Circle but Sadie was in trouble. Our single snowshoeing predecessor had turned right on Orange so whichever way we went, I'd have to lead because she gets tired of plowing through the deep snow. She had hopped 3 or 4 bounds into the snow continuing on the Red Circle and I turned left onto Orange and called her. She realized she'd have to stay behind me but she doesn't like that.
We hadn't gone very far when she stepped on the back of my snowshoe and I fell forward in the snow. It was a very warm (mid 40s) day and I only had a sweatshirt and no gloves so my bare hands went deep into the snow. I yelled at her and was contemplating turning back when the Swiss Rescue Squad appeared. Down the trail ahead we heard voices and an older couple was snowshoeing towards us. I stepped aside and told Sadie to be still as they approached. They had a definite Swiss-Austrian-German accent. I told them it must be easier to snowshoe without a dog stepping on the backs of your shoes. They laughed and wished me well and continued off. But now our trail ahead at least had holes for Sadie to hop in and lead.
We continued on. In a few spots, I was pretty sure that "Hans und Frau" had strayed from the trail so I plunged through the deep snow until soon meeting up with Sadie and their footprints again. They say "Silence is golden" but up here, silence was white. I was surprised how far it was to the Yellow/Green crossover but when we got there, it hadn't been traveled at all so we continued on Orange. I had looked ahead and saw that Orange wasn't going to do too much up or down.
We got to the Red Triangle and another decision. After seeing that Orange was going to go up and down ahead and the Red Triangle was more traveled, I called home and warned that I would probably again come down onto Mount Carmel Ave via Red Triangle.
As we headed down, I could hear voices below. When we reached the Yellow trail, it was very much more compacted so considering Sadie's efforts in the deeper stuff so far, and mindful that I could get a couple more segments of my Giant Master's log filled in, we turned right onto Yellow and headed for the front of the park.
Sadie disappeared ahead and around a bend I saw that she had made a friend. A couple was hiking with a golden retriever and both tails were wagging. I called Sadie and she came back. The guy yelled a "hello" and they continued on while we followed at a distance with Sadie now on the leash. A little farther down the trail, there were people to our right up the hill, probably on the Nature Trail, with a black labrador. Sadie was getting a little excited but we managed to work our way all the way to the map display at the front of the park.
I called home and Pat said she would pick us up. I called back and told her that we would be on the Quinnipiac side of the street because it looked drier over there so maybe Sadie's paws could dry out walking around there. The end of another great day of hiking on the Giant.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Nice Day for this Winter
Seems like we usually get either a lot of snow OR real cold weather. This winter has had both.
Between snowstorms and bitter cold, haven't done much hiking. So this fine sunny Saturday afternoon, I went up the Red Circle trail with Sadie around 2 PM.
Once we crashed over to the trail, it was packed pretty hard but probably still a foot deep with even deeper loose snow on either side. The packed path was just wide enough for your feet side-by-side.
When we got to the Yellow trail, we turned East and I stopped at the top of our shortcut to head back down. But Sadie and the trail were calling me on. So I checked my watch and it was only 2:30 and I called home and said I was thinking about going out to Chestnut. I stood there for awhile and took in the silence and the cracking of the trees in the wind.
I was concerned the trail might not be as packed all the way and I only had my hiking boots so deep snow would be annoying. We did the ups and downs and there were plenty of foot holds in the packed path. We crossed the Red Square and Sadie almost headed up the Green/Yellow Crossover. When we crossed the Blue, I called home for a ride.
We had only seen one guy coming down the Red Circle when we had turned onto Yellow. As we got to Chestnut, we saw our only other hiker as he was going up to the map board to plan his route. When Evan came we could see another pair of hikers coming out. There were about 4 or 5 cars at the trailhead and 2 or 3 more where the Green trail comes out a little up the road.
Between snowstorms and bitter cold, haven't done much hiking. So this fine sunny Saturday afternoon, I went up the Red Circle trail with Sadie around 2 PM.
Once we crashed over to the trail, it was packed pretty hard but probably still a foot deep with even deeper loose snow on either side. The packed path was just wide enough for your feet side-by-side.
When we got to the Yellow trail, we turned East and I stopped at the top of our shortcut to head back down. But Sadie and the trail were calling me on. So I checked my watch and it was only 2:30 and I called home and said I was thinking about going out to Chestnut. I stood there for awhile and took in the silence and the cracking of the trees in the wind.
I was concerned the trail might not be as packed all the way and I only had my hiking boots so deep snow would be annoying. We did the ups and downs and there were plenty of foot holds in the packed path. We crossed the Red Square and Sadie almost headed up the Green/Yellow Crossover. When we crossed the Blue, I called home for a ride.
We had only seen one guy coming down the Red Circle when we had turned onto Yellow. As we got to Chestnut, we saw our only other hiker as he was going up to the map board to plan his route. When Evan came we could see another pair of hikers coming out. There were about 4 or 5 cars at the trailhead and 2 or 3 more where the Green trail comes out a little up the road.
Monday, January 17, 2011
After the Big One
Wednesday, January 12, was a record snowfall for Connecticut. According to official reports, North Haven, just across the street, got 30 inches of snow. We surely got over 2 feet on top of what we had.
When we went out into our yard that afternoon, it wasn't easy to get around. Sadie had a hard time hopping from foot hole to foot hole and ended up spraining her tail. So between Sadie's need for rest, the impossibly deep snow, and my overdoing it on the previous snowshoe adventure, I haven't gotten up on the trails until yesterday.
Some time around 3 PM, Pat & I decided to go for a hike and take Sadie. Our assumption was that enough people had now walked on the snow that we didn't need snowshoes. It was a reasonable assumption, for the most part.
On the way up to the Yellow trail, I suggested that maybe we could do a segment from Red Circle to Red Triangle. Pat said she wasn't really prepared, that her boots fit better with a second pair of socks but that she would have done that if I had told her my idea before we left.
When we got to the Yellow lookout, she had agreed to continue down yellow to the Red Triangle and then out to the road where one of the girls would pick us up. The snow was so deep that people had made a trail alongside the new stairway that was built for an Eagle project.
We stayed in the trodden path and called Emily when we reached the Red Triangle. We assumed it would be an easy walk down to the road. Here's where all our assumptions went awry.
About half-way down, we saw that the footprints that we had been following decided to abandon the Red Triangle and head west towards the entrance of the park. We saw Emily pull up on the road below and decided to just crash through the deep snow down the remainder of the Red Triangle trail.
We made it but we were white from the knees down. Sadie managed to leap from foot hole to foot hole and we all were glad for the ride home.
When we went out into our yard that afternoon, it wasn't easy to get around. Sadie had a hard time hopping from foot hole to foot hole and ended up spraining her tail. So between Sadie's need for rest, the impossibly deep snow, and my overdoing it on the previous snowshoe adventure, I haven't gotten up on the trails until yesterday.
Some time around 3 PM, Pat & I decided to go for a hike and take Sadie. Our assumption was that enough people had now walked on the snow that we didn't need snowshoes. It was a reasonable assumption, for the most part.
On the way up to the Yellow trail, I suggested that maybe we could do a segment from Red Circle to Red Triangle. Pat said she wasn't really prepared, that her boots fit better with a second pair of socks but that she would have done that if I had told her my idea before we left.
When we got to the Yellow lookout, she had agreed to continue down yellow to the Red Triangle and then out to the road where one of the girls would pick us up. The snow was so deep that people had made a trail alongside the new stairway that was built for an Eagle project.
We stayed in the trodden path and called Emily when we reached the Red Triangle. We assumed it would be an easy walk down to the road. Here's where all our assumptions went awry.
About half-way down, we saw that the footprints that we had been following decided to abandon the Red Triangle and head west towards the entrance of the park. We saw Emily pull up on the road below and decided to just crash through the deep snow down the remainder of the Red Triangle trail.
We made it but we were white from the knees down. Sadie managed to leap from foot hole to foot hole and we all were glad for the ride home.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
First snowshoe of 2011
Sadie and I started up the RED CIRCLE to YELLOW. I was snowshoeing and had crashed up to the RED CIRCLE. We turned up the Y/G CROSSOVER and met a guy from North Haven who had looped up to WHITE and was headed back down. I was intent on making it all the way to the GREEN. About where the trail winds down to GREEN, Sadie disappeared.
I went back up to the turn where I thought she left and heard voices coming down the ORANGE from the east. So I yelled to them and asked if they'd seen a dog. They said they hadn't so I went back towards GREEN where I thought Sadie's tracks headed off to the west. There was a rise there so I thought maybe if she had gone over that she might not hear me calling her.
After crashing through the mountain laurel and falling once (not easy to maneuver with snowshoes), I finally called home because I was concerned that Sadie might show up without me. When Emily answered and I explained my situation, she said Sadie was already at the door. I have no idea how she got home that fast (or why).
But now I was on my own and enjoying the snowshoe crashing. I worked my way down the rocks, not very gracefully, and plodded over to the GREEN. From there I had ideas of doing the whole GREEN but when I headed towards the WHITE, I realized it was much longer than I thought. So I decided to go for the B/W CROSSOVER. I was a little disoriented when I hit the BLUE; I thought the B/W CROSSOVER went down the hill I was looking for and for some reason started heading down west on the BLUE.
I realized my mistake and went back up the rocks to where the white markers were for the crossover. On the way up the rocks, I fell once and ended up in the snow with no gloves. My hands were pretty cold and then I had to work my way down the BLUE to the RED TRIANGLE. On my way down, I got my showshoes tangled and fell again.
At some point here I realized my right middle finger was cut and bleeding. It was a very small cut but the blood was running steadily. I turned south on the RED TRIANGLE and when I got to the intersection with the GREEN, I called home. I asked which way was shortest to go out, either to Mt Carmel Ave or Tuttle or take GREEN all the way to Chestnut.
Emily said the RED TRIANGLE was shortest, so I decided to take it down to Mt Carmel Ave. I fell one more time and later stepped out of one snowshoe and decided to take them off and carry them. I had alternated my hands in my pockets to the point where they were almost back to normal.
Emily picked me up and I threw the showshoes in the trunk with my snowy sweatshirt. It was a great adventure. We'll see how I feel tomorrow!
I went back up to the turn where I thought she left and heard voices coming down the ORANGE from the east. So I yelled to them and asked if they'd seen a dog. They said they hadn't so I went back towards GREEN where I thought Sadie's tracks headed off to the west. There was a rise there so I thought maybe if she had gone over that she might not hear me calling her.
After crashing through the mountain laurel and falling once (not easy to maneuver with snowshoes), I finally called home because I was concerned that Sadie might show up without me. When Emily answered and I explained my situation, she said Sadie was already at the door. I have no idea how she got home that fast (or why).
But now I was on my own and enjoying the snowshoe crashing. I worked my way down the rocks, not very gracefully, and plodded over to the GREEN. From there I had ideas of doing the whole GREEN but when I headed towards the WHITE, I realized it was much longer than I thought. So I decided to go for the B/W CROSSOVER. I was a little disoriented when I hit the BLUE; I thought the B/W CROSSOVER went down the hill I was looking for and for some reason started heading down west on the BLUE.
I realized my mistake and went back up the rocks to where the white markers were for the crossover. On the way up the rocks, I fell once and ended up in the snow with no gloves. My hands were pretty cold and then I had to work my way down the BLUE to the RED TRIANGLE. On my way down, I got my showshoes tangled and fell again.
At some point here I realized my right middle finger was cut and bleeding. It was a very small cut but the blood was running steadily. I turned south on the RED TRIANGLE and when I got to the intersection with the GREEN, I called home. I asked which way was shortest to go out, either to Mt Carmel Ave or Tuttle or take GREEN all the way to Chestnut.
Emily said the RED TRIANGLE was shortest, so I decided to take it down to Mt Carmel Ave. I fell one more time and later stepped out of one snowshoe and decided to take them off and carry them. I had alternated my hands in my pockets to the point where they were almost back to normal.
Emily picked me up and I threw the showshoes in the trunk with my snowy sweatshirt. It was a great adventure. We'll see how I feel tomorrow!
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