Fliegel Farm Woods, Ashford, CT
04/14/14 12-1pm Blustery and mostly cloudy with mild temps.
I discovered the Joshua Trust website (joshuatrust.org)
which lists the properties that have hiking trails in the Ashford, Connecticut area and I have a lot of exploring to do this spring!
Parked at Sean Patrick's Plants on East Howey Road at the top of a blustery hillside farm. The trail started off on a discontinued portion of East Howey road which is an old wagon road lined with stone walls and descends to Knowlton Brook where stone bridge abutments still remain and the road continues on the other side of the brook as it winds it way up into the woods. We followed the yellow trail which brought us along the brook amidst the skunk cabbage and frogs and back to the lot.
A short hike and an amazing area to see for its old farms and fields.
Bare Mountain, South Hadley, MA
04/13/14 11:00 am-1:50pm 60's and hazy skies with partial clearing.
Parked off Amherst Road and walked through the Judd Reservation to Robert Frost trail to summit.
Brief shower on the way but nice spring Sunday morning. We had to resort to off trail wandering a little before we came to the yellow trail and eventually the Robert Frost trail (Red) which led us up the seven sisters ridgeline to the summit of Mt Hitchcock at 1005'. A tough climb for the first hike of the season! We went up and down the humps that straddle the ridge line before coming to Bare Mountain at 1010' with a 360 degree view of the pioneer valley. There were many hikers on the trail today. We decided to make a loop back to the car and descended the ridge to the Notch Visitor Center and a brief walk along Route 116 and past huge stone quarry to car.
We had lunch at Fitzwilly's in Northampton, MA and the town was bustling with people enjoying the bright warm sunshine.
Willington, CT 12:07-2:08 pm. Cloudy and chilly. Fenton-Ruby Park and Dobney Wildlife Sanctuary.
A new hike starting on Taylor Pond Loop To Julia Trail. Spring Peepers peeping in vernal pools and pond. We made our way down to the Fenton River which is running strong and fast through farm lands and forest. We followed several wagon roads and continued on Green Trail back to Pond. We came to a wide wagon road lined with high stone walls and cellar holes on top of a hill. Old and rusted primitive iron fixtures littered the forest floor in places indicated an old smelting or blacksmith shop was in operation here a long time ago. A gravel road led back to car and parking area with picnic table offering views of the Fenton River, wetland habitat and distant farm land. It seems like a great place to fish with an old dam upstream and deep pools to support trout.
Eastford, Connecticut hike on The Connecticut Path (Walker Road)11am-3pm Cloudy and hazy but mild with breeze.
Parked off Walker Road and hiked down wooded track to site of old schoolhouse (circa 1860's). A lot of colonial development with interlacing stone walls and a few cellar holes and an old well. We came to a beaver pond and saw two herons. After we located the schoolhouse foundation we followed the sound of rushing water down a short hill. I was startled to catch two coyotes-yikes! crossing the trail and was able to capture them on camera as they stopped to check us out before they scampered off into the woods again.
We then came to the other side of the Bigelow Brook and the site of the old bridge and stepping stones. The water was high from spring thaw and good for fishing. Me and my father walked back to car along the same route. We stopped on Eastford Road to look over the Bigelow Brook bridge at the trout swimming in a deep pool.
