Finding Balance Balanced Rock Trail, Ernie Boothroyd Preserve, Northern CT Land Trust Ellington After finding the trailhead here, out in the far eastern reaches of the Ellington panhandle, I was immediately struck by how nice the sign was. It's clearly quite new, but the creator used some great fonts and the … [Read more...]
NCLT: Wapping Bog
Do Wap Wapping Bog East Windsor Wapping Bog has no marked trails and it's not really a place anyone would ever want to explore to any extent but it's called "Wapping Bog" and there's a sign so here we are. On Wapping Road in East Windsor. It looks like a woodpecker had a Wapping good time wap-wap-wapping … [Read more...]
NCLT: Swann Farm
My Swann Song (For a Week or Two) Northern Connecticut Land Trust (NCLT): Swann Farm, Ellington 0.5 miles, March 2019 Normally, I would write up a half-mile hike, hit publish, link it at the appropriate places, not really tell anyone, and call it a day. But this half-mile hike, which is certainly not a hike I'd … [Read more...]
NCLT: Sunset Hill Trail
A Good Lesson on Winter Sun Angles Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT): Sunset Hill Trail, Ellington ~0.5 miles, March 2019 It has been another long winter here in Connecticut... not so much because of excessive snow or cold, but because my son Calvin is seven and has a very full social calendar. Fuller than mine has … [Read more...]
NCLT: A.K. Webster Preserve
That Soccer Field Still Gets Me... Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT): A.K. Webster Preserve, Vernon ~0.75 miles, May 2017 Ah yes, that soccer field. I noted it several years ago while poking around Valley Falls Park. I climbed high above the Hop River Rail Trail (which also hosts a mile or so of the Shenipsit Trail … [Read more...]
NCLT: Eckers Pond
What the Eckers? Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT): Eckers Pond, Vernon ~0.15 miles, May 2017 Do not read this page as a standalone page. Hiking the Northern Connecticut Land Trust’s Eckers Pond Trail without hiking the town of Vernon’s Center Middle School Trail is almost literally impossible. You can read that … [Read more...]
Talcott Ravine Falls
Talcott Ravine Falls, Vernon May 7, 2017 Sometime I disagree with Connecticut Waterfalls and its decision to exclude certain falls around the state. However, I agree with this one not making the final edit. Mostly because from what I can tell, it’s a fake falls. It’s merely a dam from back in the mill days … [Read more...]
NCLT: Talcott Ravine
No, Really! It’s a Real Ravine! Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT): Talcott Ravine, Vernon ~1.2 miles, May 2017 Be honest with yourself; if someone said, “hey, let’s go check out that ravine in Vernon,” what would you think? You’d think that person is either lying, crazy, or both. Well, the ravine is real. … [Read more...]
NCLT: Indian Trail & Hatch Hill
Maybe Someday Northern CT Land Trust (NCLT): Indian Trail & Hatch Hill, Vernon 0 miles, May 2017 This page’s existence is dumb. I didn’t hike anything here because I saw no trails to hike. Indian Trail Preserve in the southeastern corner of Vernon (near Valley Falls) certainly used to have trails. It has a … [Read more...]
Northern Connecticut Land Trust Intro
Northern Connecticut Land Trust East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Somers, Stafford/Stafford Springs, Tolland, Vernon My first thought as I begin to tackle this Land Trust is, “Holy crap, that’s a lot of land in trust.” My second thought is, “cool, these should be trails I can bang out with my sons.” We just … [Read more...]