Hiking in Connecticut

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Day Hike Notes – Peoples State Forest via Elliott Bronson Trail

Forest decoration

At 6:00am, I was not expecting to take this hike. I was expecting to take another hike altogether, with Steve. But Steve messaged to say he had to bail, truly sorry mate. I could not do alone, and did not want to anyway, the hike Steve and I had planned. It was a point-to-pointer, requiring two cars. So I trawled my mental hike database (at dawn, not necessarily an easy task) and fixed on this trek. I had done it once before, 16 months ago, and liked its varied scenes and the good workout it provided. It proved a good choice.

[Previously in this blog: Day Hike Notes – Peoples State Forest (a route without Elliott Bronson Trail) and The View from Peoples State Forest (a newspaper article of mine from 2017)]

DATE: Sunday, March 24th.
START & FINISH: Elliott Bronson Trailhead, Park Road, Barkhamsted CT (GPS 41.921471, -72.972716).
ROUTE & MAP: A lollipop loop with the 2-mile Elliott Bronson Trail as the stick. The clockwise loop itself consists mainly of substantial sections of each of the Robert Ross, Jessie Gerard, Charles Pack, and Agnes Bowen trails.

DISTANCE: 10-11 miles.
TIME: 5¼ hours (8:30am to 1:45pm).
TERRAIN: My GPS says this route involves 2,000 feet of ascent/descent. That feels about right. First, Elliott Bronson goes up and down Ragged Mountain. Then there is the climb—mostly gradual, finally steep—to the lookouts. It is then mostly downhill back to Elliott Bronson and the up-and-over required to get back to the car. Trail quality is variable, being generally rougher underfoot away from the more popular trails on the hillside overlooking the West Branch Farmington River.
MAPS: Gaia GPS only.

WEATHER: Sunny and, for the first weekend in spring, quite cold (20s to start, 30s at the end).
WILDLIFE: Trekking back over Ragged Mountain, I heard a bird racket. I looked up and saw a hawk cruising at treetop height. I don’t know if it was the hawk making the racket or another bird doing so in reaction to it.

LUNCH: Chorizo & Swiss on sourdough overlooking Beaver Brook Meadow (a swamp).
UPS: The lookout views are grand but my favorite place in Peoples is the rustic bench at the outflow of Beaver Brook Meadow. It too has a grand view (see PICTURES) and, additionally, is a mostly solitary and peaceful spot.
DOWNS: Very minor, but Saturday’s pouring rain left behind a few muddy stretches (though most trail had drained remarkably well).
KIT: I have a new camera to take shots requiring more zoom than my iPhone can offer. I am still learning how to use it.
COMPANY: Only here and there, and mostly near the lookouts.

PICTURES:

Robert Ross Trail
Top of the falls
First lookout—West Branch Farmington River, looking south
Second lookout—Looking down, with zoom, on Riverton and upstream (north) view
Passing between glacial boulders
Lunch spot—Beaver Brook “Meadow”
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Day Hike Notes – Bethany Loop

Somewhere on Mad Mare Ridge

I had hiked parts of this loop before, like High Rock and the trails near Lake Bethany. What this outing did was join the dots with some trails and roads that were new to me. I was very pleased with the result—a varied and mostly scenic trek 20 minutes from home. I have called it Bethany Loop but should point out that it strays into a corner of Hamden also. Please be aware that, from Lake Bethany to Finish, a Regional Water Authority permit is required. It is inexpensive and provides access to other worthwhile local hiking areas too.

DATE: Saturday, February 3rd.
START & FINISH: Sanford Feeder Trailhead, Brooks Road, Bethany CT (GPS 41.408381, -72.951508).
ROUTE: Sanford Feeder to Regicides Trail; Regicides up (north and uphill 😊) to junction with Quinnipiac Trail; Quinnipiac north to Downs Road, crossing Brooks Road on the way; Downs Road (mostly a track) south to Hoadley Road; Hoadley west to Lake Bethany; trails on east side of the lake to Hatfield Hill Road; track and trails (called Hemlock and West River on RWA maps, but not signposted) east of the West River from Hatfield Hill Road south to Downs Road; a short walk north on Downs to an unmarked track across to Brooks Road and Finish.
DISTANCE: Something over 9 miles.
TIME: 4½ hours (8:10am to 12:40pm).
TERRAIN: The loop involves a couple of climbs of 350-400 feet, both of which have short steep parts. They are near the beginning—up to High Rock and, a mile or so farther on, up to splendidly named Mad Mare Ridge. Grades are otherwise easy. Underfoot conditions range from rough trail, through smoother track, to asphalt. The only significant asphalt section is 0.75 miles and low on traffic.
MAPS: Gaia GPS only.

WEATHER: Sunny (for the first time in a while); temperatures around freezing early, high 30s later; little wind. Overall, very comfortable.
WILDLIFE: A pair of ravens (I think) riding thermals near High Rock; later, a turkey vulture; smaller birdies all the while.

LUNCH: I was done hiking by 12:40 and had snacked along the way. Nonetheless I ate a sandwich beside the West River around noon.
UPS: The varied nature of the hike—ridges with views, brooks, woodland, water’s edge.
DOWNS: In spite of breaks along the way, I finished more than an hour earlier than expected and did not feel fully worked out. I must have hiked the track and road sections at a fair clip.
KIT: In mid-hike, I switched to less substantial gloves and headgear.
COMPANY: Next to none, but I did bump into two women walking a dog that was the doppelganger (in both appearance and behavior) of one of my daughter’s pups.

PICTURES:

Sanford Feeder Trail
Regicides Trail rocks
View from the Quinnipiac Trail near High Rock—New Haven visible left, Lake Watrous right
Starting the Brooks Road-Downs Road section
Scrappy woods beside the Downs Road track
Lake Bethany, a reservoir
Hemlock Trail to the West River
A secluded spot in West River Gorge

MAP:
Star marks Start & Finish

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Day Hike Notes – Pachaug State Forest

Lowden Brook Cascades

Pachaug State Forest, as Connecticut’s largest (26,477 acres), had been on my radar for quite some time. But as a west-of-the-river resident, its location near the Rhode Island line counted against it. So, to be honest, did my image of its likely landscape, which for sure would not include hills even as modestly tall as those in the northwest of the state. A few years ago, however, I moved somewhat closer to the middle of Connecticut and last weekend Pachaug had its moment. After a few hours of hiking, I was not sure if I would be rushing back for more, but then, abruptly, I was won over (see DOWNS AND UPS) and I left Pachaug fully expecting to return.

DATE: Saturday, December 16th.
START & FINISH: Parking spaces beside Beachdale Pond just off Headquarters Road, Voluntown CT (GPS 41.584713, -71.856996).
ROUTE: A clockwise loop made of sections of the Nehantic, Quinebaug, and Pachaug trails, plus a side trail to connect Quinebaug to Pachaug at the northeastern part of the loop.
DISTANCE: A little short of 12 miles.
TIME: 6 hours (8:15am to 2:15pm).
TERRAIN: A few low hills, but even on them grades are generally easy. Trail quality varied from pine-needle carpet to, in a few places, wet and muddy or rocky. Overall, this was not a strenuous hike.
MAPS: Gaia GPS, following a route I had earlier created in the app.

WEATHER: A frosty start, but becoming mild (about 50); sunny; a light breeze in places.
WILDLIFE: Making my way down Lowden Brook after lunch, I saw a great blue heron take off silently above the stream. I had not noticed its presence and must have disturbed its fishing. I moved stealthily after that and saw the bird a few more times from a distance, but it quickly sensed me and took off. My photograph is not great:

LUNCH: Toasted rye cheese & salami sandwich sat on a boulder at Lowden Brook Cascades.
DOWNS AND UPS: For four hours I mostly enjoyed my Pachaug loop. There were some fine conifer stands, a good view or two, and plenty of solitude. But there were also areas of cleared forest, and woods that seemed to be degrading more slowly (from drought, storm, and insect infestation said a sign). Most importantly, there did not seem to be anything here that I could not find closer to home. Then, on the home stretch on the Pachaug Trail, I came to Lowden Brook Cascades in spate, as noisy and powerful as a mountain stream—an exhilarating surprise. Next, hiking downstream, the brook felt wild and beautiful—on account of the trout-fishing heron, of course, but also because of its little cascades, tannin-stained pools, and banks of jumbled woods.
KIT: I have been adding electrolyte tablets to my water on longer, more strenuous hikes recently in a bid to end the thigh cramps that have started to afflict me now and again. I suffered no cramps on this hike but, in truth, it was not a tough enough test. I will have to wait for a long mountain trek to see if the GU “energy hydration electrolyte drink tablets” work. They do taste good though 🙂
COMPANY: Almost none until the final miles, and even then not much.

PICTURES:

MAP:

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Day Hike Notes – Pond Mountain Natural Area from the Housatonic River

Beneath St John’s Ledges

My Thanksgiving holiday hiking day used to be, usually, the Friday. For a time I even had a regular route for this “turkey burner”. But at least once our family feast was put back to Friday and I hiked on the Day itself (and recall meeting backpackers on the New York Appalachian Trail trading, I assumed, snug homes for cold nights). Thanksgiving dinner this year was, for me, scheduled for Saturday, so my turkey burner preceded the turkey. I had thought that the trails would be quieter than usual. As it turned out, they were all but deserted and it seemed at times as if the birds were filling that space with chatter.

DATE: Thursday, November 23rd, Thanksgiving Day.
START & FINISH: River Road, Kent CT, at the Appalachian Trail trailhead (GPS 41.757859, -73.450469).
ROUTE: AT south to Skiff Mountain Road; Skiff Mountain Road north a short way to Pond Mountain Natural Area’s Red Gate Trail; Red Gate, Saturday Afternoon, and Pond trails around Fuller Pond; Mountain Trail to Pond Mountain summit; Mountain and Escarpment trails back down to Red Gate Trail and back to Start retracing out leg route; a short walk along River Road to see the Housatonic.
DISTANCE: 8.7 miles.
TIME: About 5½ hours (8:30am to 2:00pm).
TERRAIN: Varied. The hike starts with a scramble up St John’s ledges, some 550 feet in 0.5 miles. Grades and trail quality are then good for the next 3.5 miles, even allowing for a couple of summits (Caleb’s Peak and an unnamed hill east of Fuller Pond). The trail up Pond Mountain is steep but short. Gaia GPS calculates the total ascent/descent of the hike as 2,450 feet, a decent workout.
MAPS: Gaia GPS.

WEATHER: Sunny, breezy in places, low-to-mid 40s.
WILDLIFE: Birds about which, sadly, I can say no more than it was nice to have them around.

LUNCH: Swiss, salami, and arugula ciabatta sandwich on a wind-chilled Pond Mountain.
UPS: Until this hike, I had always rounded Fuller Pond’s east side on the bank-hugging Pond Trail. On this outing, I took the Saturday Afternoon Trail, which gives the pond a wider berth. The new route yielded a fine view of the pond from the unnamed hill and, better still, traversed a couple of big, open fields, something of a novelty and greatly enjoyed.
DOWNS: None at all.
KIT: It was one of those days for frequent taking off and putting on of layers. The top of Pine Mountain was a four-layer place.
COMPANY: Next to none; a dog-walker on the AT “doing penance” (his words) before feasting, and later a hiker scaling Pond Mountain as I descended.

THE HIKE IN PICTURES:

Looking NE into the Housatonic River valley from the Ledges
Looking south from Caleb’s Peak (Kent seen on the east bank of the Housatonic)
Fuller Pond from unnamed hill to its east
Hills of Macedonia Brook State Park
On Fuller Pond
Looking west from Pond Mountain, Catskill Mountains just visible in the far distance
Housatonic River from River Road

MAP:

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Mattabesett Trail – The End

The twisty route to Route 79

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I completed the Mattabesett Trail a mere 6½ years after first stepping onto it. To be fair, getting it done was never an urgent project. Back in 2016, daughter Katie and I accomplished the sections between Berlin and Guilford quite quickly as part of a longer section-hike of the New England Trail from Massachusetts to Long Island Sound. But we did not touch that part of the Mattabesett that runs southwest from the Connecticut River in Middletown to Guilford. It was that part I completed after Thanksgiving. 

An outing last year and four this year had taken me from the Connecticut River to a point on Route 79 in Durham. The day after Thanksgiving, I thought I might wrap up the project. I parked on Cream Pot Road in Durham, roughly halfway along the stretch of trail that remained to be done. I thought I’d hike back to Route 79 in the morning, return to my car for lunch (rain was forecast), then in the afternoon hike on to the Mattabesett’s junction with the Menunkatuck Trail, where my task would be completed. I did not reckon with the nature of the trail back to Route 79.     

Friday, November 25th – Route 79 and Back

Since the Mattabesett has been substantially rerouted in the area, when I set out for Route 79 about 8am my 2017 guidebook could not provide me a mileage to work with. Online, the route appeared quite meandering, and that certainly proved true at the beginning, when it twisted up, over, and down Mount Pisgah. But then the trail also took a very indirect route—a big loop—from the base of Mount Pisgah to Route 79 (see GPS track at top). By the time I reached the road, my GPS said I’d already walked 5.4 miles. (I’m learning that GPS data may sometimes be far from accurate but, in this case, it felt like 5.4 miles too.) On the trek back to my car, summiting Pisgah again, the wind picked up and rain began to fall. It was atmospheric and exhilarating. Even so, back at Cream Pot Road, I called it a day. 


Sunday, November 27th – The End

I drove back to Cream Pot Road Sunday lunchtime. The forecast was for heavy rain but mild temperatures. I was looking forward to more “atmospheric and exhilarating”. I followed the Mattabesett south, past Pyramid Rock and over Mica Ledges. After two hours, I arrived at the junction of the Mattabesett and Menunkatuck trails, where Katie and I had passed 6½ years ago. I ate a sandwich and drank some coffee and turned around. On the return leg, the rain came down hard and the woods dimmed early. There was no-one else about all afternoon. It’s funny what makes you happy.

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More Mattabesett Trail

Since posting Day Hike Notes – Mattabesett Trail Again, Again in March, I have taken more bites at the Mattabesett’s southeastern portion—or, more exactly, two nibbles and one bite. On July 2nd, I picked up the Trail at Aircraft Road, Middletown, and hiked the 1.5 miles to Route 154. I returned to Aircraft Road mostly on the Seven Falls Loop. This was an outing of pleasant woods and impressive boulders. I hope the photo below left gives a flavor. The route also passes Seven Falls. I cannot vouch for the number of cascades or suggest that they are in any way spectacular. But I can provide a picture (below right). Water was low.

 

The next day, July 3rd, skipping the road section of the Mattabesett that begins at Route 154, I hiked the Trail through a fragment of Cockaponset State Forest in Haddam—Foot Hills Road to Brainard Hill Road and back, 2.5 miles each way. Again, the highlights were woods and rocks, notably the impressive outcrop called Eagle’s Beak. I saw a black bear too, crossing Brainard Hill Road, but quite some distance from me.

 

On August 27th, again skipping a road section (this time 0.7 miles of Foot Hills Road), I set off on the Mattabesett toward Millers Pond. Back on July 3rd, I had considered continuing on to this section in the afternoon, but the Millers Pond parking lot was crammed and I went elsewhere for a second hike. This time, I made sure to arrive at the lot bright and early, before the picnickers and paddlers. My route took me from Wiese Albert Road (in Haddam) to the Pond (in Durham), then on to Route 79 via Bear Rock—six miles one way, 12 for me.

The early-morning pond was a highlight, and so too was Bear Rock (see photos below for the views). Beyond Bear Rock, there was a surprise. The Mattabesett had been rerouted since my guide was published and, instead of taking me to Coginchaug Cave and Old Blue Hills Road, it led me directly to Route 79. I have no idea if missing the cave was a big loss.

 

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Day Hike Notes – Mattabesett Trail Again, Again

Aircraft Road—my turnaround point

Last spring, returning to the Mattabesett Trail after a five-year absence, I thought I might complete that summer the part of the Trail that runs from the Connecticut River to the Guilford woods. In the end, I took just the one outing on the Mattabesett last year. Last weekend, I finally went again—again. I am very glad I did. And I still have 18.4 miles to enjoy through Haddam, Durham, and Madison before reaching those Guilford Woods.

DATE: Saturday, February 27th.
START & FINISH: Brooks Road, Middletown CT (GPS 41.534664, -72.599706).
ROUTE: Out—Mattabesett Trail to Aircraft Road; back—Mattabesett Trail and blue/yellow-blazed loops. (The Mattabesett and the blue/yellow loops crisscross for much of the route, with the loops paradoxically taking the straighter line overall.)
DISTANCE: 7.9 miles according to Gaia GPS.
TIME: 4½ hours (8:30am to 1:00pm).
TERRAIN: Moderate ups and downs, posing difficulty only occasionally. A layer of ice-covered snow actually made for easy progress, with spikes of course. My GPS calculated about 850 feet of ascent/descent.
MAP: A screenshot from the CFPA Interactive Map stored on my phone.

WEATHER: Sunny, calm, cool (below freezing at start, maybe low 40s by finish).
WILDLIFE: Some sort of bird of prey rose from the ground on trail ahead of me. It was a ledgy section so I may have intruded on its hunting perch.

BREAKFAST: A gas station bear claw (sugary, but I would work it off).
LUNCH: At home afterwards, a little late.
UPS: Crunching through the snow under a sun gaining height and strength.
DOWNS: Aching behind my right knee and in some adjacent areas. Muscle strain, I think.
KIT: I shed gloves and layers as the morning warmed. I did not shed my microspikes, though.
COMPANY: A group of dirt-bikers and, later, a guy with a barky pup was the sum total. The guys on the bikes tore up a (small) patch of trail but greeted me pleasantly as I negotiated their ruts.

THE HIKE IN PICTURES:

Asylum Reservoir Number 2—Start
A stretch of the Mattabesett Trail
You can’t beat gnarly pines atop an outcrop
Ledge-top trail
Piney ledge and Ukrainian-flag blaze
Just a nice tree and a blue sky
In the middle of the woods

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Day Hike Notes – Mattabesett Trail Again

Cliff in Cockaponset State Forest

Five years ago, my eldest and I hiked a substantial portion of the Mattabesett Trail. We trekked in a generally southerly direction from Berlin to Guilford, mostly accomplished on three outings between July and September. But our project in 2016 was to reach Long Island Sound, so somewhere in the woods of Guilford we left the Mattabesett Trail. We went south and it made a sharp turn to the northeast, toward the Connecticut River.

Last weekend, I set foot on the Mattabesett Trail again, starting at the Connecticut River. I walked 4.8 miles on the Trail before turning around. Another 22½ miles would have taken me back to that trail junction in the Guilford woods. I may gradually walk those miles this summer.

DATE: Saturday, May 1st.
START & FINISH: Mattabesett Trail eastern (Connecticut River) trailhead, Middletown CT (GPS 41.554067, -72.582254).
ROUTE: Out—Mattabesett Trail to Brooks Road; back—Reservoir Loop Trail, Reservoir Road (a track), and Mattabesett.
DISTANCE: 9.4 miles according to my GPS.
TIME: 4¾ hours (7:45am to 12:30pm).
TERRAIN: Surprisingly rough in places. On the outward leg, beyond a feature called Rock Pile Cave, the Mattabesett was particularly prone to steep, twisting, bouldery sections for a mile or two. On the other hand, over the whole hike, elevations remained between 60 feet (start) and 530.
MAP: I carried the rather bulky CFPA Connecticut Walk Book for the relevant map (page 106), consulted only rarely.

WEATHER: Sunny, breezy, cool (40s at start, maybe upper 50s by finish).
WILDLIFE: Small turtles sunbathing beside their ponds.

BREAKFAST: I stopped at a deli that will remain nameless. The service was friendly but very slow. When, in my car, I unwrapped my bagel it was missing both swiss cheese and butter. I dreaded how long getting this corrected might take, so breakfast was a dry toasted bagel!
LUNCH: A cheese roll (camembert) sat on a boulder in the woods.
UPS: Watching the wind and sun create wavelet dances on the surface of Asylum Reservoir Number 2.
DOWNS: Finding garbage bags and weather-shredded tents abandoned beside an especially attractive portion of trail.
KIT: Bringing a third layer was a last-minute decision. With the stiff breeze and cool temperatures, it was a good—even necessary—one!
COMPANY: Almost none.

THE HIKE IN PICTURES:

Probably Great Hill, across the Connecticut River in East Hampton.
Arriving at Rock Pile Cave. I didn’t see—or look for—a true cave.
Asylum Reservoir Number 1.
Cockaponset State Forest.
Dancing wavelets, Asylum Reservoir Number 2.
Another view of Asylum Reservoir Number 2.

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Day Hike Notes – Mohawk Mountain Loop

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Swampy brook beneath Mohawk Mountain

Sunday was forecast to be the hottest day of the summer so far, temperatures heading into the 90s by afternoon. Humid too. So this was a hike I wanted to finish by noon at the latest. Even heading into Cathedral Pines at 7:30am, the air was anything but fresh. I had wondered how to do this route so that it got easier and shadier as the heat grew. Should I walk the roads first? Should I hike clockwise or counterclockwise, go up or down the steepest section? When, from the car, I saw that Great Hollow Road seemed reasonably well shaded, I opted to climb first and finish on the country lanes.

I’m sure I was getting sticky even in Cathedral Pines; and, by the time I made it to the Mattatuck Trail and the high ground 45 minutes later, I was sweating like it was mid-afternoon. Mobbing bugs were an occasional nuisance on this stretch. Mohawk Mountain’s open summit brought a slight breeze—not a cooling breeze exactly, but welcome all the same. The descent from Mohawk, and then the relatively level ground to College Street, was in shady woods and I do not recall suffering much, hot and humid as it was. The 3.5-mile road-walk back to my car was not a torture either, but even this thin strip of asphalt radiated heat and, as the sun climbed, its shade retreated. Getting outdoors is great; air-conditioned cars can feel pretty good too.

DATE: Sunday, July 19th.
START & FINISH: Tiny parking area for Cathedral Pines, Essex Hill Road, Cornwall, CT (GPS 41.835546, -73.325444).
ROUTE: Clockwise loop: Mohawk Trail, Mattatuck Trail, College Street, Great Hollow Road, Essex Hill Road.
DISTANCE: 10.1 miles.
TIME: 4½ hours (7:30am to midday).
TERRAIN: In terms of what was underfoot, everything from asphalt to rough trail by way of woodland tracks. A generally steep start (750 feet over 1.6 miles to the junction of the Mohawk and Mattatuck trails at the top of the ski runs) yielded to easier grades over Mohawk Mountain (1,683’) and down to Mohawk Pond. The road-walk on College Street and Great Hollow Road was more down than up.
MAP: That in the CFPA’s Connecticut Walk Book (final Mattatuck Trail map page).

WEATHER: Sunny and hot (the 90s by afternoon), a light breeze now and again.
WILDLIFE: A doe and her fawn crossed College Street ahead of me without showing much fear.

BREAKFAST: Bagel with cheese and iced coffee, both from home, on the drive to Cornwall.
LUNCH: After the hike, I bought a sandwich in Kent and took it to Macedonia Brook to eat in the shade.
UPS: Feeling energetic on the hot, 900-foot climb to Mohawk Mountain.
DOWNS: The road-walk, although almost free of traffic, was still a road-walk—hot and harder on the ankles.
KIT: I took three liters of water and consumed two of them.
COMPANY: Sporadic, but I did have a chat with a woman as her dog bathed in Mohawk Pond.

A FEW PICTURES:

Mohawk-Mattatuck trails junction
On Mohawk Mountain
View NW from Mohawk Mountain. The Taconic Mountains, where CT, MA, and NY meet, can be seen in the distance, center
View south from Mohawk Mountain
Mohawk’s summit is not entirely pristine
Mohawk Pond (about 1,200′)

GPS TRACK:

GPS Track

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A Mountain Again

IMG_3626

Cabin atop Red Hill, Catskills

I mentioned in a previous post that, in April, I felt unwell for a few weeks. I didn’t say it was COVID because I didn’t know. I still don’t know for certain but I’ve come to assume that it was. Either way, by May I was feeling generally fine and began thinking about a mountain hike in the near future. My ambitions, however, were set back when uncomfortable symptoms showed up on a test hike at the mini-mountain of Sleeping Giant.

In my last post, about a trek at Breakneck Pond on June 7th, I reported that my body seemed to be taking the right direction. But Breakneck Pond is not a mountain hike.

A week after Breakneck, hiking with a friend at Great Hollow Nature Preserve, I accomplished a steep, 550-foot climb without difficulty or discomfort, and this while expending much breath on talk! Still, I didn’t think that progressing directly from there to a strenuous Catskills 3,500-footer would be a good idea. But it was to the Catskills that I went next to see how I’d do on a lesser summit. I chose Red Hill, an 800-foot ascent to a fire tower at 2,990 feet. I accomplished this mission fine. The only surprise was cramps in my thigh muscles which I had never experienced before.

My youngest has her birthday on July 3rd. She is living in Vermont and we had a longstanding family plan to gather up there to celebrate both 3rd and 4th. The out-of-towners stayed at Underhill State Park. Now, the hill that the park is under is Mount Mansfield, the Green Mountain State’s highest peak (4,393 feet). I’d climbed it once before, with my youngest in fact, back when she was still a kid living at home with mom and dad.

This time, I set off up Mansfield with my eldest, soon after 6 a.m. on the Fourth of July. I won’t say it was easy (a supper the previous evening that consisted solely of Ben & Jerry’s probably didn’t help). But is wasn’t any harder than it would have been before my April illness. I climbed a mountain again; and for that, in this time of suffering, I am grateful.

GREAT HOLLOW, JUNE 13TH:

IMG_3614

The Hills of Great Hollow, New Fairfield CT

CATSKILLS, JUNE 20TH:

Doubletop Mountain (center distance) from Red Hill fire tower
Peekamoose and Table mountains, 6.5 miles distant, framed by the Red Hill fire tower
I lingered in the Catskills for a couple of low-level hikes: on Long Pond-Beaverkill Ridge Trail
Catskills fungi

MOUNT MANSFIELD, 4TH OF JULY:

Looking south from Sunset Ridge️. Mansfield’s “Nose” (with antennas) is visible left. Bolton Mountain and Camel’s Hump can be seen ahead in the distance
Katie on the roof of Vermont
Looking back at the summit from the ridge to the south
Snapped unawares