2020-6-12, Hetzel Property, Middlebury, CT

On 2020-6-12, as part of my project to visit all of the Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust properties that have trails, I went to the Hetzel Property in Middlebury, CT.  Below is a link to an interactive map I made showing the route I walked in pink.  I'll put in location numbers that I will refer to.

Here's a static screenshot of the interactive map.



1.  I parked in a mown field.  41.547538,-73.124494 is the location.  You enter from Breakneck Hill Road. about a tenth of a mile east of the intersection with Mirey Dam Road.  Most people will probably want to walk about 200 feet further easterly on Breakneck Hill Road to enter the preserve on the red trail which, where it begins on Breakneck Hill Road, is a broad track between houses.


2.  As I walked northerly on the red trail, I passed Beetle Bung Pond.  ("Beetlebung" is a common name for the Nyssa sylvatica tree, also known as the black gum tree.)  Near Beetle Bung Pond was a strange plaque.  It seemed to commemorate the builders of the pond.  Here are the results of my attempt to make out the text: September 1954.  Dr. Joseph L. Hetzel, Owner.  Charles H. Hammarlund. Jr., USDA --- SCS.  Excavated by V & H Trucking Co.  Labor:  Ben Jones, Chris Hetzel, Jerry Wilson, Tom Rionhard.



3.  I walked to where the red blazes ended and continued on a well-maintained unblazed trail that took me to the shores of Mirey Dam Pond.  I later learned that I was on Middlebury Land Trust land, although I saw no sign indicating that.


4.  I continued across an impressive bridge and up a hill on a wide trail till I came within sight of a house.  I turned around.  As I was going down the hill, two medium-sized dogs approached me in a threatening manner.  The dogs followed me for a few hundred feet and then turned around.  According to the Middlebury Land Trust website, I was on land trust land: https://www.middleburylandtrust.org/holdings/index.shtml .

In my wanderings, I encountered a lot of poison ivy, particularly near 5 and 6.

6.  The Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust Hetzel Property map shows this trail as having green blazes, but I noticed no blazes here, although there were fresh red and orange blazes elsewhere.







David Reik

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2022-6-30, Compounce Ridge Trail, Bristol, Southington, CT

Image
 On 2022-6-30, I hiked a section of the Tunxis Compounce Ridge Trail, starting at the northern end of the trail.  Except for the road section, I hiked the entire section to the intersection with the Compounce Cascade Trail.  This section of the trail appeared to have been neglected for a few years. I made an interactive map with location numbers showing where the pictures below were taken.  Here's a link to the interactive map:  https://arcg.is/9maXb  .  Here's a static screenshot of the interactive map. 1.  I parked in a commuter parking lot.  This is looking back at the parking lot along the trail through a stand of mugwort. Near 1.  I found a lot of poison ivy at various places along the trail I hiked. Near 1.  I crawled under this blow-down.  2.  A blow-down. 3.  A blow-down. 4.  Overgrown. Near 4.  A blow-down. 5.  Multi-flora rose growing in the trail. Near 5.  A very overgrown section. Near ...
Read more

2022-6-5, Metacomet Trail, East Granby, CT.

Image
On 2022-6-5, I hiked a section of the Metacomet Trail in East Granby, from CT-189 to Holcomb Street. I made an interactive map of my route --- my GPS track is shown in pink.  I put in location numbers to show where the pictures below were taken.  Here is a screenshot of the southern part of the map. Here's a screenshot of the northern part of the map. Here's a link to the interactive map, where you can zoom in and out, and turn on and off various layers. https://arcg.is/1aDPiq 4.  The view of Tariffville Gorge. 6.  I don't think there was ever a structure connected with this chimney. 8.  A large Striped Maple leaf. 9.  Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina), I think.  A wild native rose. 11.  Evidence of some recent mowing of plants in the sunlit power cut. 12.  The first blow-down I came to.  This was about 100 feet south of the cemetery. 12.  The cemetery.  As I recall, the three grave stones are reproductions of the original grave st...
Read more

2021-11-18, Oak Ledges Preserve, Portland, CT

Image
 On 2021-11-18, I visited Oak Ledges Preserve in Portland, CT.  On 2021-11-19, I went back to the area and visited Helen Carlson Wildlife Sanctuary, also in Portland, CT, and a small part of Meshomasic State Forest.  I made an interactive map with location numbers.  Here's a link to the interactive map:  https://arcg.is/b0OHb  .  I'll put in a static screenshot of the interactive map. 1.  I parked in a small pull-off (maybe three cars could fit).  A map created by the Middlesex Land Trust was displayed. 1.  The preserve is owned by the Middlesex Land Trust. 2.  Rocks along the trail which had orange blazes. 3.  I followed the orange trail to the northwest corner of the preserve.  The Middlesex Land Trust map labels this rock a glacial erratic. 3.  I managed to get to the top of the rock. 4.  I explored an interior, unblazed trail.  I think this is one of the three species in the genus Dendrolycopodium found ...
Read more