2021-7-4, Devil's Hopyard State Park, East Haddam, CT

 I visited Devil's Hopyard State Park on 2021-6-24, 2021-6-27, 2021-7-1 and 2021-7-4.  I made an interactive map with location numbers that I'll refer to.  Here's a link to the interactive map: https://arcg.is/mrPbG .

A static screenshot of the interactive map.




1.  Chapman Falls on 2021-6-24.


Chapman Falls on 2021-7-1.



2.  An unblazed trails leads to this curved cliff.  Both pictures are from 2021-7-4.



2.



3.  On 2021-7-4, I saw a witch-hazel shrub with distorted seed pods.  I believe the seed pods were caused to distort by spiny witch-hazel gall aphids, Hamamelistes spinosus.



4.  On 2021-6-24, at the end of a spur trail, I photographed water flowing over a flat rock.



5.  I took this picture of the Eight Mile River on 2021-6-24.



6.  On 2021-6-24, I climbed up to a small cave called "Devil's Oven."


6.  Cliffs in the vicinity of Devil's Oven.



7.  On 2021-7-1, it would have been fairly easy to cross the Eight Mile River here.  This is a view from the western side of the river.



7.  A view from the eastern side of the river on 2021-7-4 when it would have been harder to cross the river.



Near 7, along the Red Trail, on 2021-7-1 I photographed Japanese spiraea, Spiraea japonica, which I also saw elsewhere in the park.



Near 7, Spiraea japonica leaves.



8  Cliffs along the Eight Mile River on 2021-7-4.




Near 8, on 2021-7-4, I photographed violet coral fungus, Clavaria zollingeri.



9.  A bridge on 2021-7-4.



10. On 2021-6-24, I photographed Canada mayflower, Maianthemum canadense, berries.



11.  A picture I took of the Eight Mile River on 2021-7-4.



Near 12, on 2021-6-24, I took a picture of Tablet Rock Vista, a view southerly down the Eight Mile River valley.



12.  A similar view but from a lower vantage point that I photographed on 2021-7-4.


Near 12.  The beginning of a scramble down to the Eight Mile River on an unblazed trail.  I took this on 2021-7-4.


Near 12.  The scramble down from, or up to, the viewpoint, in a picture I took on 2021-8-6.




Near 12, on 2021-7-4, I photographed eastern teaberry, Gaultheria procumbens, in bloom.  I usually call Gaultheria procumbens "spicy wintergreen."  It has red berries.



13.  (13 is about a mile southwest of 12.)  On 2021-6-27, I was intrigued by this cavity in a cliff.



13.  Casey's Trail now appears on the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection map. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/stateparks/maps/DevilsHopyard_2020_Update.pdf .  My 2021-6-27 photo.


Near 13.  A 2021-6-27 picture of rocks.



14.  My 2021-6-27 picture from a bird blind.


15.  I noticed, on 2021-6-27, that someone had done some recent clearing of Casey's Trail.



16.  Along Casey's Trail on 2021-6-27.



16.  2021-6-27.

Near 16, a ford on Casey's Trail on 2021-6-27  where someone had positioned rocks to facilitate easy crossing of a small stream.



17.  On 2021-6-27, another ford with positioned rocks.


Near 17 on 2021-6-27.  This trail is now blazed blue, although some old yellow blazes still appear.


18.  A bridge to allow Hopyard Road to cross Muddy Brook.  I took this picture on 2021-6-27.


19.  A bridge where a red-blazed trail crosses Muddy Brook.  The timbers under the cross boards were intact.  I crossed the bridge several times.  I took this picture on 2021-6-27.



Near 19.  I took this picture of Muddy Brook on 2021-7-1, about 80 feet downstream from the broken bridge.


Near 19.  I took this picture of a small waterfall about 130 feet upstream from the broken bridge on 2021-6-27.



20.  Another picture I took of Muddy Brook on 2021-6-27.  Perhaps a section of Muddy Brook that I didn't see was muddy.


21.  A trail that is now blazed purple apparently used to be some sort of nature trail with informational postings.  I took this picture on 2021-7-1.



22.  On 2021-6-27 on a red-blazed trail, I took this picture from a bridge over a tributary to Muddy Brook.



23.  On 2021-7-1, much of the white-blazed trail was overgrown.



Near 23 on 2021-7-1, another bridge with missing cross boards.



24.  On 2021-7-1, near one of the four points where the white trail crosses the purple trail, I saw a wild sarsaparilla  (Aralia nudicaulis) plant.  The berries:


24.  The wild sarsaparilla leaves, which were on a different stalk from the stalk the berries were on.



25.  On 2021-7-1 on a red-blazed trail, I saw a black highbush blueberry (Vaccinium fuscatum) plant with some ripe berries.  I ate one.



25.  The leaves.



25.  The backs of the leaves.



25.  The trunk.  The plant was about five feet tall.



26.  My 2021-7-1 picture of one of the posts that I think used to display some sort of nature-related information along what is now the purple trail.


Here's a link to an interactive map showing a possible approximately seven-mile route in the northern part of Devil's Hopyard State Park: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36746260 .










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

2021-12-17, Pequonnock Valley Wildlife Management Area, Trumbull, CT

Image
 On 2021-12-9, 2021-12-16, and 2021-12-17, I visited Pequonnock Valley Wildlife Management Area in Trumbull, CT.  I made an interactive map with location numbers.  Here's a link to the interactive map:  https://arcg.is/bmuWD  . Here's a static screenshot of the northern portion of the interactive map. Here's a static screenshot of the southern portion of the interactive map. 1.  Where I parked on 2021-12-9.  This parking is primarily for a bike trail that runs along the west side of the Pequonnock River. 12.  The Pequonnock River from a blue-blazed trail. 20.  Another view of the Pequonnock River. 21.  The Pequonnock. 23.  Out of the picture, higher up the bank, the bike trail runs.  The bike trail runs along an abandoned railroad bed.  The retaining wall must have been built to protect the railroad bed from slipping into the river. 23. 23.  How long did it take water to carve the rock behind me into a curved shape? A...
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