2021-8-29, Narragansett Trail, North Stonington, CT

 On Sunday, 2021-8-29, I hiked a section of the Narragansett Trail in North Stonington, CT.  The Narragansett Trail is a Connecticut Forest and Park Association trail.  The CFPA likes to be made aware of any fallen trees and overgrown sections on their trails so I have included information about fallen trees and overgrown sections in this blog post.

I made an interactive map showing my route in pink and including location numbers which I will use to give readers of this post an idea of where I took the pictures below.  Here's a link to the interactive map: https://arcg.is/05DHzD .  Here's a static screenshot of the interactive map.


1. I parked in a pull-off on Ryder Road near 1.  Maybe three cars could fit in the pull-off.  I walked 166 feet up an unblazed trail to this sign which was on the blue-blazed Narragansett Trail.  



2.  I followed the Narragansett Trail westerly along Ryder Road and across CT-2 onto a mown path that led across a bridge over the spillway for a dam that created a small pond.  I stopped where the blazed trail was no longer cleared.  There was a snake across the uncleared trail.  From iNaturalist, I learn that the snake was a Northern Watersnake, a sub-species of Common Watersnake, Nerodia sipedon.  An instant after I took this picture, the snake moved away from me, going backwards in a straight line.  The snake must have moved by creating ripples in its ventral surface.  More information: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180112132922.htm . We should develop surgical instruments that do something like this so that the instruments can go up and down various tubes in the human body without having to be pushed or pulled.  



2.  CFPA has an online, interactive map of its trails.  Here's the link to the map: https://cfpa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=f6ce4208e0e94fabb4cbf9d6409c6e11 .  If you go to the map and click on "Trail Notices" in the layers list, you can find a trail notice that reads like this: "Narragansett Trail, North Stonington- Trail Closure.  The Narragansett Trail, between Wintechog Hill Rd and Route 2, is temporarily closed. Private landowners are clearing a large property for pastureland. The trail will be relocated and returned to the area when the work is complete. Additionally, a farm has installed an electric property fence blocking the trail. Please, under no circumstances, attempt to hike this trail section. We look forward to re-establishing the Narragansett Trail in this area as soon as we are able."  The notice is dated 2015-11-3.  I think it is time to take most of that section off the CFPA interactive map.  The section to the east of my "2" is still useable.



Near 2.  A section of the Narragansett Trail "between Wintechog Hill Rd and Route 2" that is still useable.



3.  From 2, I went back to 1 and followed the Narragansett Trail up to a rocky plateau.  I noticed these flowers at the top.  I think the plant is Fern-leaved False Foxglove, Aureolaria pedicularia.



4.  The first fallen tree that I recorded.  This one appeared to be fairly fresh.



5.  Another fallen tree.



6.  Another fallen tree, known as a "blow-down" by trail maintaners.



7.  An overgrown section of the Narragansett Trail.



Near 8.  A ford across a stream.  This ford looks like it was constructed by trail maintainers, maybe CFPA's "Rock Stars."  How did they move those stones which I would guess weigh about 500 pounds each.  How far did the ford builders have to go to find suitable stones?



Near 8.  This path, which was on what appeared to be an earthen dam that created a small pond, seemed to have been mown in the last few weeks.



Near 8.  The small pond.



Near 9.  Another overgrown section.  Trail maintainers like to keep trails at least four feet wide so that hikers can navigate the trails without picking up ticks and making contact with poison ivy.



9.  A double blow-down.



11.  What happened here?



12.  I called this a ford, although all the water was underground at the crossing on 2021-8-29.



13.  Another fresh blow-down.  I estimate that about ten blowdowns occur per mile of forested trail, per year.



Near 13.  This is Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera pubescens, which is classified as an orchid.


Near 13.  I think this is the fruit of the Downy Rattlesnake Plantain.



Near 13.  The distinctive, evergreen leaves of Downy Rattlesnake Rattlesnake Plantain.




14.  A blow-down.




Near 17.  One end of a blow-down.



Near 17.  The other end of the same blow-down, I think.



17.  I arrived at a junction of the Narragansett Trail (blue blazes) and a blue-white-blazed spur trail.



Near 17.  A blow-down on the blue-white trail.



18.  The blue-white trail led to Wyassup Lake Road.  There was a pull-off on the western side of Wyassup Road where maybe four cars could park.  Across the road was the entrance to a parking lot and a boat launch.



18.  A sign proclaiming the boat launch a State of Connecticut boat launch.



16.  I was on my way back to Ryder Road.  I decided to record this blow-down.



Near 15.  It's hard to see in this picture, but I think this was an old cellar hole.



Near 15.  Another view of the cellar hole.  I think the stones in the foreground once supported a chimney.



Near 15.  This fungus I think was Devil's Dipstick, Mutinus elegans.  The stuff that looks like mud on the carrot-like structure I think was a mass containing spores.



Near 15.  The carrot-like structure was hollow.



Between 14 and 15.  A well-built stone wall.



Near 12.  I think I was confused here whether the trail had moved because of a blow-down.



Near 12.  The new blue-white trail could be called a "Wyassup Road Spur," but this was a long way from the blue-white trail.  Is there another trail from the Narragansett Trail to Wyassup Road that starts near 12?



10.  One of many places where I saw evidence of recent blow-down cutting.



Near 9.  A view of a marsh.



Near 8.  I got a little confused.  It seems that the Narragansett Trail used to run along a small ridge next to the pond.  The used trail has moved to a path about thirty feet to southeast that seems to be used by ATVs.



Near 8.  Another view of the now-unused section.



Near 3.  This is on the rocky plateau.  Poison ivy was encroaching on the trail here.



Near 3.  A sort-of view.



Near 3.  Another section of the sort-of view.



Almost back to 1.  This was on the descent down from the rocky plateau.  I think the plant was Slender False Foxglove, Agalinis tenuifolia.



Almost back to 1.  Slender False Foxglove, Agalinis tenuifolia.


Between 1 and 2.  The CFPA online map indicates not only the pull-off on Ryder Road that I parked in, but also mentions another nearby location.  Since you can't park on the pavement of state roads, I think the parking opportunity that the CFPA map is referring to is the sandy area on the southern side of CT-201 near where CT-201 meets CT-2.  The picture below is a screenshot of the CFPA map with CFPA red parking icon, and my "P" and question mark.


















David Reik

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