2021-11-24, Bigelow Hollow State Park, Union, CT.

On 2021-11-24, I completed a 7.68-mile hike in Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union Park.  First, I walked around Bigelow Pond on the yellow trail, and then walked on the blue-white trail to Mashapaug Pond and back.  Here's a link to an interactive map of the route: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/84374270 

Here's a link to the RideWithGPS presentation of the same GPS track: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38086540 .  I think the RideWithGPS.com version is better than the connect.garmin.com presentation because anyone, whether or not they're signed in, can download the track, and the version of OpenStreetMap that you can use as the background map is much more up-to-date.

You can move your mouse pointer along the elevation graph on the interactive map to get the exact mileage for any point on the route.

Mile 0.79, at the end of an unblazed trail off the yellow-blazed trail, on the shores of Bigelow Pond.




Mile 2.04.  I lost track of the blue-white trail at this set of fallen trees and went about 0.03 of a mile off-trail before realizing that I was not on the blue-white trail.



Mile 2.16.  One of the blue-white blazes, which have faded to gray-white.



Mile 2.69.  On the shores of Mashapaug Pond.



Mile 2.93.  On the shores of Mashapaug Pond.  The pond seemed to have been lowered for the winter.



Mile 3.22.  This was on what a sign called "Rock Island."  Signs suggested that swimming is allowed here.



Mile 5.15.  The blue-white trail on the way back from Mashapaug Pond.



Mile 5.91.  One of the many large eastern hemlock trees I saw on my route.




Mile 6.42.  



Mile 6.90.  One of several places where I saw many white pine saplings beneath deciduous trees.



Mile 6.95.  There were hundreds of these plants from about mile 6.9 to 7.0.  These plants are a species of clubmoss called Shining Firmoss (Huperzia lucidula).



Mile 6.95, Shining Firmoss (Huperzia lucidula).



Mile 6.95, Shining Firmoss (Huperzia lucidula).



Mile 7.19.  Back on the shores of Bigelow Pond.



Mile 7.31.  Ice on Bigelow Pond.







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David Reik 

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