2022-3-15, Reservoir 6 to Auerfarm, Bloomfield, CT

 On 2022-3-15, I went in search of a yellow-blazed trail that I had heard about from the trail's creator.  He said that the trail led to the gate between Metropolitan District Commission property and Auerfarm.  I had met the creator of the trail on the nearby blue-red trail.  He told me that he used yellow spray paint to blaze the trail but was displeased with the blazes because, on some trees, the paint was absorbed by the bark and didn't make a solid mark, and because the paint dripped.  I took pictures during my exploration and recorded GPS information that I used to map the new trail on www.openstreetmap.org.  I made an interactive map with location numbers showing where I took the pictures, and where I parked.  I used www.openstreetmap.org as the background map on my interactive map.   Here's a link to the interactive map: https://arcg.is/0DK5Ob .  Among other interactions you can have with the map, you can click on boxes in the upper left to see my GPS track from my 2022-3-15 hike in pink, or, in blue, the 2020-2-12 group hike I was on on which we went through the same gate I went through on 2022-3-15.

Here's a static screenshot of the interactive map.




1.  The gate between the MDC property and Auerfarm.  The MDC recently replaced the gate, the trail's creator told me.




2.  Near the new yellow trail., there are some ruins which I guessed were MDC-related.  This looks like some sort of coupling for big pipes.



2.  There are several of these concrete bases.  Did they support a tank of some sort?



3.  One of the blazes on the new yellow-blazed trail.




4.  I keep hearing that pitch pines are endangered in Connecticut.  Not true, in my experience.  There is a stand of about twenty pitch pines here.




5.  Some species of oak in the red oak family.  Scarlet Oak, maybe?



5.  Scarlet Oak, maybe?



5.  Lots' of these growths on the possible scarlet oak.



5.



6.  I think this is a deceased white oak that started its life at the edge of a field.



7.  There is a red-blazed trail that runs on land owned by a community association, I think.  This red blaze is on a Sassafras tree.



8.  A view from the unblazed trail I took back to where I parked.



9.  Heublein Tower is dimly visible through the trees.



10.  No picture.  This is where I parked in a parking area provided by the Town of Bloomfield and Wintonbury Land Trust at the west end of Juniper Road.








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