2022-6-3, Lake Compounce Area Trails, Southington, CT

 On 2022-6-3, I hiked a loop on various Lake Compounce-area trails in the Tunxis Trail family of trails.  I made an interactive map with location numbers to show where the pictures that appear below were taken.  Here's a screenshot of the southern part of the interactive map.


Here's a screenshot of the northern part of the interactive map.


Here's a link to the interactive map: https://arcg.is/0eO88G .

3.  I wasn't going to record blow-downs, but I came to this big, double blow-down on the blue-red Steep Climb Trail and changed my mind.



4.  Now, we're on the blue-yellow Compounce Ridge Trail.



5.  Somebody cut this blow-down on the blue-yellow Compounce Ridge Trail but wasn't able to complete the job.



5.  Another blow-down on the Compounce Ridge Trail.



6.  It used to be that the best view on the Compounce trails was at Julian's Rock, but the trees below Julian's Rock have grown, and now I think the best view is from a point near where the chair lift used to turn around.  This is looking southerly.  You can see Sleeping Giant on the right, and West Peak on the left.




6.  This is looking northeasterly.  You can see downtown Hartford on the left.



7.  Mountain Laurel.



9.  A blow-down on the Compounce Ridge Trail.



10.  A blow-down on the Compounce Ridge Trail.



11.  A challenging ford on Cussgutter Brook.



12.  Cussgutter Brook.  The Compounce Cascade Trail runs along Cussgutter Brook. 



12.  Cussgutter Brook.



13.  Another ford of Cussgutter Brook.  This one is easier because of large, flat stones.



14.  A sketchy bridge over Cussgutter Brook.  I crept along the two logs on the left.




15.  A bridge that Tom Burkholder made, with help from Wayne Fogg and others.



16.  A ford on the Compounce Cascade Trail of a tributary to Cussgutter Brook.



17.  Some species of blueberry or huckleberry encroaching on the Compounce Cascade Trail.



8.  Back on the Compounce Ridge Trail.  One of many Pitch Pines in the Julian's Rock area.



18.  The blue-purple Bobcat Trail turns into the Tunxis mainline trail here as you hike southerly.  At one time, there was an intersection of Tunxis trails here.



19.  A blow-down on the Tunxis Trail.



20.  Another blow-down on the Tunxis Trail.



21.  Back on the Compounce Ridge Trail, a set of blow-downs.



3.  The other side of the blow-down I photographed as I was going out.  Black Birch and Yellow Birch are my guesses as to the species of the fallen trees.



2.  I didn't record this blow-down on my way out.



1.  This blow-down is becoming a step because of the debris that collects on the uphill side of the blow-down.














David Reik

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