Its that kind of day.

They look pretty, especially in late autumn and early winter when most of the other color is gone, but they seem to taste better to birds than to humans. Winterberry shrub, New Britain Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. November 11, 2019, 3:34 PM.

Pine trees reflected in Beaver Pond (its official name, capital B capital P), White Memorial Foundation, Morris, Connecticut. December 13, 2021

The Northaven Trail bridge is a vital pedestrian connector

The bridge, which officially opens today, is a reminder Dallas has to respect walkers and cyclists.

"In Dallas, where the architecture of the citys freeways makes it difficult to provide safe paths for pedestrians and cyclists, trails are vital."

Getting ready for the this morning down in OC.
We shall see how the back-to-back long run training method works with this one. The race is 18 miles, and Ive done nothing close to that in a single day in training recently. But I have done back to backs and increased weekly volume, and then tapered this week in prep. Experiment!

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July 4, 1983: Scattered traces of the old Shenandoah formed interesting diversions in a long, pleasant woodland stroll. After Blackrock, the Appalachian Trail descended to cross Skyline Drive in a scrubby area (one of those old orchards), skirted a small picnic and camping area along the crest, and descended again to Browns Gap.

Bluets, southwest North Carolina Blue Ridge. May 9, 1983.

When making a big ascent, the first rule is keep your head down. It keeps your weight forward and avoids discouraging sights of endless climbing ahead. In early spring in much of the Appalachians I would try to focus on these tiny blue flowers, which often grow in clusters along trails.

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June 4, 1983: Standing at the top of that large, steeply-rolling meadow, a rural two-lane curved through the green valley below and up over the next ridge. Beyond, there again were Roan and Hump Mountains and the intervening sweep of balds. The summits were shrouded in thick, dark clouds. Undoubtedly, a cold rain was falling on some poor sucker up there today.

hiking railtrails reviews maps

North Central Pathway Rail Trail, MA
4 9.5 miles Easy difficulty

Summer evening forest near Roaring Brook, Wolcott, Connecticut. June 25, 2020, 7:15 PM.

Early morning in early Spring at Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. April 6, 2021, 7:15 AM.

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May 10, 1983: The next portion of the hike was every bit as scenic as the mornings had been. It was mostly sidehill trail, well down from the ridge crest.

Each month on my personal blog I've chronicled a bit about my walking habits and experiences. This month's entry--Walking in November: Of Perspectives and Pavement.

Virtual open house Nov 30, 2-3pm for Highway System Plan .
Presentation + Q&A. Draft plan, feedback form .

Red tree, Park Road, Waterbury, Connecticut. November 4, 2021, 12:08 PM.

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May 4, 1983: I went to bed right after dinner but was not destined to get much sleep. Somewhere around 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning, the stillness of the mountain night was broken by the long, eerie shrieks of mortars plummeting to earth and subsequent loud explosions.

mood today is soundtracks on

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September 3, 1983: The Appalachian Trail briefly followed the U.S.F.S. fire road before turning onto a paved road for a while. Eventually, the trail turned off that road, passed through some fields, and reentered the woods. That was the point where the real climbing began.

We want that are connected in ways that are similar to or and that connect individual to places people want to go,
big vision is that the country is linked together by in and places, and spines long-distance that then connect these
mission is to reimagine , to provide safe places for people to and and be active outdoors

Mountain laurel blossoms and buds, Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Connecticut. June 1, 2023, 4:15 PM.

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July 7, 1983: A ledge just above the AT along the ascent had a 180-degree view stretching from southwest to northwest. To the south, Skyline Drive snaked around Hogback's green summits and followed the Blue Ridge towards Stony Man, Hawksbill and beyond.

THE HBC BRIGADES, BLOGPOST:
Over the years, many of the trails used by the HBC men in , including the Brigade Trails, passed through the Nicola Valley. It was, in a sense the centre of the BC's fur trade.

Nordmarka in Oslo, Norway

From the long run yesterday up in Latigo Canyon in the : I saw lots of toyon trees with bright red berries, some white snowberries, and great hilly views on the Newton Canyon trail to Backbone. Fun elevation and rocky single track trails were exhilarating, and only terrifying to run down a couple times

Late afternoon rays of sun. Indian summer hike at Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Connecticut. November 4, 2022, 4:50 PM

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June 1, 1983: Monday night on the bank of the Nolichucky River had been a time of gentle breezes and soft starlight, but clouds had begun rolling in yesterday morning. By the time I reached the shelter last night they were looking ominous. No rain fell overnight, but day broke gloomy and foreboding.

Just now finished an invigorating end-of-day , in a local and around beautiful ponds like this one. With temps dipping below freezing, its getting a bit nippy. The can be seen forming in the foreground around the edge of the pond. Looking forward to this route all winter long!

Evening descends upon the lake. Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. July 19, 2021, 8:10 PM.

Nordmarka in Oslo, Norway

Fort Bridger in Fort Bridger, Wyoming

Named for a prominent scout and explorer, this Wyoming state park encompasses a replica of an 1840s trading post, a 19th-century Army outpost, and early 20th-century automobile lodgings.

The weekdays are all roads for squeaking in training, and then the weekend or holiday is such glorious relief on the that Im drunk with joy even on the same trails Ive seen over and over again.
Theres sage! All the kinds of sage! And a couple white flowers that dont know what time of year it is. They look like mariposa lilies but dont have spots or color in the center. Alt text attempts to identify the plants but no guarantees.

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May 4, 1983: Dave and I only made nine miles today. We were tired and sore and got off to a late start this morning. The terrain was heavily wooded with no real views, although there were some steep climbs.

Just passing through. Migratory Canadian geese taking a dinner break on a rainy autumn evening. Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. October 13, 2020, 6:10 PM.

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September 2, 1983: The initial mile of trail was a meandering stroll through the forest on assorted trails and logging roads, after which the AT cut through a farm, crossing a pasture and going past some outbuildings before turning onto a dirt road. The next mile was all on dirt and gravel roads, at one point approaching Upper Baker Pond:

October dead water, New Britain Reservoir feeder stream, Wolcott, Connecticut. October 19, 2019, 2:35 PM.

St. Mary of the Oaks Shrine in Cross Plains, Wisconsin

A tiny 1857 chapel sits on top of a secluded, forested hill.

Rainy day autumn walk, Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. October 16, 2019, 6:09PM.

At the moment, the app provides sensible results: actual trails walked by actual people, often with photos and a nice description and properties of the trail and site. Given that it's little more than recorded GPS traces from real people, there's a wide variety of places, including cities, villages, fields, and mountains. On foot, bicycle, and even other forms of transportation.

No affiliation, I just find the app actually useful in its present form. Here is to hoping it won't change.

Pink and purple sunset over Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut on August 21, 2021 at 7:41 PM.