Old woods road in autumn. Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Connecticut. October 27, 2022, 3:26 PM.
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July 13, 1983: On the other side of I-70, the stiff climb up Pine Knob was a harbinger of things to come. I had been told, and I could see for myself from scanning the elevation profiles on my map, that the AT becomes much more rugged in the northern half of Maryland. I stopped at Pine Knob Shelter in order to get water.
Nordmarka in Oslo, Norway
Fire and ice sunset. Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. January 30, 2021, 4:50 PM.
Made a 2024 calendar from photos I snapped on trail explorations this year. Free to download and print out ..
Todays images.
It never ceases to amaze me that whenever I walk my personal trail, things change, sometimes subtly, sometimes drastically, yet impressive and mostly beautifully every time.
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May 10, 1983: The journeyed through a landscape of twisted masses of rhododendron jungles breached by small, rocky streams bordered by profusions of growth, even wilder and more densely entangled. At times, the trail was a tunnel, completely encircled by rhododendron, their thickly interwoven branches forming walls and a roof.
:-) Neuer online:
in Forchheims Wldern am 22.09.23 im mit , und mehr
A gray April day ends well. Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. April 13, 2021, 7:29 PM.
:-) Neuer online:
um den Kleinen am 20.09.23 mit vielen Wasservgeln und mehr
Finally felt well enough to do some walking between medical appointments, and explored this delightful rail line parallel to Winchester Avenue in Campbell. Although well maintained, its only use had been to supply fuel a few times a week to the Lehigh Cement Plant in Cupertino, which suspended operations in 2020. Now that the plant is closing, I suspect this line will be abandoned entirely.
The surprising part is how the track is paralleled by an urban trail. Normally, walking along a railroad track is illegal: it's considered trespassing on a railroad right of way. But this illegal path even has professionally placed paving stones at the entrance and exit of the trestle crossing CA-85.
Beaver pond sunset. Marino Pond, Plymouth, Connecticut. June 19,2020, 8:37 PM.
Oldest tree in the forest. Mattatuck State Forest, Plymouth, Connecticut. September 18, 2020, 5:42 PM.
hiking railtrails reviews maps
Rockingham Portsmouth Branch Rail Trail, NH
4 28 miles Easy difficulty
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June 9, 1983: I eased the puppy off my pack and lifted it onto my shoulders. The Appalachian Trail crossed Virginia Highway 601, a narrow, rural road, and went through an open field for a short distance before disappearing into the trees. I said good-bye to my two new friends and turned away, crossing the road and the field without looking back.
Golden sunset at New Britain Reservoir, Southington, CT. August 11, 2020, 7:18 PM.
The marsh at the end of October. Marino Pond, Plymouth, Connecticut. October 26, 2019, 4:39 PM.
Colorful decay. Forest floor along the Mattatuck Trail near Hidden Lake, Fall Mountain, Plymouth, Connecticut. October 26, 2019, 5:26 PM.
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August 9, 1983: Charlie started hiking at 8:00, just before a lively little thundershower kicked up. Pete and I waited it out a while before we left. Petes small transistor radio, on which we heard the forecast, called for widely scattered showers, so we had reason to believe that it would blow over quickly. It did. When it stopped, we were quickly on our way.
The Green Yellows Garden Trails. It's yellow, it's green, it's bright, it's breathable! here:
Indian summer sunset. Nearing the end of a warm November afternoon. Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. Monday, November 2, 2020, 4:10 PM.
Make an Art TrailRainy autumn afternoon walk at the linear park. Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. October 13, 2020, 5:32 PM
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May 9, 1983: Dave and I had lunch in Bly Gap, just across the state line into North Carolina. One state down and eleven to go. A large, rather steeply-sloping meadow ran down the side of the ridge from the crest there, bright green grass broken by reddish brown channels where several runoff streams (dry today) exposed the clay soil.
Very big rock and dead stump. Mad River ravine about a mile north of Peterson Memorial Park, Wolcott, Connecticut. August 2, 2020, 7:15 PM.
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September 4, 1983: The climb up Mount Kinsman was a bear. The AT followed Eliza Brook back up towards the ridge crest. At first, it climbed on a weedy, grassy old woods road above the brook, but it quickly dropped back to the banks of the stream, along which it climbed, often torturously, over the boulders filling the ravine.
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Perfect summer evening at the lake, New Britain Reservoir, Southington, Connecticut. August 3, 2020, 6:52 PM. Low water levels in summer at this reservoir are responsible for all the unusual vegetation here.
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July 1, 1983: The sun, which had been playing peek-a-boo with the fogs and mists since sunrise, emerged triumphant, combining with the lingering rainwater to gradually brew up a tropical mixture of wilting heat, stifling humidity, and dripping vegetation. The greater portion of my hike was grim and joyless.
There were some highlights along the way.
Pink and blue summer sunset at Woodtick Recreation Area, Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. July 26, 2020, 8:31 PM.
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June 2, 1983: The trail was rough. The mile from the shelter to the cliffs on Little Rock Knob was straight uphill. Another gorgeous day and a nice series of views made that climb worthwhile. Little Rock Knob was an interesting name for a mountain that missed five thousand feet in elevation by less than a hundred.
hiking railtrails reviews maps
Deer Mountain & Fire Tower, Pittsburgh NH
3 4.3 miles Medium difficulty
Sunset photography: the long pause between the daylight and nighttime portions of my hike. Soft summer sunset at Lost Ponds, Mattatuck State Forest, Plymouth, Connecticut. July 14, 2018, 7:30 PM.
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May 6, 1983: Cowrock Mountain was the star of the show today, with many views from the open, rocky ledges and terraces around the summit. There were more great views of that maze of mountains and narrow valleys threading west and northwest towards the Western fork of the Blue Ridge.
Winter sunset, Lindsley Brook, Wolcott, Connecticut. December 3, 2019, 4:06 PM.
Early morning sunshine and mist. Forest near Park Road, Waterbury, Connecticut. November 13, 2021, 8:23 AM.
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May 5, 1983: It was a comparatively gentle climb for the most part, but I have a long way to go before my body is truly ready for this adventure. The day was sunny and hot, and I ran out of water about halfway through the climb. The heavy backpack I was carrying, and the extra pounds of my overweight body had taken their toll on the soles of my feet,
Wander around winter wonderland trail in St Denys >>
Thanks to a thread on reddit today I learned about railbanking, which is a legal mechanism aimed at preserving railroad rights-of-way instead of abandoning them, and opening them up for use as rail trails (with the caveat that they can be reactivated as railroads in the future)
Autumn sunset above Hidden Lake, Fall Mountain, Plymouth, Connecticut. November 7, 2020, 4:42 PM.