Canton - Uplands Preserve

Date Hiked:  Monday, Dec 3, 2012
Number in Group: 6
Estimated distance round-trip: 1.5 miles
Weather: 57°F and sunny
Resources: Canton Land Conservation Trust, Uplands Preserve Trail Map
Highlights of the trip: stone walls, quartz

When a beautiful December day like this comes along, you have to get outside!  As I told others in the group, I had originally planned a different hike.  But after reading the description of the rugged trail and feeling a little sluggish after too much good Thanksgiving food and not enough exercise, I chose this hike as a way to get moving again.  We'll work our way up to my more strenuous plans.

The trail for the Uplands Preserve starts at the end of Westwood Drive, a neighborhood of very nice homes on a hill in Canton.  The car ride took care of most of the "up" in Uplands, so the hike was as easy as described on the Land Trust's website.  When you first enter the woods, you pass through a recently made break in the stone wall and come to a kiosk.  We turned to the right on the yellow trail.  There was a little confusion at first because the blazes were small and hard to see, but we soon found our way.  I suspect the trail is more obvious when there are leaves on the trees and bushes.  With the leaves down, everyplace you look seems like it could be the trail.

There were a couple of things we noticed as we walked along the beginning part of the trail.  We saw a large nest, out on a limb, near the top of a tree.  I would say it was a squirrel's drey, but it just looked too well formed.  Most of the ones I see around my own house seem a lot "messier".

It just didn't look like a drey.

The other thing we saw were a lot of trees along the stone walls that had very shaggy bark.  I am familiar with shagbark hickory, but this didn't seem the same.  I will have to come out here again once the trees are leafed out and figure out what it is.

Does anybody know what kind of tree this is?

We went past the first left-hand turn for the yellow trail and took the next.  The trail ran along one of the many stone walls on this property.  Given all the trees, it is hard to imagine that this was all cleared land at one point.

Lots of stone walls on this property.

The trail also had some interesting rock outcroppings.  I don't know why we didn't explore them.  The kids didn't seem that interested even though there was a little cave up there.

We should have climbed up there to survey the area.

We also saw a lot of quartz.  In some of the pieces, there looked to be feldspar, as well.

We connected with the blue trail and went around it a counter-clockwise direction back to the kiosk.  Just be on the lookout near where the yellow and blue trail connect as there is another unmarked, but easy to follow trail that goes down the hill.  On the trail map, it appears as the dashed black line that just sort of ends. 

Larger trees growing in a line against the stone wall.

This was an easy hike that got us outside to enjoy a beautiful day.  We'll have to check back in the spring and see if we can identify those trees.

Canton - Roaring Brook Nature Center

Date Hiked:  Monday, September 24, 2012
Number in Group: 5
Estimated distance round-trip: 3.5 miles (didn't seem that long to me)
Weather:  Beautiful, crisp, fall-like day, 67°F
Resources: Roaring Brook Nature Center, Trail Map
Highlights of the trip: Streams, old quarry, Jerry & Blueberry

When the boys were little, we were at Roaring Brook Nature Center (RBNC) quite often.  The boys took weekly classes, we attended the Hobgoblin Fair, and we brought Pop-Pop to wander the trails with us.  However, in all the times we visited, we never ventured much beyond the red-blazed Werner Pond Trail.  It always just seemed like the perfect length for those little legs.

Now that the boys are older, and their legs longer than mine, I hadn't thought of the RBNC trails as offering much of a hike.  I was wrong.   As I tried to find a hike for our homeschool group to do this week, something made me look at the RBNC trail map.  That was when I noticed the trails on the other side of Bahre Corner Road.  There are around three miles of trails over there, making it just right.

Stream leading to Werner Pond.

We started on the Werner Pond Trail, going clockwise from the Nature Center.  We stopped to take a look at the stream and the pond, but before long we were passing over the dam.  After the dam, we turned left onto the start of Quarry Trail and crossed Bahre Corner Road.

Looking back at trail going over dam.

We walked along the very picturesque Jim Brook.  How could I have not known about this section of RBNC's trails?  The rock outcroppings over the brook, while not huge, were impressive none-the-less.  Though not quite a chasm, the rocks were high enough above the stream to make it interesting.  The water flow is quite low now, but in the spring, this would be a great place to visit.

Rock outcroppings along Jim Brook.

The Quarry Trail leaves the brook and climbs a bit to an old quarry.  In my mind, quarries are those giant holes in the ground that become the dangerous swimming spots you see in movies.  This is not the case here.  The quarry was an area of vertical rock faces in the middle of the woods.

Quarry.

As we climbed from the Quarry Trail to the Orchard Trail and finally the Plantation Trail, we passed through and along several fields.  All the trails were well maintained and recently mowed.

Field on the Orchard Trail.

As yet, unidentified insect.

Impressively large oak tree.

American (or Crusader) Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana)

At the end of the hike, we stopped for awhile in an area to the right of the main building that had information on geology.  They have some large rocks that are labeled and arranged according to whether they are sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic.  The kids were most taken with playing and petting Jerry, a young Tom Turkey.  He also had a friend, a Bluebird named Blueberry, that stopped by for a visit.

Jerry the young turkey.

Jerry's friend, Blueberry.

I was unexpectedly pleased with this hike.  I had no idea that Roaring Brook offered such a variety of hiking options.  It is not just for little kids.

Canton - Sweetheart Mountain

Date Hiked:  Thursday, September 20, 2012
Number in Group: 2
Estimated distance round-trip: 2 miles
Weather:  Beautiful, crisp, fall-like day, 73°F
Resources:  Canton Land Conservation Trust, New England Lost Ski Areas Project: Canton Ski Club
Highlights of the trip: Views of the Nepaug Reservoir, old ski area

B and I were the only two for the hike today.  Too bad, because it was an interesting spot.

B was a little hesitant when we pulled into the grassy parking area and saw the overgrown weeds/wildflowers that led to the trail.  The plants had also overtaken the area in front of the trail kiosk making it a little difficult to take a look at the maps.  I had intended to print a map before we left, but a computer glitch prevented that.  (Okay, someone had put matchbox cars in the printer paper feed area and managed to jam the printer - no major damage, just didn't have the time to fix and reprint.)   I had looked at the trail map online and knew I wanted to do yellow, to red, to blue (they all connect).

We went through the weedy, sort of overgrown area and up the hill.  I remember there was some confusion because there seemed to be trails coming in from the side, but we stuck to the yellow marks and were fine.  As we climbed, we could see remnants of the old Canton ski area.  There are still pulleys on poles and old machinery.  There are also swaths of younger trees and ferns where the area had been cleared for skiing.

Younger trees and ferns.

Not part of the ski area, I hope.

Old ski tow equipment.

 We ran in to a couple of women who were on their way down.  They said the trail got a bit confusing, but said that we wanted to leave the yellow trail and follow a pretty well worn trail to get to the overlook. 

Following the yellow trail to the left, we eventually came to a little gully with an unmarked trail to the left.  We followed that.  We could see chain link fence that came to an end on the ridge above us.  I assume to keep hikers out of a neighborhood that is built over there.  We followed the trail until we came out on a rock outcropping with a nice view of the southern end of the Nepaug Reservoir.

Nepaug Reservoir overlook.

As we headed back to the yellow trail, I pointed out some purple arrows I had seen on some trees.  My original thought had been that these might mark the way to the overlook.  Maybe there is another overlook or maybe it goes to the neighborhood.  We didn't check it out, so I don't know.

When we got back to the yellow trail, there was a bit of confusion.  The trail looked like it was going to double-back on itself.  We stuck with the yellow blazes (and blue tape - trail maintenance?) and found our way.  There was a short little yellow spur (10-20 steps) that went up to what I am assuming is the peak of Sweetheart Mountain?

When the red trail went off to the left, we followed it, and again when the blue trail went off to the left, we followed that.  There was some confusion here, and perhaps the map would have helped.  The blue trail seemed to go in two directions, one looked like it was headed downhill back to the cars.  We took the other one, but did not follow it completely.  We went to where we could see a house.  The trail continues, but we headed back and hooked up with the red trail again.

Heading back along the blue trail.

Taking the red trail back toward the cars, was a good move.  Along here is the clearing that allows you a view of Collinsville and the Farmington River.

This was a nice hike with a good companion (even if he did talk too much about cars).  It will be worth a trip back when more people can join us.

Canton - CLCT Smith Tree Farm Trails

Date Hiked:  Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Number in Group:  18
Estimated distance round trip:  1.7 miles
Weather:  Sunny, 60°F, breezy (canceled previous plans for hike due to high winds)

This hike combined two Canton Land Conservation Trust trails.  Both originate at the Smith Tree Farm on Doyle Road (dirt single-lane road for much of the way).

The first trail we did was the Charlotte Craig Trail which is a loop.  It is only .7 miles and climbs fairly quickly to a lookout where you can see Ratlum Mountain.

The second trail, the Ted Wright Trail, is a linear trail with one end on Doyle Road.  From the tree farm, we walked down the dirt road until we crossed a stream.  The trail turned left into the woods and started to climb pretty quickly.  Our goal was Smith's Lookout.

View from Charlotte Craig Trail.

Stream at start of Ted Wright Trail.

View from Smith's Lookout.