Category: Uncategorized
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Mill Towns and Trails, August 2024
It is hard to exaggerate the importance of rivers and streams to New England’s early industrial history for both transportation and power. This becomes evident when you start exploring trails along Connecticut’s waterways. There is hardly a river or stream trail I have explored that does not pass the ruins…
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River Trails, July 2024
Earlier this spring I decided to purposefully explore trails in Connecticut that had some river views or access. This endeavor has been both challenging and fun, and I have only just begun! When our first heat wave hit in mid-June, with temperatures creeping up into the 90’s with high humidity,…
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Mountain Laurel Hikes, June 2024
June is prime mountain laurel season – which tends to peak mid-month. I find there is nothing like immersing yourself in it on the trail – preferably one where the laurel grows like an arbor over the path so you are surrounded by these glorious blooms. Kalmia latifolia is the…
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Exploring Tyler Mill Preserve, May 2024
I first learned about Tyler Mill Preserve when I purchased Tom Wessels’ latest book, New England’s Roadside Ecology: Explore 30 of the Region’s Unique Natural Areas, back in 2021. The book included 3 hikes in Connecticut, and the Wallingford hike caught my eye both because I have spent the past…
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The Pequot War, April 2024
I tumbled down another rabbit hole – this time going back almost 400 years to the Pequot War, and it all began with a glance at Google Maps looking for swaths of green. I clicked on Fort Saybrook Monument Park, which described a “17-acre park with storyboards depicting the history…
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Chasing Waterfalls, March 2024
While I enjoy a pretty waterfall, especially one with a pool to swim in on a sweltering summer day, I have never considered myself a “waterfall chaser”. But after deciding to highlight waterfalls in my March Trail Talk that may no longer be true. It all started innocently enough, as…
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Finding Frogs, February 2024
I became intrigued with frogs in February of 2018 after a FrogWatch training session to become a Citizen Scientist. A friend and I got in the habit of a weekly evening hike / frog listening session. It was a blissful way to end the day. (Photo at right — my…
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Sunrise Adventures, January 2024
If you starting following my Trail Talk blog recently, you may not yet be aware that I am addicted to sunrise adventures. These can take many forms such as a destination hike to watch the sunrise from a scenic viewpoint, or merely a strategic spot to observe sunrise quietly. Sometimes…
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Following in the Footsteps of the CCC Boys, December 2023
I have long been aware of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and their works, but like many things that are part of my daily life, the CCC stayed on the periphery, blending into my surroundings. As I hiked my favorite trails I would give a passing glance at the various…
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Longer Loops Hikes, November 2023
November may seem like a dull month – leaf-peeping season is over and the bare branches against the often drab skies create a somewhat colorless effect. Usually there isn’t snow yet to sparkle things up a bit. In my opinion, however, November has many positives to commend it as a…
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