Somehow, without being previously aware of it, it was five years ago today that I was first in the vicinity of the Goshen Stone Chamber (November 10, 2012).  The odd thing was, Tips & I jogged right past it, more or less, and we didn't even see it (just didn't know it existed back then).  My GPS_Track from that date is solid proof...

So, it was a bit coincidental that I went back on this day, with the Wuzzam along, to hopefully find the Goshen Stone Chamber for him to experience.

Along the way, we saw some really awesome stones and other features...

• Standing Stone along the NEMBA (New England Mountain Bike Association) Trail;
• Small Balanced Rock along the Turkey Trail;
• The Large Balanced Rock that is a draw to this forest;
• Many Stonewalls through the forest, including one massively tall one;
• The Goshen Stone Chamber;
• One more Balanced Rock along the Bobcat Trail;
• and finally, the Fire Tower.

Our day was complete with 8.4-miles, and the Wuzzam appeared to be rebounded from his bout with a nasty Tick Disease (anaplasmosis).  Despite the incredibly sunny blue sky, it was the first really cold day of the fall, with temperatures in Goshen in the high twenties, with strong wind.

Standing Stone along the NEMBA Trail

Balanced Rock off the Turkey Trail

Another View of the Balanced Rock off the Turkey Trail

Main Balanced Rock of DAR State Forest

Main Balanced Rock of DAR State Forest w/ Wuzzam

5-foot high stonewall on private trail to the Stone Chamber

Wolf Tree at top of West Ridge

The Goshen Stone Chamber

The Goshen Stone Chamber, inside looking out

Wuzzam exiting the Goshen Stone Chamber

 Once more, Wuzzam exiting the Goshen Stone Chamber

Beaver activity along the Beaver Trail Loop

 A Balanced Rock along the Bobcat Trail

Goshen DAR State Forest Fire Tower, on a beautiful cold day in November

Ancient American Mysteries... The Secret of the Stones.

It is near impossible to roam through the forest of New England and not notice the abundance of stonewalls lining and breaking up the landscape.  I caught an interesting video on you/tube recently, entitled "Secrets of the Stones".  Some highlights that immediately caught my ear are listed below...

The effort to build the hundreds of thousands of miles of stonewalls would have been the most costly and labor intensive undertaking in colonial history.  Yet there is not even the slightest mention of this massive construction project in the historical records.  Native Americans were not fence builders, they respected the land and did not partition it for any reason, most especially to mark personal possession.

A most interesting point to ponder; when one looks at the sheer length of the stonewalls, 240,000 miles that were estimated in 1939 using the data from the department of agriculture’s report on fences from 1872, it is quite clear that this was an engineering feet of gargantuan proportion.   

Using simple calculations and allowing for one day’s rest out of every week, with a mandatory three-month break when the northeast winters made it impossible for any outdoor work, it would appear that if the early colonists constructed these stonewalls between 1620 and 1872, they would have had to average:

• 4-miles a day, or
• 1/3 of a mile every hour, or
• 1-foot every two seconds.

And they had to average this consistently each and every year for 250 years, regardless of the devastating Revolutionary, Civil and Indian Wars.

Clearly this was not the case, for there are no significant records of any major expanses of walls or other megalithic structures.  Since it would have constituted the largest construction project in world history, It would have been an effort worth recording in some small way.

Music 2017...

Effort #32, When You're Old and Lonely...

A quiet version of the Magnetic Fields's "When You're Old and Lonely", one guitar, loop pedal, and vocals.

On this day in 1999, I completed my 21st marathon at Watery Hill.  It was a 6-hour run, and I completed a total of 30 miles.

Cool and misty on the ridge today, managed the 5.8-mile run from Route 20 to the "Notch" and back.

Completed week #4 at Master Naturalists Training at Goodwin State Forest.  We covered mammals this week, which was interesting.

Also, on November 4th, 2000, I completed 33-miles in 6-hours at Watery Hill.  This was my 22nd completed marathon.

Registered the old Subaru in the morning, and planned on a trip to visit my folks around mid-day.  On the drive up, stopped in Goshen at DAR State Forest for a short run.

Took the Pine Marten, Upper UFO, Lower UFO, Town Trail and the Black Bear Trails.  Managed 3-miles with the trip up to the fire-tower at the end.  It started to rain and the temperature dropped 15 degrees shortly after I was back in my car on the road to Adams.

Large Boulder along the Pine Marten Trail

Ceremonial Rock Circle along Upper UFO Trail

 

Feeder Stream to Rodgers Brook

DAR/Goshen Fire Tower (5-State View)

I went out to Mt Tom in Easthampton, Massachusetts to run some of the Metacomet-Monadnock (or New England Trail as it is now called I believe).  Completed a run from the road crossing at Route 141 to the intersection with the DOC Trail, which I explored along with the Tote Road Trail for a total out-and-back of 6.7-miles.

On this day in 1997, the Old Goat, the Gullivers, and a few others rambled out to Bash Bish Falls to participate in a marathon along the South Taconic Trail.  I managed 26-miles in 6:28:00, and I can recall the last few miles being in a driving rain.  This was my 16th marathon.

It was on the "dreary side" of weather, with a temperature of 40-degrees and damp, and I had STCC class again this evening (began again on Monday), so I thought that Penwood would be a good option since I hadn't been there to do the 6.5-mile loop in a while.

View off the Pinnacle

Penwood's Rock-Garden, perfect for reflection

I decided to check on some awesome natural features in Mohawk Trail State Forest (Massachusetts).  If my run went well, and the weather held up, I would also drive to Florida Mountain and check on a potential waterfall above the Hairpin Turn on Route 2.

Part I - Mohawk Trail State Forest

First off, Mohawk.  I parked at the small lot opposite the Nelson Family Cemetery and picnic area along River Road.  The Elder Grove Trail starts just after the bridge at Zoar Gap, and it would lead into an outstanding group of White Pine in excess of 150-feet tall, including but not limited to:

• Saheda (171.4')
• Tecumseh (166.8')
• Osceola (160.5')
• Sacajawea (159.2')
• Sitting Bull (152.9')
• Crazy Horse (150.2')

 All told, the Elder Grove has at least 25 White Pine worth visiting.

Looking across the bridge at Zoar Gap at Elder Grove Trailhead, Negus rises up

 

Saheda Pine in the Elder's Grove

From there, I continued through the Red Pine Plantation, circa 1930, and into the lower meadow past the Wheeler Cemetery.  The Deerfield and Cold River were really roaring today, after the heavy rain we've had recently.  I re-connected with the Mahican-Mohawk Trail and wound my way through additional large White Pine before seeing a new sign with a corresponding new trail connecting to "Thumper Mountain".

Red Pine Plantation, north end of lower meadow

Wheeler Family Cemetery

This new spur connects to the fairly recent trail up Thumper Mountain from the HQ (southwest).  Very nice work by the staff at Mohawk to add this piece in.  On the way up to the summit, there is a bushwhack to the "Gateway", which is somewhat similar to the opening I saw a few weeks back in Monroe.

The "Gateway"

 

The "Gateway"

The "Gateway"

Spent some time with the rocks, climbed Thumper and enjoyed the view before heading back down toward the group camping area.  Connecting with the Nature Trail, until heading down steeply to the Trees of Peace and specifically the Jake Swamp Pine (tallest tree in New England).

View westerly from the top of Thumper Mountain

Worn sign on an obscure path into the "Trees of Peace"

Chief Jake Swamp White Pine;  tallest tree in the New England

More Chief Jake Swamp White Pine

Chief Jake Swamp's base

Through the upper meadow to the Algonquin Grove, and the "Cave".  Past the "Passage" and the connection to the Elder Grove Trail off the Mahican-Mohawk.

Upper Meadow looking north

Upper Meadow looking back south

Algonquin Grove Cave

Algonquin Grove Cave

Algonquin Grove Cave

The "Passage";  a link from Mohawk Trail to the Red Pine Plantation

While running through the large White Pine's of the Elder Grove, I felt the spirit of my old dog Tippi with me.  We had visited and ran through this area often for the last 3 or 4 years of her life.  An incredible feeling of warmth came over me, and I let out a loud "TIPS!" like I used to do when we ran, to get her attention.  Just as I let it out, the music I had playing through my headphones (a Lisa Germano record) broadcast small ringing bells, which sounded just like Tippi's tags on her collar used to do.  I smiled the whole rest of the day!

Part II - Florida Mountain, On Top of the World & Florida State Forest

I felt good after leaving Mohawk, with 6.5-miles on my legs.  I drove up to Route 2 and past the Whitcomb Summit, and to the dirt road across from BNRC's Hoosac Range Parking Area.  Today would be the day I viewed the waterfall above the Hairpin Turn.

It was wet and muddy, and it suddenly got decently cold.  Along the way I looked off of "On Top of the World", saw the huge Boundary Boulder, and observed the Beaver Dam.  The effluent from the beaver dam tore through the remains of old stonework, and left the mountain in a series of cascades.  Just to the north, a second cascade dropped off from Canyon Brook.  I scrambled down the mountain a bit, but it was a little too slippery to risk by myself.  It was fantastic seeing the two streams meeting a few more hundred feet below, and I promised myself to get back here when I wasn't alone.

On the return, I took one of the optional paths for a ways, it matches up with the trail layer segment from Massachusetts GIS.  The Florida portion gave me an additional 2.8-miles round trip, totaling up my day with 9.3-miles!

Message at entrance, written on a rock:  "...everything happens for a reason."

 

View off "Top of the World", Mount Greylock in distance

Twenty Foot High Boulder along the path

Another View of Boulder

Stone work at effluent of Beaver Dam

  
Beginnings of the Falls

Beaver Dam

Beaver Dam

Also, going back to this day in 1993.  I completed the Bridgeport Marathon in ~3:32:00.  This was my second completed marathon, and I remember it being more difficult than the first.

Very heavy rain and wind all day Sunday, especially during the evening hours.  I figured it would be very wet on any trails, so I took the day to drive out to Cornwall, Connecticut to research the following locations for future explorations:

Gold's Pines
Day Preserve
Ballyhack Preserve
Cathedral Pines
Mohawk Trail State Forest & the Mohawk Trail in Connecticut

I became familiar with the locations, including the main parking area of Mohawk on Route 128 and an additional road crossing along Route 43.  

I took a hike/jog into Gold's Pines, which appears to be a work in progress with trail maintenance.  Completed 2.2-miles, with some bushwhacking along the feeder stream to Mill Brook.  I ended up connecting with the trail to the Day Preserve's open meadow, and found my first ever geo-cache in the stonewall along the field.

Observed the tall pine within Gold's;  here are links to individual trees...

155' - Tallest tree in Connecticut as of March 31, 2016
146' - White Pine #1
146' - White Pine #2
140' - White Pine #1
140' - White Pine #2

Some of my photographs on this overcast rainy day follow;  I will have to go back in winter to better acquaint myself with the specific White Pine.

Heavy, pouring rain all day today, which is no surprise as the weather stations have predicted it correctly for several days now.

I drove out to McLean to run the 6.4-mile loop I've been doing as a sort of fast run.  This time, due to the conditions and a real lack of motivation for running in the rain, I ran counter-clockwise which is opposite of my normal direction on this route.  I imagine it was slow going, it certainly felt it although I didn't use a timer at all.

Looking at my yearly miles, I am at 856.1.  I had a goal this season of 1000-miles running, and I'm slightly ahead of pace.  This is rewarding for me to realize because I had two intervals of lyme disease and strep throat as well, which really threw some water on my fitness and training.  With nine-weeks left in the year, I have to average 16-miles per week to succeed at the 1000-mile goal.  So far so good.