A late afternoon run from Sunrise Park up to the Metacomet.  Snow is fading pretty fast here, and there are numerous trees down in the woods.  4.5-miles total.

Decent snowstorm through last night, so I went to McLean to try snowshoeing.  The snow was extremely wet, and the ground has been "soft", so snowshoeing was just ok, with a total of 3.8-miles total.

A view off Stony Hill, with the East and West Barndoor Hills in the distance

 Another view off Stony Hill, with the East and West Barndoor Hills in the distance

 Cabin at Trout Pond

And, on this day in 2003 (fifteen long years ago), Moby Dick Snowshoe Race!

Pop and Tips

The Silverback, JC, MG, and K2

Gotha was with us that day;  RIP Swanny... September 4th, 1949 - January 22, 2018

"Entering into Heaven is another awesome soul, my brother has gained his wings. He lived and enjoyed his life to the fullest, he was adventurous (extreme workouts, skiing, running many marathons), served his country (Navy), and always had a smile for everyone he met.

Although he maintained an extremely healthy lifestyle, like Muhammed Ali he was later stricken with Parkinson's. He was my big brother, he will be missed and also like Muhammed Ali: he in my heart will always be "The Greatest"" ~ Leslie Koonce

Music 2018...

Effort #10, Aldo's introduction to a Primitive's performance... 

Also, on this day in 2003 (15-years ago), our friend Paul joined Tippi and I to mark an 8-mile course (more or less) from the Visitor Center at the base of Mt. Greylock to Jones Nose and back.  

Awesome weather by  the looks of things, and an awesome time as I recall.

Crossing a bridge on the Northrup Trail

In the meadow below Jones Nose

On pavement again, at least it was a really nice day with sun and temperature in the 40's.  Took the 7-mile Hill Street loop, nice and relaxing.

Later on, walked just under a mile on the Farmington Canal Greenway Trail, from Phelps Road over Mountain and Phelps Brooks.

Between the bridges for Phelps and Mountain Brooks along the Greenway

And, from old gps data, it looks as though Tippi and I begin to further explore Buckland snowmobile trails at this point, (February 29th & March 6th, 2007) ten-years ago.

Ran the same route as yesterday, but in reverse and in less of a hurry.  5.2-miles on a damp day.

Road run on Bridge, South Main, Suffield Street, Mather, Boston Neck and Kent.  5.15-miles in 49-minutes.

Dolmens and Standing Rocks, Evidence of Ancient Civilizations

Video of a Presentation on Wednesday, January 10, 2018

at the Prosser Public Library, Bloomfield, Connecticut

Woods Walker, Part V... Prosser Public Library

Dolmens and Standing Rocks, Evidence of Ancient Civilizations

Video of a Presentation on Wednesday, January 10, 2018

at the Prosser Public Library, Bloomfield, Connecticut

Woods Walker, Part IV... Prosser Public Library

Music 2018...

Effort #9 for the year (so far), Gloria/Land of a 1000 Dances Medley.  The Dark Heart Duo, from Summmer '16, performed positively live on Crown Street.

Continuing to track my "peaks", or at least "high points" along the trails I cover.  February looks a bit better than January.

February's High Points:

• Skyline Overlook, Somers, CT
• Goat Rock and Lookout Point, Hampden, MA
• Minnechoag Mountain, Hampden, CT
• "Nick's Hill", West Suffield Mountain / Metacomet Ridge, Suffield, CT
• Hill 880', Hampden, MA
• Pine Mountain, Hampden, MA
• Perkins Mountain, Somers, CT
• West Ridge, DAR State Forest, Goshen, MA
• Walnut Hill, Williamsburg, MA
• Copper - Peak Mountain, Metacomet Trail, Granby, CT
• West Suffield Mountain, Metacomet Trail, Suffield, CT
• Merritts Hill, Williamsburg, MA

January's High Points:

• "Nick's Hill", West Suffield Mountain / Metacomet Ridge
• Bald Mountain, Shenipsit State Forest
• The Pinnacle, Shenipsit State Forest
• "Balanced Rock Hill",  Shenipsit State Forest
• "Bent Birch Hill", Shenipsit State Forest

And, from old gps data, it looks as though Tippi and I were on a Hawley Notch snowshoe this day (February 28th, 2008) ten-years ago.

Here is the flyer for my friend the Woods Walker's presentation this evening.  I assisted with the slides/images for the third time on this year's Rock Show Tour.

Again, like the prior two presentations, a full crowd of very interested people, both young and old.  It appears people are hungry for all things nature oriented.

And, from old gps data, it looks as though Tippi and I explored the Dubuque State Forest in Hawley, from Middle Road to East Hawley Road, this day (February 27th, 2008) ten-years ago.

Back out to Skyline Scenic Area in Somers, CT to wrap up the segment from South Road back up to the Skyline Trail.  Spoke with Kevin S to get my bearings, as it "looked" different last Friday when I didn't make the connection.

Found my way relatively easily, saw a few options and remembered the old "correct" route.  It was much more traveled and wide-open today verse when we ran here regularly in the early 2000's.

Totaled up 4-miles in sun and forties temperature. Not a bad Monday for February!

Large Boulder on the Skyline Trail

Another view of the Boulder

Old forest road with small stonewall over stream and rock bed

View west of Skyline's Peak

We are still stuck in a rainy pattern for weather;  I waited until 4:00 p.m. when the rain was due to finally leave.  Managed 3.8-miles along Main Street.

And, 15-years ago today, February 25th, 2003, Tips & I visited Dubuque State Forest in Hawley...

Tippi Crossing the Brook along Sprague Road 

And, from old gps data, it looks as though Tippi and I explored Cummington and Plainfield snowmobile trails on this day (February 25th, 2008) ten-years ago.

An afternoon drive to Williamsburg to see if I could find the route from the Bradley Sanctuary to the Tilton Farm Trail area at DAR State Forest.  A part of this was the old snowmobile corridor, which I last visited on May 29th, 2012.  

Bradley Sanctuary looks well maintained and in great shape.  The connector from Bradley around Nichols Swamp went well, but the old woods road past the gravel pit and old cemetery (which I've never seen) was a true mess due to logging.  I ended up bushwhacking until I found another old woods road, and exited on Brier Hill Road instead of Wing Hill Road, about 8/10 off.

I needed to be a little lower on the ridge, close to Rogers Brook.  I'll venture out again to run from the north and head south.  The biggest issue is the heavy logging, which has always been present, but right now is brutal.  I feel confident I can connect the pieces, and I also will head east from Bradley toward Conway State Forest.

Heading back, I noticed a large stonewall toward the top of Merritts Hill, so I ended up bushwhacking again through a mess of downed trees and stumps.  I finally emerged on a woods road, which looked like it was heavily used for the logging operation.  Ended up with 5.7-miles, and I just beat the rain!

Bradley Sanctuary Kiosk

Inscribed rock for the Bradley Property

Bradley Sanctuary's Large Oak just beyond the stonewall

Nichols Brook

Nichols Brook and Ravine

Back to Hampden and a bit more "attempt" at piecing together the Old Simon's Run.  Weather was bad, 40-degrees and pretty heavy rain during the drive to South Road.  Once I arrived, the rain sort of stopped, and I was on my way.

I parked adjacent to where we would exit onto South Road at the most southern point...  the trail still looked like it was being used by motorbikes at least occasionally.  I followed through the mud, brier, and water further than I thought I should have, and came upon a busy intersection and a house up on the western most portion of a hill.  I stuck with the northern route, placing the southern option in my memory bank for another day,

This intersection was the climb up to Pine Mountain, and it did not look familiar to me until I was at the top.  Truthfully, we always navigated this course in the opposite direction of what I was doing today, and it has been about 20-years since I was on it.  I guess this explains my lack of noticing.

So, the good news is the other option at the base of this climb should bring me to Rattlesnake, or in the general vicinity.  That gets me across from the Camp Ayapo trails from yesterday's run.

Sticking north, I dropped off Pine, and from the top down the north-side it was totally familiar.  I thought about the Wednesday night run long ago in a tremendous Thunder and Lightning storm, with huge chunks of hail tormenting us and lightning crashing right around the group.  God Bless Tippi for hanging in with me during that night.

Up 880, which I remembered well, but down the north-side seemed a little different.  Toward the bottom it was really different, and I have to also admit that we always ran this in the summer with leaf on the trees.  The forest was open and bare today.

Exited on South Road exactly where I had hoped to, across from the power-lines heading up the Minnechoag Mountain Trails.  The old Simon's Route is really coming together.

Once back at the car, I headed a bit more south on  the road to see if I could spot the re-entry into the woods to join the Skyline Trail, but it began to rain hard again and I called it a day with a little over 5-miles total.  A wonderful, rewarding day.

On the top of 880, looking at Pine Mountain to the south

Foundation along South Road