Visit my folks with a stop at Greylock Glen to explore the new trails.  Completed 4.1-miles.

Gould Covered Bridge

Gould Covered Bridge

Pecks Falls

Pecks Falls

Pecks Falls

Drove to Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area to run on some of the Tunxis "Connectors".

Made my way out to Tory's Den, and repeated some of last week's run.

Enjoyed the "Mile of Ledges", "Bear's Den" and "Hemenway Lookout" over 11.4-miles of running.

Ravine, Cliffs, Ledges and Rocks

Ravine, Cliffs, Ledges and Rocks

Ravine, Cliffs, Ledges and Rocks

Turtle Effigy

Bear's Den

Bear's Den

Bear's Den

Bear's Den

Mile of Ledges

Mile of Ledges

Mile of Ledges

Mile of Ledges

Old Bridge/Dam Stonework

Mile of Ledges

Mile of Ledges

4.5-mile run in McLean Game Refuge...

It was only going to be a 3-miler, but I ended up face-to-face with a small bear cub (which scampered up the nearest white pine) and I noticed a big female with another cub just 100' off to my left.  Therefore, I turned around and made the journey longer.

3-mile run along Main Street prior to the work-day.

3-mile run along North Main Street prior to work.

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #33 for 2020...

"Arise and Walk", Barry Gifford's 1995 novel..

Cover Image

Alt Cover Image

Music 2020...

Effort #34,  "Losing Touch with My Mind"...  Dark Heart Duo's attempt at Spacemen 3;  this was the second take on this tune, as the initial eruption wasn't recorded.

This was the middle of the Day After Session of  November 1st, 2019.

Trip with DL to visit my folks, enjoyed an hour of picking string-beans while there.

Once home, took a 3-mile run along Main Street after dinner.

Drove out to Burlington again, meeting Wuzzam, to run the Tunxis Trail from Route 4 to Marsh Road in Plymouth, CT.

Nice section of trail, with many optional side-paths that I intend on exploring.

We were impressed with the Tory's Den, as well as another rocky area with caves and cubby-holes to explore.  The turn-around-point at the reservoir was very nice as well.

The one glaring issue we experianced is the section shortly after crossing Rock Road, on Johnny Cake Mountain Road (or something similar).  The CFPA online resource map doesn't even show the new development or houses, and the Tunxis Trail just exterminates between a few newly being built homes, the paved road, and a clear-cut bank which may soon involve additional houses being built.

We wandered, tried a few wrong directions, and finally found a "Blue-White-Dot" trail option that did re-connect us with the Tunxis proper.  Lesson learned is this section, for the time being, can be basically skipped because a trail through a new housing development sucks.  Unfortunately, what sucks a bit worse is that no trail markers or signs exist leading a hiker toward success in this area.

Finished well, with 14.5-miles.  Wuzzam took a nasty stumble and fall at about mile 11, a result of a tree root not being cut flush with the ground but allowed to stick up 3 inches.

Initial Caves and Slabs

Initial Caves and Slabs

Tory's Den

Tory's Den

Tory's Den

Old Marsh Pond

Tory's Den

Tory's Den

Wuzzam passing Tory's Den

Tory's Den

Nearing the completion of our run

Also, on this day in 2014, Wuzzam and I ran the Mahican Mohawk Marathon in 6:43:30.  We began and ended at the Mohawk Trail State Forest in Charlemont, along the bank of the Cold River.  

Our turn-a-round or midpoint was roughly at North Pond in Savoy Mountain State Forest, located in Savoy and Florida, Massachusetts.

This was my 53rd completed marathon.  Map of our route is included...

Running through Stafford Meadow

 

Red Pine Plantation, set in 1930's..

Up through the Red Pine.

Wuzzam at the first crossing of the Cold River.

Bog Pond, a long-time favorite area of ours..

Burnett Homestead Cemetery in Florida..

Second crossing of the Cold River.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

George Santayana

Santayana's famous aphorism "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" is inscribed on a plaque at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Polish translation and English back-translation.

First and Last and Always...

Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #32 for 2020...

"The Way We Die Now", Charles Willeford's 1988 completion of Hoke Mosely's story.

Black Lizard Vintage Crime Cover

Alt Cover

Alt Cover

Music 2020...

Effort #33,  "Saints, Martyrs, and all the Faithful Departed"...  The lengthy opening piece from Dark Heart Duo's Day After Session of  November 1st, 2019.

Hallockville Pond Marathon

August 11th, 2005 - Hawley, Massachusetts

On this day in 2005, I completed my 30th marathon.  Locale was Dubuque State Forest and we named the event the "Hallockville Pond" Marathon.  

For company, I had Wuzzam being his norm good sport, and Tippi with her normal determination.  Old Farmer Tom met us along the Notch Trail on bicycle, and enjoyed a few miles with us.

This was Tippi's 4th completed marathon.  Our time ended up at 5:21:16.

I drove out to Burlington, wishing to tie-up a section of the Tunxis Trail from my April stopping point on Garrett Mountain.  I planned on completing the run along the western slope of the Nepaug Reservoir from Route 4.

It was near impossible to find a parking area, or the trail on the north side of Route 4.  I recalled covering this section in July of 2011 with Tippi, and we had come out on a non-busy dirt road a mile or so in from Route 4 (Hotchkiss Road off Covey Road).  That is where I ended up parking, which was better once understood.

The run went great, and despite the heat I kept a strong pace.  I remembered the bridge across the swamp at Phelps Brook from way back when.  The route is basically 90% forest road, but it is interesting.

At my termination point on the north side of Garrett Mountain, I ran east a bit toward the reservoir.  Checking my mapping software once home, I can see that a loop is possible, several variations actually, throughout this forest.

When looking over the area on a map I noticed that I missed out on two waterfalls at my parking spot...  Bunnell's Falls and Burlington Falls.  I'll have to go back and visit Burlington Brook.

Phelps Brook Crossing

View from Baker Road of Nepaug Reservoir

Passageway through Pine