Explored additional trails and areas of Simsbury Land Trust, including a nice connection to St Albans Episcopal Church trails.

Ended the day with 10.5-miles before a short session at work.

"High Points" along the trails I've visited during March, 2021...

• Ridge Hill, Ashfield, MA
• Hill 621, Whitiker Woods, Somers, CT
• Nick's Hill, Metacomet Trail, West Suffield, CT
• West Suffield Mountain, Metacomet Trail, West Suffield, CT
• Johnson Hill, Buckland, MA
• Putnam Hill, Buckland, MA
• Hank's Hill, Nipmuck Trail, Mansfield, CT
• Toby Hill, Conway, MA
• Mt Owen, Ashfield, MA
• Pine Mountain, Tunxis Trail, Barkhamstead, CT
• Onion Mountain, Simsbury, CT
• Hastings Hill, Hill Street, Suffield, CT

Old Marathon News...

I was fortunate to run the 100th Boston Marathon on this day in 1996. 

It was my 10th marathon completed, in a time of 3:24:14.

Music 2021...

Effort #11,  "Home"...  early Pavement tune.  

Another basement studio recording, solo, as the initial "Hitting the Pavement" sessions.

We had a visitor on our back patio during the night...

What Played in Ed's Head -- Music listened to for the time-period March 1st through 31st, 2021:

 Enjoyed DL's Birthday with some greenhouse visits for plants and a day lounging around.

Great morning adding and re-positioning some ornamental brick in DL's garden.

Then, back to the Appalachian Trail to pick up the section I left off on Thursday (between Mount Wilcox South & North Shelters), and hopefully continue to the next road crossing (Jerusalem Road I believe).

Parked on Beartown Mountain Road, which was easy to arrive at.  The first section just past Swamp Brook measured out at two-miles, so I had an easy four-miles once back at the Beartown Road crosssing.

Continuing north, the first two-miles were again very easy, but then I dropped twice fairly severely in that last mile before the turn-around at Jerusalem Road.

The climbing back out repeating that last mile was intense, but I made it well enough and finished the day with 10-miles and 2275' of climb.

Visit to the Metacomet, from Phelps Road south at the sign-in log, and back for 3.4-miles. 

Took a drive out to the Appalachian Trail, at my ending point in Massachusetts from last October where Routes 23, 183 and 57 all sort of converge.  The parking and first bit is in Great Barrington, but the majority of today's adventure was in Monterey.

Plenty of climbing today, 2200'.  I ended up turning around about a mile after the Mount Wilcox South Shelter, at a small stream crossing.  Mount Wilcox North Shelter would be within the next mile for me.  This was roughly about 4-miles out, and seeing as I was only averaging about 3.5 mph, it was a great spot to turn back.

Finished the day between 7.7 & 7.8-miles on the gps.  This was steep, and rocky, for much of the day.  It was also close to 70-degrees and sunny, so what I completed seemed fine.

Benedict Pond

View west from the Ledges

Simsbury Open Space Running at the Ethel Walker Woods for 6.6-miles. 

 3-miles along Main Street prior to second COVID-19 Vaccine.

Tunxis in the Burlington area today, to explore the western most trail.

Had a bit of difficulty on the first road section finding the turn, but after several back and forth I figured it out and got round for 10.5-miles.

Main Street mid-day prior to work.  3-miles.

Delicious Smoked Ham from my folks pork for DL and I.

Back to the Simsbury area to connect Simsbury Farms Recreation Area to Wagner Woods, and get a bit more into Great Pond.  12.7-miles.