Great Pond Forest in Simsbury prior to work, 4.5-Miles.

Another trip to Ashfield and Conway, to fill in some additional gaps of old trails / snowmobile corridor.

This time, Poland Brook Wildlife Management Area at Poland Gate (on the borders of Conway State Forest), to North Poland Road, near the Route 116 snowmobile crossing from Mount Owen.  I had explored this section with Tippi way back on April 10th, 2009.  Haven't been back since, and I realized when crossing over the slightly northern section over Mount Owen on March 21st that the snowmobiles hadn't been over this section this season (small section of closed trail).

Found my way just fine.  Even found a few private trails, and old obscure forest / logging roads.  Final word is the connections are coming along just fine, and I am enjoying the adventures.

Once I was done, I had 7.5-miles in of slow going.

Ran the Ridge Route at Cowles Park for 3.3-miles on a very windy Friday. 

Another ramble around the "Point" for 3.1-miles. 

I ended up taking close to two-months reading "The Stand" by Stephen King.  I had read it around '82 or '83, and saw the original mini-series when it came out on DVD.

This time, I read the extended version, which added roughly 345 pages to the already massive 823 or so pages of the original version.  I don't remember what the differences would have been.  I did enjoy the book again, and admit I honestly forgot many sub-plots.

Once finished, I did watch the new mini-series, which I thought was pretty good.

Rambled around the "Point" at the end of my work-shift for 3.1-miles. 

Also, on this day in 2006, I completed a Metacomet Marathon with my dog Tippi;  it was just us.  By 2005, most of my running turned toward exploring and mapping routes through the forest of Western Massachusetts and North Central Connecticut, with an emphasis on picking out ways to connect big tracks of land, and turn them into runs of marathon length.

Tips taking a look toward the quarry in West Suffield, Connecticut.

This run began in Sunrise Park, Suffeld, Connecticut and flowed south through Penwood State Forest in Bloomfield and Simsbury, Connecticut.  We spent 6:27:00 completing a little over 28-miles or so.  This was my 31st marathon completed, and Tippi's 7th.
 

Hueblin Tower in the distance; we would be turning around just prior to it.

Notes:  A great day;  started out 50 degrees at the 9:45 A.M. start time.  I believe it reached 70 degrees during the day, with most of it in the mid to upper 60’s.  Sunny and blue sky entire time, with a bit of a nice breeze every once and a while.

Tippi taking a look back off a ledge.

Much of the route is a ridge trail, with weather beaten trees still standing.

Tippi at the finish, ready to eat and rest.

  

 

Music 2021...

Effort #12,  "Summer Babe"...  another early Pavement tune.  

Basement studio recording, solo, as the completion of the "Hitting the Pavement" sessions.

Yearly Running Miles Goal Update

If it seemed as though a quarter of the year came up quick for the week ending March 28th, I don't know what to say about it now being a third over...  

April 25th was the end of the 17th week of the year 2021.

My mileage goal of 1350-miles in 2021 is still on pace, whether I look at daily or weekly average.

Daily Miles needed to get to 1350 = 3.7-miles per day.

On April 25th, I needed to be around 425.5-miles, and I am currently at 511.5-miles (+86.0).

Weekly Miles needed to get to 1350 = 26-miles per week.

On April 25th, this totals 433.5-miles, and I am at 511.5-miles (+78.0).

Met Wuzzam to run the Soapstone Race Course which he is registered for in May.  I am not the biggest fan of this area (Shenipsit State Forest south of Route 190) due to trails running all over each other often minimal distance apart, the logging activities which have not done any favors to the forest, and the overuse of motorized vehicles traveling throughout much of the trails.

The area of Shenipsit north of Route 190 is another story;  it is an area that I have an appreciation for, and I actually feel refreshed after completing most running in there.

Anyhow, Wuzzam wanted to run everything south of Gulf Road, so I tagged along to keep him company.

We tackled the route together until we hit the 9 or so mile mark, where I realized I needed to move faster and make my cut-off of under 3-hours.  I got in with 11.7-miles, finishing about 30-minutes before Wuzzam, who added another half-mile or so to my running total.

Positives:

Good Company.

Roughly twelve good miles on my legs, including the last 3 at "race-pace".

Many Laughs along the way.

The final 3 or 4 miles of trail were nice.

Back to Ashfield & Conway, to grab a bit more of the snowmobile corridor I'm missing from my network.

The main section I hoped to follow today would lead from Pine Hill Road in Conway past Pine Hill and the Colonel to Route 116 almost in downtown Conway.  I had been on this section once before, on April 18th, 2009.  Looking at the old map, it looks as though the route has slightly changed (I did see residual trails along the way today, which could be further explored at some point).

I managed fine, all the way to the open field crossing where I had no good reason to cross (there was a field full of cattle resting peacefully and I didn't wish to upset them).  Turned back, and took the trail to Catlin Hill and down to Shelbourne Road.  

On the way back over Pine I explored a few trails leading east, and ended either on Pine Hill Road or at least in a field adjacent to it.  All of it joined back together, and I had 9.2-miles today.

Visit with my folks, on a very cold snowy late April day.

On the way back, managed to explore a "new" Ashfield Trail as well as connect some additional snowmobile path together with this trail.  Ended up with 5.7-miles.

3.5-Miles on the Main & Kent Loop. 

Continuing with my Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Adventure, hoping to complete the ninety or so miles in Massachusetts this year. 

Today I parked at Tyringham Cobble, a Trustee of Reservation site, and joined the AT off the Cobble Trail, and was able to join up with my last "end point" at Fernwood or Jerusalem Road (on April 10th).

Turned around, stuck with the AT all the way over Jerusalem Road (again, slightly south and east of the prior crossing) and then all the way until the Main Road crossing in Tyringham.  On the way back, completed the Cobble Trail past Rabbit Rock and finished with 7.2-miles.

Every since I ended up on Sodom Mountain Road back on February 10th, snowshoeing in Dismal Brook Preserve, I have been wanting to see if I could continue over the mountain to the north, into Granville or Southwick. 

Today I explored.  I parked across Highway 57 from the Granville Gorge, and started uphill on a trail.  Hit a snag and had to bushwhack for a quarter-mile or so, but once back on trail  (above the Sodom Mountain Campground I suspect) it was all on trail, some better than others.

Ended up passing a communication tower, or similar, and down the mountain across the gas-line about two-miles west of my parked car.  I rambled down Route 57 for a finish of 5.6-miles.

There are many trails on this ridge, recently ridden by motorbikes (which made them easy to spot and follow).  I think there is a good trail heading south at the saddle/ravine between the two "tops" at Sodom Mountain on the map.  That is where I will try to get back to from the south at some point, hopefully sooner than later so some of it will still be in my head.

I returned to Simsbury Open Space Properties to tie up Stratton Brook Park with Ethel Walker Woods and Massacoe State Forest.  Completed the day with 10-miles before signing in at work for a short shift.