Category Archives: hiking

fitness, health, hiking, hiking, marriage, random observation

Hiking at Old Furnace State Park

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Yesterday Rob and I went hiking at Old Furnace State Park in Danielson CT. I have been making an effort to go hiking more to build some fitness and get off Facebook. Winter is typically the slow season around here, but with the mild weather in the past week, I have been getting some hikes in.

We had plans to go up to Running’s in Killingly, so Old Furnace State Park was an easy detour, being located right off 395. I’ve been there before and the park features a reasonably short hour-ish hike around the pond. Neighboring Ross Pond State Park features some more trails if more mileage is wanted.

Rusty came with us of course, and took advantage of the many water options and got really wet and muddy. Good thing we have a crate in the car for him.

Rob got me a new fitness watch for Christmas, a Garmin Fenix 7S and I used it to navigate around the pond, although the markings are pretty decent. We only took one wrong turn.

The hike was 2.6 miles and took us about an hour. There is a little bit of elevation going up the trail to above the cliffs overlooking the pond. The cliffs are a popular spot for local rock climbing.

So where to go next? Thinking about a longer hike at the Sprague Land Preserve this coming weekend. With Rob also currently running the border patrol challenge courses, Rusty is in exercise heaven. Do you have New Year’s Resolutions that involve more physical activity? Go check out a State Park or nature preserve close to you!

amateur radio, food, hiking, marriage, random observation, Uncategorized

Camping at Mashamoquet Brook State Park

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This past weekend Rob and I went camping at Mashamoquet Brook State Park in Pomfret, CT, a whopping 30 minute drive from home. The campground we stayed at is called the Wolf den. We have a big anniversary coming up and with Rob’s surgery next week, we decided we needed a getaway. The farm is pretty much a constant source of projects and work, and we forget to take time to relax if we are at home.

We left home on Friday afternoon after Rob returned from work and Quinn and I came home from our ride at Arcadia. The park is 10 minutes or so off of 395, but tucked back into the woods. There was a total of 6 out of 35 camp sites occupied, mostly with tent campers, but few RVs. It was very quiet. Only one site (ours) has electric and water (which was leaking and had to get turned off). Rob brought his amateur radio equipment, and set up a portable station and I brought books.

The nearby camp nature trail by the brook had beavers and I saw at least 3 turtles laying eggs in the meadow. The wetland brook area also had great blue herons and tons of red winged black birds. The beavers have dammed up the brook, so no fishing is possible, it is more of a wetland.

The weather was gorgeous. No rain at all. Saturday we slept in, went on a few hikes, took a nap (me), read, and Rob played radio. Our main hike was on a nearby blue trail that was fairly technical with rock covered hills, and boasted an indian chair and a table rock rock formation and supposedly the wolf den of the last wolf to be killed in CT.

Saturday night we grilled steaks, baked potatoes, along with sauteed green beans and mushrooms. Yum! We sat by the fire after dinner and just enjoyed the quiet.

Below are a few pictures from the weekend. We will definitely try to do some other local staycations again.

fitness, health, hiking, random observation, Uncategorized

Hike #1 at Hopeville Pond State Park

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One of my goals for this year is to complete 52 hikes for the year. The idea is to go for a hike somewhere new each week. Well, last week on Sunday I was going to go hiking, but then we got 4-5 inches of snow and my knee was hurting, so Rob told me there was no way I was going out. Probably a good choice.

Since I just had a total hip replacement, I can’t go that far yet, or hike major hills, so I decided our local State Park was a good choice for this afternoon’s hike. Hopeville Pond State Park is located 2.5 miles from our house at 929 Hopeville Road in Griswold(map here). There are wooded trails and flat asphalt roads, so a good choice for a gimpy middle aged woman. It is a very popular spot for dog walking, and to let little kids ride their bikes and roller skate etc. There is an 80 site campground (no hook ups), and two beaches to swim at during the summer. I decided not to swim. I drove to the parking lot at the entrance (gates are closed to traffic Dec-Mar) and walked down to the boat ramp in the campground, and then cut across on some trails back up to the main road. I was aiming for about a mile, turned out to be more like 1.3 miles, the longest I’ve walked since my hip replacement.

Planning to go on another short hike on Sunday, and maybe work with my horse (on ground work). Tomorrow we are getting more rain, so not a good day for outside activities.

It felt so good to get outside and move, now to decide where to go for my next hike. Maybe I’ll drive over to Arcadia Management Area in RI and walk around Breakheart Pond, or Green Falls, which is part of Pachaug State Forest…I feel like Green Falls may require walking poles, as it is a more technical trail with boulders, so that one may have to wait. Onwards and upwards.