Tag 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!

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.

dog, fitness, health, marriage

Hiking in Pachaug State Forest

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Last night when Rob got home from work, we went for a walk in the forest. Our property directly borders Pachaug State Forest, Connecticut’s largest state forest. We walk out of our horse barn and are in the state forest in 20 yards. It is my absolute favorite thing about our house. Rusty loves the forest too!

Rusty in the creek just behind our house

There is something special and relaxing about hiking. I find it resets my inner peace. This time of year, the earthly smells of leaves and water, ground me like nothing else really does. Maybe the Japanese are right about that forest bathing thing…Exercise and nature fill up my bucket.

The blue trail is flooded by Heron Marsh due to beavers. Rusty was wondering why we wanted to go around.

We didn’t hike for very long, we walked for about 2 miles. The sun was setting and Rob is still recovering from his accident. He took a few running steps and said: “Not yet”. Yes, I agree. Not yet. Patience is a virtue.

Sun setting over Heron Marsh

We walked over to the “water fall”, which is a popular destination for our kids when they hike or run in the forest and we contemplated new better ways to connect to the Yellow CT Horse Council trail without having to go out to the main gravel road first. Maybe this is a good project for Rob’s recovery this winter. We had found an overgrown forest path several years ago, but never finished clearing it.

As we came down the path to the house, the kids texted that goat chores were done. The light was fading and the view of the sunset across the road was, as always, spectacular.

The view from our drive way