Good To Be Back

After a week away from my girlfriend, it felt good to see her again.

Visit #1557, Sunday 19 October 25, 7:00-9:15AM, 4.9 miles, 12.1 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 60s, partly sunny.

A week away from Hubbard Park really renewed my enjoyment of hiking there. Maybe there was some voodoo or karma involved as my chainsaw went belly up during that little diversion on South Mountain. It's currently at the repair shop being assessed and hopefully it can be resuscitated as you'll see I truly need it.

I initially had planned on hiking a clockwise loop up to West Peak and back but, arriving at Hubbard Park I noticed they were setting up for what was going to be a fundraising run for Footprints On Our Hearts.

A clockwise route would put my timing in conflict with the runners; I'd be walking on the route in the midst of the event. So instead I walked counterclockwise around Merimere Reservoir and made sure the road was clean of litter for them.

One thing I did notice while walking on the road is that the speed bumps, barely six months old, are coming loose from the pavement whether intentionally or not. I think it's time to go to Plan B or        Rev. 2.0.

I moved this rumble strip out of the way to make it easier to spot.

Every speed bump is affected in one way or another. Time to rethink this; it's a good idea that needs to be developed.

At the north end of Merimere Reservoir I was mooned by a gaggle of Canada Geese. The nerve!

I considered giving them the finger but what would be the point-they wouldn't see it anyway.

So I hit the first trail and expecting to find storm damage. You may recall we had some rain and winds in the 30 mph range last week. I wasn't disappointed.

The trees may look small, but they aren't moving and a chainsaw is the best way to deal with the volume of work.

At West Peak I found what I'm guessing would be the belongings of a homeless person camping in the woods. I had to transfer everything into a 33 gallon trash bag because of the sleeping bag, clothing, and unopened convenience foods and energy drinks. Carrying this heavy load put a halt to most other litter patrol I had in mind today.

But all was not negative at West Peak. The view as I descended the Blue Trail was great.

Hiking the trail heading back to the park, I encountered the largest fallen tree which needs to be removed. Getting my chainsaw back can't happen soon enough for me or all the people that want to enjoy the colors of autumn in Hubbard Park without having to go over or around this.

If I get my chainsaw back this coming week I may do a double session during the weekend, preparing South Mountain for the Three Peaks Challenge and doing some clean up in Hubbard Park.

Out of Bounds

 

Not my usual stomping grounds.

Visit #1555, Saturday 11 October 25, 7:15-10:05AM, 4.1 miles, 1.0 lbs. of litter. Temps in the 50s, sunny and pleasant.

Visit #1556, Sunday 12 October 25, 7:15-9:50AM, 3.8 miles, 1.0 lbs. of litter. Temps in the 50s, overcast with rain developing later in the day.

As I mentioned in a Early September post, the Meriden Parks Department is hosting a long range hike in Hubbard Park, in November. It will encompass East Peak, West Peak, and adjacent to Hubbard Park, South Mountain. I attended the hike for the first time last year and have signed up for this year's event. I figured it wouldn't hurt to perform some trail maintenance on South Mountain in preparation for the Three Peaks Challenge since I never go there the rest of the year and I have no idea if anyone else maintains it.

On Saturday I brought only hand tools - loppers, hedge clippers, a pruning saw, and a bag for litter.

I trimmed using what I had on hand and took note of what would need a chainsaw.

The land on South Mountain is comprised of three donated parcels, if I interpret the signage correctly.

The graffiti on the back of one sign is not welcome, and I removed it.

I completed the loop in three hours with a good plan to remove the large fallen trees with the chainsaw.

I returned Sunday morning with just my chainsaw to address the dozen or so spots which needed attention.  I will only show you one example.

I was making quick progress, UNTIL I DIDN'T.

First, my chainsaw got stuck in this tree.

It took a good twenty minutes of wrestling with this until I freed the bar.

Then, no matter how hard I tried, my saw would not run. It would start albeit with difficulty, but when I squeezed the throttle it would die.

I will have to quickly make repairs if I'm to complete the trail maintenance on South Mountain before November's event.

I Was Seeing Stars

 

...Gee; I wonder why?

Visit #1554, Sunday 5 October 25, 7:10-9:15AM, 3.4 miles, 3.1 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 50s, rising quickly and reaching the 80s. Sunny and dry.

All along today's hike I kept finding and removing those star stickers.

In fact, this is the 9th TIME this year. Persistent little bugger.

Whoever it is doesn't even have the common decency to pocket the sticker backings.

Another repeat offender is the fencepost at the I-691 walkbridge. This is the 5th time this year for stickers on the post.

I had to remove the potty-mouthed language as well. That's the second time this year to find that.

Now on to the planned task at hand.

There is one trail I visited last week that had become a tad overgrown. While I didn't take any AFTER photos, you can get the idea of what needed trimming.

Suffice it to say I used both my hedgeclippers and my loppers to trim back the brush, and used a trimming saw for a couple leaning trees.

Returning to the parking lot to drop off my litter bag, I found this jacket on Noah. I removed it. It seems to be in serviceable condition so I'll wash it and drop it off at Goodwill.

I also found the parking lot overflowing with cars. What gives/gave? Even when I arrived at the park there were too many cars for 7AM.

It didn't take long to find my answer.

From the link, it looks like they met their fundraising goal. Good for them.

On a personal note, I once dated a women who lost both kidneys; the first transplant lasted ten years if I recall, and the second one only days. When we met she was on peritoneal dialysis, hooking up to change the fluid 3-4 times a day. Shortly after our courtship ended she did receive yet another kidney and I heard it was a successful transplant. I hope Suzanne is still going strong and capturing hearts!

Change of Plans

 Unexpected developments called for a different route this week.

Visit #1553, Saturday 27 September 25, 7:10-9:30AM, 4.8 miles, 5.8 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 60s, sunny and dry.

If you remember last week, I found a large, hanging branch which had finally fallen to the ground. I planned to return this week, hike a short loop directly to it, and remove it from the trail.

But when I arrived at Hubbard Park I discovered the Meriden Running Club was setting up for a 5k race, the Chamber Challenge 5k.

I modified my plan and walked the route of the race, picking up litter, then walking the road all the way up to the fork to East/West Peak.

Despite last week's rain, the alligator continues to grow even larger. This is the second consecutive week that rain didn't appear to add to Merimere Reservoir's levels.

Reaching the fork in the road, I left the pavement and followed the trail down and to that large branch.

It would have been easier to cut this up with my chainsaw but I hadn't used my comealong is some time. It's lighter and needs no after-action maintenance even though it would take a bit longer than to move.

I didn't need to move the branch much; just a couple of feet would satisfy me.

Hiking back to the park and passing the birch tree which continues to be the focus of a park vandal, I spotted their newest addition, but instead of facing the trail where it would be spotted, it was nailed to the backside of the tree where presumably no one would find it. Well, except someone like me...

From the message it appears our vandal was caught in the act of doing something nefarious and was not happy about it. (You can see the trail in the background.)

Next week: break out the hedgeclippers.

Signs

 

Low water level at Merimere Reservoir is a sign we need rain.

Visit #1552, Saturday 20 September 25, 7:10-8:50AM, 3.3 miles, 11.5 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 60s, sunny and dry.

Following last week's post, I reworked my stubborn, sticking tree saw so I could remove a tree leaning over the trail on the south side of I-691.

I only had to cut one tree; it removed pressure on the tree it was leaning on.

I picked up an illegal trail where I knew there were other signs which needed removal.

Also on this trail, the same person who strung up the fuzzy mice constructed a poor imitation of a trip wire.

On the main trail, there is a tree which suffered damage THIRTEEN YEARS AGO. A tall branch high up on the trunk snapped, but did not separate from the tree, like the one below only much larger. A friend classified it as a widow maker.

I would trim it from time to time, but was supported by the branches touching the ground and just would not drop. Below you can see it in the foggy background from this March 2025 pic, leaning slightly as it hangs from the tree it's still attached to.

Thirteen years a widowmaker, until this week.

Finally. I might try to move it off the trail next week.