Was There A Full Moon Last Week?!

That's the only way to explain all the wackiness in Hubbard Park.

Visit #975, Saturday 3 October 15, 7:45-10:00AM, 5.1 miles.
Temps in the low 50's with a raw, spitting rain.

Visit #976, Sunday 4 October 15, 7:20-9:20AM, 3.8 miles.
Temps in the high 40's, sunny, dry, and breezy.

A full moon alters people's behavior plenty. Add in a lunar eclipse, and it's nutsy-ness unleashed, for an entire week.

Start with a hiker falling and dying in Hubbard Park. I can't understand how someone can get so far off the trails that they go over the edge, UNLESS they're trying to commit suicide. Details in the newspaper report are understandably vague but without updated information, we may never know.
(7 Oct 15 Update: Meriden Police have ruled the incident an accident.) 

During Saturday's foray into Hubbard Park, I walked by the south end of Merimere Reservoir and spied some trash. The sterile water, surgical gloves, and soiled towel lead me to believe they were connected to the fallen hiker and the emergency services workers sent to help the injured.

Later that week, I received a call from a frequent visitor to Hubbard Park who advised me of a tree past the north end of the reservoir, which had fallen and was leaning over the road. They considered it a safety issue. I e-mailed Mark Zebora of the Meriden Parks Department to advise him and he promptly sent a crew out to investigate. I never saw the tree beforehand and the parks crew did such a good job removing it that I had a hard time locating the site. Here's my best guess:

Thanks to Mark and the parks crew for clearing that tree up so quickly.

I ventured on in Saturday's rain mainly to check out that tree. The rain kept 99% of the people away, me being the 1%. Oh, how I wish I were part of the 1 percent...

Someone took exception to the Tea Party slogan, "Don't Tread On Me".

By the time I reached the north end of Merimere Reservoir I had filled one trash bag and left it there for later pickup.

Picking up trash around and in the spillway, I discovered more lunar madness in the form of new graffiti. I plan on photographing and eradicating it next week.

I reached Castle Craig and hiked the trails down back to the parking lot. Along the way I discovered one tree branch and one tree had fallen across the Green Trail.

And the lunar craziness continued at the Halfway House; I found vandals had pried a board away from one of the pillars. I plan to repair the damage within the next 2 weeks.

I dropped off my second trash bag and went home to dry out.

What with the graffiti and the Halfway House damage, I had the next two weeks planned out for me. I needed to get ahead of the game. So, I returned to Hubbard Park on Sunday under much nicer skies to at least clear away the tree and the branch.

I then turned around and walked the road to the north end of the reservoir and retrieved the trash bag I left Saturday morning.

I brought it all the way back to the park to dispose of in the trash can at the playscape.

As I was photographing my trash I looked at the fence and found this last piece of full-moon craziness:

It's a pager for a volunteer fireman for the Woodbury FD. It still worked! I brought it home, searched for the phone number for the department, and managed to get in touch with the fire chief, Janet Morgan. She thanked me and asked that I deliver it to Meriden Fire Department headquarters on Broad Street to firefighter Ryan Murphy. Turns out Ryan is also a volunteer for the Woodbury FD which meant I would not have to drive far to get this pager in proper hands. Upon dropping it off with Ryan, I suggested he make the owner sweat a little bit before the pager "reappears". I'm a devious guy.  Ryan said this was a task right up his alley...

Bummer that I won't get to watch this unfold!