What's Up At West Peak

Visit #1103, Saturday 21 October 17, 2:45-4:00PM, 1.8 miles.

Temps in the 70's, sunny.

A few months ago I was told by someone of a "camp" somewhere on West Peak. The informant implied this camp was used by a homeless person, yet had been abandoned. I thought I'd try to find it and clean it up.

Expecting to find a large quantity of garbage and possibly hauling it a long distance, I drove to West  Peak rather than hike, and parked in the lot. With the directions I was given I chose to follow the Blue Trail from the parking lot. It didn't take more than a couple hundred feet before I came upon my Find of the Week.

Detailed info about this "Reference Mark" was found on the National Geodetic Survey web site. More than you'd ever want to know is HERE.

I traipsed north and saw views I don't usually enjoy, such as the photo at the top of this report, because there's not enough pedestrian traffic in the area to warrant a visit.

A little further on I found a couple Tupperware containers filled with rice and beef, which had not spoiled yet. Go figure.

Further on I came upon the ruins of an old fireplace. Look closely and you can see the metal pillars in the photo. There was one or two more, perhaps forming the foundation of  an old building.

Continuing to follow the directions I was given, I found the campsite with relative ease.

From what I found it looks like the builder had a familiarity with rock climbing or similar pursuits. I found climbing rope used to tie knots, tarps, camouflage netting, carabiners, and the head of an ice ax.

These look like steps to climb a tree for a deer stand. Note the ice ax head below the bottom rung.

There was no way I was going to be able to clean up the entire site without the proper cutting tools so I took what I could and left the rest for another day.

On the way back to the parking lot, I found an empty wine bottle with what I say is an interesting label.

I returned to the West Peak parking lot thinking I'd clean the parking lot and surround areas of litter, but as I did a Meriden Parks Department employee drove up and told me they were closing the road early due to a running event starting around 5PM. I quickly scouted the area and notified some others of the time change then skedaddled, leaving some litter to be picked up next week.