Where Did (Fill In The Blank) Go?

 One holiday down, and one to go, then it's "arrivederci!" to 2020.

Visit #1284, Saturday 26 December 20, 9:10AM-1:25PM, 5.5 miles, 12.0lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 30's, with a sharp breeze.

In compiling the stats for 2020, it was nice to review the blog posts and reminisce about the warmer months gone by!

And here are the numbers for 2020:

Miles hiked: 219.9

Litter collected: 560.7 lbs.

A few weeks ago I asked a hiker exiting the trail along the ridgeline of Merimere Reservoir if there were any downed limbs or trees on that trail. Only one came to his mind.

I armed myself with the chainsaw this week to remove whatever it was. What could possibly go wrong?

Last week's dumping of 12" of snow disappeared in merely days as unseasonably warm temps and heavy rain washed most of it away. And that snow and rain made its way to Merimere Reservoir with haste. I managed to keep my feet dry crossing the brook to the trailhead.

I quickly encountered the first fallen tree, but it wasn't the tree described by the hiker. It was dispatched with ease. That's Merimere Reservoir in the background, as I climb the ridgeline.

From there, the fallen trees and limbs just kept coming. Instead of merely removing what the hiker mentioned, I went through an entire tank of gas running my chainsaw to clear the trail.

Here are the Before and After photos.

These hanging branches would have better been trimmed with my loppers, but all I had was my chainsaw. You know what they say, "when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail".

I took time away from the chainsaw to enjoy the view of the reservoir and Miner's Island.

This is what your boxers would look like if you stuck them in the freezer, which is of course what all guys do to keep their boxers fresh. From what I can tell, the tartan below signifies the Scottish "Hanes" clan, the only clan known to possess underwear beneath their kilts.

Just prior to reaching Castle Craig, I headed down the Orange Trail, only to encounter the biggest obstacle of the day. The trail went underneath the tree's arch. It didn't look too safe to me.

The trail was steep, the footing unsure, and how the tree might react to cutting questionable. Not to mention I was low on fuel. It took time, and I kept having to stop for the parade of hikers that materialized out of nowhere. Why weren't they home staring at their screens or playing with their Christmas gifts?!

But we got it done. Those are all the cut branches in the background.

Further down the trail, I found another finial from the flagpole. I know there have been at least a couple flagpoles at different times at Castle Craig. 

 I couldn't get off the slope without squeezing enough gas from my chainsaw for one more tree. Here it is in mid-removal.

I hiked the trails down and behind the water tank. As I was passing, I decided to check on the backside of the water tank to see if any graffiti has appeared since the Meriden Water Department covered over the last edition. It's barely been a month, and there's new graffiti. "JK" has tagged Hubbard Park before, as far back as April 2015.

While checking out the graffiti, I looked down and spied yet another of the many painted rocks I find.

Returning to the parking lot, I dropped off my last bag of litter for 2020.

While packing up for the day, I see the new kiosk has been populated with a trail map and other useful information.

Mother Nature Dictates

 

Wednesday/Thursday's snowfall put a dent in my plans. The generals got together and came up with a "Plan B".

Visit #1283, Sunday 20 December 20, 11:25AM-12:35PM, 2.5 miles, 10.6lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 30's, cloudy with a light snow developing.

Had I been able to see the ground, I would have followed through with my original plans. 9-12" of snow put the kabosh on that.

I was on-call anyway so I was going to stick close to the park.

Last week I discovered some new graffiti on the underpass adjacent to the Soap Box Derby track. Regardless of the cold temperatures and how it might affect paint curing, I set about to cover the graffiti.

With a three-inch brush this job took under ten minutes.

I returned to my van and dropped off the paint supplies. Then I decided to walk all the roads in Hubbard Park and pick up litter.

While making the rounds I found Season of the Missing Glove 2020/21, entry #3.

Near the bandshell, sledding was popular.

After discovering the Boy Scout project trail map/board near the playscape had been replaced with a pre-fab kiosk, I was curious to see if the other one at the northwest corner of Mirror Lake was also replaced. Today I got my answer.

Geese and pigeons had no interest in sledding. I suspect the fact they didn't have any sleds was a factor.

This guy didn't need a plate at the All You Can Eat buffet.

Wishful thinking on Sunday.

"Sir, from this lineup, can you identify the pigeon that crapped on your head?"

I finished making the rounds and dropped off my trash for the week.

A light snow began to fall around the time I finished for the day.

If the weather holds for the week, I'll be able to return to Plan A on Christmas weekend.

Lollipop, Lollipop

 Today's route was shaped like today's title.

Visit #1282, Sunday 13 December 20, 8:45AM-12:45PM, 7.1 miles, 14.2lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 40's, rising to the 50's and sun breaking through the fog.

After discovering several downed trees and limbs on one trail, I returned this week with my chainsaw to clear that trail, and while I had the saw with me, I would inspect another trail to maximize efficiency.

Dense fog to start but it wasn't cold. By the time I reached the north end of Merimere Reservoir the sun was trying to break through and it was time to shed some layers.

At this point my trash bag was getting heavy so I left it here to pick up on the return trip and opened another bag.

What follows are a bunch of Before and After photos of all the fallen trees and limbs I encountered today, so you know I wasn't slacking off.

On the return leg, back to the park, I did pick up that first trash bag.

Walking under the I-691 underpass near the Soap Box Derby track, I discovered some new graffiti, over graffiti I'd previously painted over.

We may never know what they were hoping. I hope I can return next week to clean it up.

On a nearby tree, a Missing Persons bulletin was posted by the Berlin Police Department.

I dropped off my litter for the week at the trash cans adjacent to the playscape. What I was surprised to see was the number of children and parents WITHOUT MASKS congregating within the area. Even I put a mask on as I approached the fence to take my last photograph, out of courtesy to playscape users.

Not good.