Well, That Sucks!

 

Saturday was turning out pretty nicely as the clouds moved away.

Visit #1438, Saturday 26 August 23, 6:45-10:10AM, 5.8 miles, 11.1 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 70s, rising to the 80s; cloudy and foggy giving way to sun.

While conditions were similar to the oppressive weather a couple weeks ago, they were to a lesser degree. Hiking up to West Peak was not such a sweaty affair and it was easier to breathe.

As I started my hike I came upon one of two Finds of the Week.

This small tactical backpack had a pair of size 11 running shoes inside. I took everything home and tossed them in the wash thinking I could donate the backpack to Goodwill but on close examination I found it unserviceable and decided to toss it. It sucks that the owner lost it as I presume the backpack, and the shoes, were still serviceable to the owner.

A short jaunt up the trail and I met this obstacle:

I know this tree fell within the last week because I traveled this trail then.

A sucky inconvenience to hikers, but it will be short lived.

I plan to remove this from the trail next week. Please be patient!

Reaching West Peak and before I began my real work, I took in the views. 

My last view before leaving West Peak was some graffiti, which I removed.

I picked up where I left off two weeks ago, spending one hour trimming the trees around the parking lot at West Peak.

Look closely and you'll see the letters "AA" on the pavement. Each week I trimmed the roadside I would mark my finish point with a letter of the alphabet. Having run through A-Z, I continued the sequence starting with "AA". This week I finished with "AB", and so on.

I hiked down the road around Merimere Reservoir and as I reached the gate at the south end, I met a man with his two children, all on bicycles. The father was holding a fishing rod and it was obvious to me they were planning on fishing in the reservoir.

When I told the man fishing wasn't allowed in Merimere Reservoir he replied in a tone that implied I was lying to him and said, "There's no sign!"

And he was right. Sort of.

This sign is gone (I took this photo on Sunday. More on that later).

And the sign that used to be attached to the gate is gone.

In order to convince this father I wasn't bluffing, I walked him over to a tree which had an intact sign. Thank goodness ALL the signs weren't stolen otherwise I would have looked more like a fool than I already do!

Strangely enough, when I pointed him to the sign he asked me, "What does it say?" as if he couldn't read. I didn't read the sign to him but let him either read it silently or assume it said what I was telling him all along.

Then he thanked me. I quickly remembered fishing was allowed in Mirror Lake, gave them directions, and even gave them a map of the park. Problem solved!

I'll recommend to the Parks Department that they replace the missing signs, and I'll take it upon myself to trim around the two existing signs on trees to increase visibility. I probably saw half a dozen people fishing in Merimere Reservoir between Saturday and Sunday, not that signage was stopping anyone. Evidence of all the illegal fishing is this fishing rod which was part of the litter I collected on Saturday.

Leaving the fishing family I followed the road back to the park and just before reaching the gate found my second Find of the Week.

Now THAT REALLY SUCKS! Or rather, they probably didn't, which is why they were dumped behind the

I-691 bridge abutment.

Conveniently enough, it was minutes after 10AM and Parks Department worker Bob had just opened the gate and was driving up the road. I flagged him down and asked if he would load the two vacuums in his truck which he graciously did. My thanks to Bob and the Meriden Parks Department.

I returned to Hubbard Park on my mountain bike on Sunday to photograph the Public Water Supply signs, and followed the trails.

I was surprised to find yet another fallen tree, which means Labor Day Weekend will be a Power Tool Weekend®!

Better Late Than Never

 

The hands of a working man.

Visit #1437, Sunday 20 August 23, 5:00-6:10PM, 2.9 miles, 4.1 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 80s, sunny with moderate humidity.

I had to work all day Saturday and Sunday at my regular job so my typical early morning hikes in Hubbard Park weren't going to happen. I was concerned I wouldn't have enough gas in the tank after Sunday's nine hour work session to pull off a hike. Well, better late than never...

In my regular job I install and service two-way radio equipment. Invariably at this time of year the school bus companies call in a panic desperate to have radios installed or serviced so their fleets are ready for the new school year. This never ceases to amaze me as they have all summer to get the work done. I suppose it's better late than never here too, and I make some extra money in the process.

So after nine hours installing radios in Waterbury I drove directly to Hubbard Park for a short hike and to see what goodies I could find.

How about someone's er, retirement fund?

I also found what is either a dog harness or a piece of bondage gear. Or perhaps both?

If it's bondage gear, I wouldn't know how to put it on-would you? 😉

I returned to the parking lot and photographed my bag of litter. Now I know what you're wondering-where's his backpack-it's not in the photo!

That's because there were yellow jackets all around and I wasn't wasting any time posing for photos!

I didn't even have a few safe seconds to properly position my trash bag.

I leave you with this apropos comic from For Better or Worse.

A Bear of a Day

 

I was surprised to see the number of people hiking in Hubbard Park this morning despite the very high humidity, warm temps, and THE MOSQUITOS!

Visit #1436, Sunday 13 August 23, 8:15-11:15AM, 4.7 miles, 4.2 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the high 70s/low 80s, hazy sun with humidity at >90%.

No; I didn't see a bear today, nor did I receive any reports of sightings.

There were 67 reports of bears entering Connecticut homes in 2022. The previous record was 45 in 2020. In July of this year, a Litchfield homeowner was bitten by a bear when the bear attacked the owner's dog and the homeowner tried to intervene. A woman in Avon was attacked by a bear this year while walking her dog. There were two bear attacks in 2022. There have been 23 bear sightings in Meriden so far this year according to the State Department of Environmental Protection.

Only once, in 2016, did I receive a report of a bear sighting in Hubbard Park.

With the bear population in Connecticut increasing and the fact I often hike remote trails in Hubbard Park, I concluded it was time to take some precautions. The rescue whistle on my backpack might be sufficient to scare off a bear but I rarely remember the whistle is available.

I also read a recent article in the 17 July 23 New Yorker about bears, bear attacks, and defense against bears.

The article is behind a paywall so you may have to check it out at your local library.

So I decided to order bear spray. I'll post a photo when it arrives.

Anyway, on to more mundane stuff.

I woke up at 6AM to the sound of rain. Guessing it was probably a passing shower, I merely went back to sleep for an hour, which accounts for my late, warm, steamy start on Sunday.

The humidity displaced all the oxygen and I was sucking some serious wind hiking up to West Peak. I had to take a number of breaks, and slowed down my pace considerably.

Finding this flashlight was a good excuse to stop, retrieve it, and discover it works!

At West Peak, I continued trimming branches overhanging the parking lot. The oppressive conditions put a damper on my effort. I slowed down and stopped early, progressing a mere fifty feet or so.

When I finished that brief session, I hiked down and over to the Halfway House.

See that hanging strap? It's been hanging from the rafters of the Halfway House for at least 13 years based on my photo library. I had tried a few times to reach it and pull it down without success. BUT TODAY, I realized I had the pole saw with me and victory was now within reach!

All in all it was a productive albeit sweaty, exhausting, mosquito bitten, but bear-free day.

Puerto Rican Festival Weekend

 The geese are chillin', waiting for the party to begin.

Visit #1435, Sunday 6 August 23, 6:35-8:25AM, 3.5 miles, 10.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the high 60s, sunny with moderate humidity.

Second week in a row with wonderful summer weather. I could get used to this!

Recommendations for parking at this weekend's Puerto Rican Festival in Hubbard Park were:

"The parking lot at Hubbard Park, at 999 West Main St., is mainly for performers and food vendors. If there’s extra space, the public can park at the lot until full. A free shuttle will be available from noon to 8 p.m. and will provide transportation from Lincoln Middle School, at 164 Centennial Ave., to the festival."

With that knowledge, I wasn't going to fight for a parking space for my weekly activities or take a shuttle bus, so I started early.

From the parks department truck parked at the water treatment plant, it looks like no one will be visiting Castle Craig or West Peak today. But it will be a perfect day to walk the road up to the peaks, unencumbered by vehicles.

Soon to be upstaged for my Find of the Week, I found a leash-without the dog attached.

Near the south end of Merimere Reservoir, I found this memorial card.

I redacted their identity from the card as a courtesy. This is the second time I've found a memorial card for this person, having found the first card back in May This time, I followed the QR code on the back side to a web site and contacted the source, asking them to not leave these cards in Hubbard park as they are the equivalent "of graffiti or litter." I tried to be diplomatic about the issue. We'll see if this creates a kerfuffle.

While weeding in my yard on Saturday, I remembered I wanted to spray some weeds on the walkbridge over I-691. So I packed up the unused weed killer and when I reached the walkbridge, sprayed both ends until I emptied the sprayer.

Reaching the south end of the bridge, I found this cat face cutout. It was the second one I found today. The other one I found at the Halfway House. I'm always finding strange stuff.

But the strangest thing I found today, and my Find of the Week, was a car battery, found at the parking area at the northwest corner of Mirror Lake.

I wasn't going to lug this brute far, so I placed it next to a No Parking sign believing the parks department will shake their heads (as I did when I found it) then remove it.

If you went to the Puerto Rican Festival this weekend I hope you had fun, and brought some Beano.

I know I'd need it!

I'll be home chillin' like a goose.