Unexpected

 

This year's Three Peaks Challenge was full of unexpected surprises for me. I got mine; did you get yours?

Visit #1561, Saturday 8 November 25, 9:45AM-3:00PM, 10.2 miles (for me), 26.0 lbs. of litter. My mileage was higher than the Three Peaks Challenge and if you read on you'll see why.

Temps in the 50s, early morning clearing from overnight rain, sunny and mild.

I had planned on joining this Meriden Parks and Recreation event and do nothing but hike. Instead, I'll let John Candy explain it...

At the pre-start briefing, Kathy Matula, Recreation Coordinator, presented to me on behalf of Mayor Scarpati, this:

Yeah, well, to say I was humbled is an understatement. I was at a loss for words and didn't want to ramble on aimlessly so I just smiled out of gratitude and embarrassment. I had to hold back a couple tears, too. Thanks.

So that I wouldn't co-opt this group event with my weekly maintenance duties and bring undue attention on me (the proclamation put and end to that, no?!), I didn't bring any of my tools for trail maintenance, graffiti removal, etc. Or, at least I brought everything but left it all in my truck. If someone brought up the subject I was ready to oblige.

It didn't take long for things to change.

A long conga line of hikers went up the Soap Box Derby track and behind the water tank, picking up the White trail to the Halfway House. Just shy of the gazebo on the side of the trail were two large trash bags. I was near the tail end of the group, and in a Pavlovian response, and having just been essentially proclaimed "Hubbard Park Jesus" 😀, what was I to do?

I abandoned all thought of continuing on with the group, picked up the two bags and headed back toward the south end of Merimere Reservoir.

And just what was in those two large trash bags-

-two Bose 301 Series V speakers. What they were doing near the Halfway House was beyond me and everyone else that saw them. I looked up the specs - they weigh 12.5lbs. each which is why my weight tally this week was so high.

Here's an internet photo I gleaned of them. They cost around $300 new.

Kathy got on the horn and called Rhaelene, the parks and rec department's version of Radar O'Reilly who met me in a van at the south end of the reservoir to pick up this load.

My hike was over, or was it?

Heading down to rendezvous with Rhaelene I developed a Plan B.

I hiked back to the parking lot and picked up my chainsaw. I figured I'm on my own now so I won't annoy any of the hikers and hopefully won't appear too showy if they did see me. I was past modesty; I was now on a mission. But I had to hustle.

I reached the first fallen tree ahead of the group. In my haste, I forgot to take an After photo so just imagine it removed. There's a Three Peaks Challenge sign pointing the way.

I did bump into the lead group just as they were leaving Castle Craig and I had finished removing the tree.

While the second tree was not on the Three Peaks route, it was close, passing by in the background of the After photo.

I did more hustling and caught the tail end of the group at Castle Craig.

I told them to not wait for me as we headed toward the third tree, near the north end of Merimere Reservoir.

I rejoined the group at the north end of the reservoir, where Radar Rhaelene was waiting with supplies and a ride for anyone who had enough trail for the day.

And she did have some takers for that ride back to the finish.

And it was there that Kathy came up with a generous idea; for those taking that ride back to the park, she made them an offer - she would gladly give them their Three Peaks patch when/if they returned some day and joined her to hike just the last leg, the South Mountain leg, of the route.

Hubbard Park Jesus wouldn't have thought of that.

I continued with this last group on the South Mountain loop and the one redeeming thing about my bringing the chainsaw is some hikers got to see that the trails do need maintenance, and what it takes to accomplish it-there was another fallen tree on the South Mountain loop and the group stopped briefly while I did my thing.