Patootie Patrol

 It was a soaker.

Visit #1615, Sunday 23 August 26, 6:40-8:55 a.m., 3.2 miles, 0.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 70s, rain.

Last week I reported my dissatisfaction removing what I call the Cat Patootie graffiti, from a trail marker. I had planned on returning mid-week using a more effective method. In the interim, I received an e-mail from a regular park visitor and one of my park informants that there were more to be found.

I'm very grateful when I receive information like this as it makes me more efficient in my work.

As a bonus, this informant ALSO picks up litter which is certainly appreciated, by me and all park visitors.

So on a Tuesday mountain bike ride I went on the hunt to perform both tasks.

I returned to my unfinished trail marker and removed the ghost image remaining from last week.

Then the hunt was on for the other tags.

My wire brush wouldn't touch this.

All that was catalogued. I returned via bike again on Friday to cover everything.

While Patootie Patrol was done, I still had a fallen tree I discovered last week, AND during my mountain bike rides through the trails this week, discovered MORE fallen trees needing removal.

Things got off to an interesting start on Sunday morning, for as I was loading up my backpack in the parking lot, a goose wandered over looking for food and found none. But that didn't stop them from tasting ALL of my zipper pulls!

I waited until they deemed all the zipper pulls inedible then picked up my backpack and headed out.

And I didn't have to go far, for I found a newly fallen tree I was not aware of, located on the Soap Box Derby track. Since I had my chainsaw with me, I went to work on it.

I didn't carry loppers with me today so I'll have to tidy things up next week.

Hiking up the short steep pitch to the clearing adjacent to the water treatment plant, I discover this enormous, multi-ton boulder had dislodged itself and tried rolling down the trail only to be stopped by a tree. I hike this trail often enough to know this was very recent. Crazy stuff.

It started raining and would continue to do so for the rest of my hike but no matter, I was expecting it.

Here's the second tree to be removed, on the trail behind the water tank.

It was a long trek to the third tree, down below the wooden walkbridge.

Enroute to the fourth tree I found another of our park's vandal's never ending posting of junk, which I removed.

And still raining, I finished off the fourth and final tree, this one on what some may know as the "Yellow Duck" trail because of the trail markers.

Finally, from the Dodging Handcuffs department, as I reached the parking lot, a Meriden police officer pulled up in his squad car and asked me if I was cutting down trees. I pleaded my case and showed him the photos on my phone, avoiding a pat down search, a reading of my Miranda Rights, and a 'cuffed ride in the back seat.