Annual Pilgrimage

Visit #915, Saturday 22 November 14, 11:05AM-1:30PM, 3.8 miles.

Temps in the 40's, sunny.

Once a year I take to the steep slope below Castle Craig to pick up all the cans, bottles, and sundry items tossed off from the Castle.  It's a once a year thing because of the difficulty crawling along the steep slope, and I prefer to wait until all the snakes are in hibernation. It's not easy to run away on all that loose rock!

As I hiked my way up on the trails, I came across a man carrying what you see below, which he found by walking far off-trail. It's wrought iron of some sort but neither of us could figure out what it was in its day. It certainly was old. The man was going to take it home and make some use of it as a garden ornament.

Once on the slope I got right to work. Here's a view east toward Meriden. The dome of City Hall is somewhere near the center of the photo.

Castle Craig is just above me. This photo gives you a good idea how steep the slope actually is.

After I'd filled my share of bags or at least all I could carry, I returned to the park to drop them off.

Back in August I recommended to authorities in the City of Meriden that they consider blocking the entrance to a particular trail because vehicles can drive down it and park in seclusion to engage in activities unseen. The photo below is one example from a previous blog post:

When I took the photo above, the car was neither rocking nor filled with smoke...

I'm pleased to report City of Meriden Parks Department answered my request a few weeks ago. I was only to take a photo of the results when I took a mountain bike ride in Hubbard Park on Sunday morning.

My intent was to stop 4-wheeled vehicles. I think this should do the trick but I'll keep an eye on it long term.

I then rode a lap of the trails below Castle Craig to finish off my ride and found my task for next week's blog. Here is your exclusive, sneak preview:

Until then, maintain.