Marathon Man

You have to get up early if you're going to run a marathon. The sun's just rising over East Peak and Castle Craig at 6:35AM and I'm already at work.

Visit #1244, Saturday 25 April 20, 6:10-11:25AM, 8.8miles, 17.4lbs. of litter.
Temps in the low 40's, sunny.

I started early on Saturday morning to clean up recent storm damage to some of the trails. Starting early would ensure I would find a parking spot in Hubbard Park. Also, assuming I finish in a reasonable time frame, there would be fewer "Covid-19 Hubbard Park Visitors" alarmed by the sight of someone carrying a chainsaw in the park.

Neither plan worked.

Speaking of Covid-19, even Covid-litter has infected Hubbard Park.

I noticed the supermarkets have placed trash cans at the carriage return corrals in the parking lots as customers otherwise discard their masks and gloves on the ground. Sad.

Earlier this week, I scouted some trails on my mountain bike, entering Hubbard Park through the gate at the Berlin side. I noticed some new graffiti on the outside of the gate.

On this morning I had planned to spray paint over the graffiti, but when I reached it early Saturday, the gate was still wet from Friday night's rain. I didn't have anything to wipe it dry so I moved on hoping it would be dry on my return leg.

I reached the first trail and hiked up toward Castle Craig, clearing fallen trees as I hiked. Here are Before/After photos.

Someone lost their copy of "God's Master Key" near the top of the trail. I hope they can still get in.

Reaching the end of the first trail near Castle Craig, I walked the road toward West Peak and the next trail in need of clearing.

Along the way, it seems God provided me NOT with a master key but with something to wipe off the gate to paint over the graffiti. I wonder if they were HIS Master Boxers, or someone else's?

I started down the other trail and found this small collection of things, long lost to history in Hubbard Park.

I actually found them all in one spot on my bike ride earlier this week and conveniently piled them next to a tree to pick up today.

Now more tree clearing.

I was done with the second trail.

And now that I had a pair of God's Master Boxers, I could wipe the gate dry and spray over the graffiti.

Nearing the water treatment plant, my trash bag was getting heavy, so I left it there and started another.

I returned to the park via the Soap Box Derby track and set about another trail which parallels I-691. Here I came upon my Find of the Week.

A car bumper?! I can't believe I found this, as the highway is 300 yards away and this was virtually trailside.

I removed a couple more trees.

The car bumper was too large to leave in or near a trash can; it would just look unsightly in the park. So I walked over to the parks and recreation garage and deposited it and my second trash bag in their dumpster.

If you look at the stats at the top of my post you'll see it was truly a marathon session.

I have a few more trails to clear. I've dispatched my volunteer scout recon platoon to check the trails and report back where work is needed, hopefully before next weekend, when I can complete the job.

Trail Inspection

 After last week's rain and 50mph wind gusts, I was expecting to find some fallen trees, etc. across the trails. I wasn't disappointed.

Visit #1243, Saturday 18 April 20, 3:30-5:40PM, 5.1 miles, 10.9lbs. of litter.

Cloudy and clearing from rain, with temps in the 40's and a raw wind.

Friday night rain continued through much of Saturday but clearing in the mid-afternoon signaled it was time to get out on the trails and see what, if any, wind damage was done.

I reached the south end of Merimere Reservoir and found this sign posted on a tree.

I googled "Sour Stone Podcast" and came up empty. At least the price was reasonable.

I also found Season of the Missing Glove 2019/20 entries no.'s 16 and 17.

Reaching the Halfway House, I noticed some graffiti which needed attention. A little sandpaper and I called it good.

 Finally, just past the White Trail up to Castle Craig, I came upon the first evidence of storm damage.

Small stuff. I swung it aside.

I hiked the steep Blue Trail up to the road toward Castle Craig. At that altitude, there was still some snow from Friday/Saturday's preciptation, which was mostly rain at Meriden's lower elevations.

I picked up another trail which meanders down all the way to Merimere Reservoir.

On this trail I found what I was looking for.

That means next my next trip to Hubbard Park will be a Power Tool Weekend®! I still haven't inspected the remaining trails. That should occur in the coming weeks.

Down at Merimere Reservoir, the spillway was doing its job bleeding off the excess water due to the rain.

 Til' at least the end of the month; don't be like the daffodils; maintain a safe social distance.

Hubbard Park Special Projects Unit, Easter Edition

Where did my tree go?

Visit #1241, Good Friday, 10 April 20, 10:00-11:45AM, 2.5miles, 15.3lbs. of litter.
Temps in the mid-40's, sunny with a brisk, raw breeze.

Visit #1242, Saturday 11 April 20, 8:00-10:35AM, 3.4miles, 18.0lbs. of litter.
Temps in the 40's, sunny and breezy.

Last September, I engaged in a special project on the south side of I-691 rerouting a trail due to a fallen tree which was leaning over the trail. I was surprised to see on Saturday that the leaning tree was gone and the trail restored, complete with gravel on the path. I assume it was the work of the Meriden Parks Department. A tip o' the chainsaw to them for such a nice job. I wish I were there to see how they safely dropped that hung up tree. I wonder who told them about it?

Last week, when I hiked up to Castle Craig, I noticed some new graffiti on an electrical distribution box. Since I was on-call I shouldn't stray so far but this was a special project which needed quick intervention. I was going to hike directly up there, remove the graffiti, and head directly back to the park to keep time away from my weekday job duties minimal.

I guess if the ends justify the means then it's okay to defile public property-not.

I packed a full suite of tools to deal with this, and started with something easy, Goof-Off.
Boy, did it work fast!

I sprayed it on, and barely needed to work it over with a toothbrush. The gray spray paint on the left was from older graffiti I covered.

Done in a matter of minutes. I love when a plan comes together.

The Special Projects Unit did have another task to complete on Friday. On that previous hike last week, I spied what I could not believe I was seeing-part of a swimming pool ladder, in the middle of nowhere, Hubbard Park. On my return trip from Castle Craig I was going to bushwhack off-trail and grab that piece.

When I reached it, I also found a traffic cone, FAR from any traffic.

This is the view of Castle Craig from where I found the items above; the trail is where the shade meets the sun.

I hiked a direct route back to the park to drop off my trash. Enroute, as I walked by this outbuilding for the water department, I spied more new graffiti. But remember, I was armed to the teeth today.

Goof-Off wouldn't remove it, but lacquer thinner washed it away with ease. I had to be careful to not remove the door's original paint!

The Special Projects Unit packed it in for the day.

But Good Friday's case was a hit-and-run operation;  not long enough to qualify as real work. The Special Projects Unit returned on Saturday for another operation, which was created on the spur of the moment.

In March of last year I debuted my muck boots which I bought to traverse the brook flowing through Hubbard Park to make it easier to pick up litter along brook's banks. It dawned on me that Saturday would be a good day for the Special Projects Unit to clean it again, almost a year since.

I worked the brook from I-691 all the way down to the pond near West Main Street. Those ducks kept photo-bombing me.

This styrofoam clamshell drove me nuts-while the brook flowed south, the wind was blowing north, and the clamshell was going nowhere in a pool just below the photo. I couldn't reach it. I had to throw rocks to create ripples behind it to persuade the clamshell ashore. Sheesh.

Done with cleaning up the brook, I cleaned all the trails on the south side of I-691, where I discovered the Meriden Parks Deparment's handiwork.

The Special Projects Unit will now recline into the Easter holiday.