Creating My Own Fireworks

 A Happy 4th of July to y'all. Meriden's Fireworks are postponed until Monday due to rain.

Arrive at Hubbard Park early, because parking will be limited.

Visit #1314, Saturday 3 July 21, 12:45-3:45PM, 4.8 miles, 12.0lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 60's with a steady, light rain.

Visit #1315, Sunday 4 July 21, 12:45-2:30PM, 2.0 miles, litter n/a.

Temps in the 70's, mostly cloudy with post-rain clearing.

I didn't quite arrive early at Hubbard Park on Saturday; it was going to rain all day so there was no beating it, and my holiday weekend activities sort of had the final say; get out in the rain and don't complain.

Surprisingly, despite the rain and low visibility, there were people at Castle Craig AND West Peak, as Saturday's hike took me past both spots.

Fortunately, I was dressed for, and packed for, the weather. 

Earlier this week I was informed by a Hubbard Park hiker of a couple fallen trees on a certain trail. I decided to see what was up and I didn't really bring any tools to deal with them. As luck would have it, none were needed.

I followed the trails down and past the Halfway House, and it was when nearing Merimere Reservoir that I encountered what would be MY fireworks.

A very large tree had fallen across a lower section of the Yellow Trail. Due to the extra time off from work as a result of the holiday weekend, I decided to return on Sunday and remove it. I was looking forward to releasing some testosterone!

But first I had to go home and dry out.

Sunday was still very cloudy and while those clouds looked ominous at times, there was never a threat of rain. I returned with my chainsaw to make my own July 4th noise.

When the tree fell, the branches really exploded all over the trail.

Once I started sawing into it, I realized it was a hardwood and the safety chain (vs. my aggressive cutting chain) I installed wasn't going to cut through quickly. I was concerned I'd run out of fuel before I finished. I had to parse out the cuts and roll the heavy pieces away. I did finish, with very little fuel to spare.

I managed to keep all my fingers, as some people don't on the 4th of July.