Wiped Out!

 

Some daffodils lead a solitary existence far from their homies in Hubbard Park. I like this guy's/gal's willingness to go it alone.

Visit #1358, Friday 8 April 22, 4:25-7:20PM, 3.0 miles, 19.0lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 60's, partly sunny.

Visit #1359, Saturday 9 April 22, 9:25-11:30AM, 4.0 miles, 7.9lbs. of litter.

Temps in the 60's, cloudy with bouts of rain.

Visit #1360, Sunday 10 April 22, 6:05-7:05AM, 1.0 miles, 9.2lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 40's, partly sunny.

Recently I learned of the existence of an illegally built trail in Hubbard Park. This week I would be in search of it to wipe it out. That work takes time out of my usual routine, hence the extra park visits this week.

But first I had some other wiping out to do.

Last week, I discovered some new graffiti on the I-691 walkbridge. on Friday I brought my gear to remove it.

The removal went pretty quickly considering I had the right stuff for the job and planned ahead.

With the remaining daylight Friday I picked up litter, including an automobile air intake and a hubcap.

Saturday morning I donated blood in Southington. They were giving away t-shirts to donors and I'm a sucker for something unique. This t-shirt was right up my alley!

After donating blood you're advised; "Don't do any heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for the rest of the day." I guess they think after donating blood you'll be too wiped out. Yeah, well; I was sucking a little wind but not enough to pin me to the couch. I headed directly to Hubbard Park for my weekly dose of fun.

The first bag of litter I collected was getting bulky fast, so I left it at the water treatment plant.

Find of the Week was this hat. I'll stick to my stylin' t-shirts.

 I'll wash the hat and donate it to Goodwill.

Further up the trails I found this geocache box. The box was broken and the contents wet from Friday night's rain. I collected the box, and later sent the owner and e-mail telling them it was removed.

Tip: Never put food in a geocache box. Critters will smell it, then it's the end of the box.

Also last week I reported finding a fallen tree across the trail down by Merimere Reservoir. I expected to bring my chainsaw on Saturday to remove it, but earlier in the week I discovered it had been cleared from the trail.

So I wouldn't need my chainsaw. Good, because the remaining tree branch across a trail would not require power tools. Even in my blood-deficient state I was able to slice through this without too much gasping for air.

I spent much of my remaining time Saturday wiping out the illegal trail. I'm being deliberately vague on details of the trail so others won't go in search of it. Despite signs on the trail telling people to pick up after themselves, I found a good deal of litter.

I returned to the illegal trail early Sunday morning to do some more wiping out, and picked up more litter in the process. 

Now THIS is wiped out!