Solo Act

 After last week's Three Peaks Challenge (with all those people!) I was ready to get back to a crowd of one.

Visit #1562, Saturday 15 November 25, 7:25-10:00AM, 5.3 miles, 4.0 lbs. of litter.

Starting temps below freezing, warming up to 40 by hike's end, sunny.

As I left the parking lot at the start of my hike, I was passed by three vehicles, all heading to the parks maintenance building. It took me a while to figure out what was going on. Then I got the hint.

The parks department is getting ready for the festival of lights in Hubbard Park, and they are going  to be oh so busy to be ready by Thanksgiving.

Rounding the north end of Merimere Reservoir I picked up a trail I had not been on in at least over a month. I expected to find some fallen trees so I needed to take inventory. I was not disappointed.

I'm still with a borrowed chainsaw while mine is in the hospital. I'll return next week with the loaner and remove these two.

I reached the road at the top and began to take the Blue Trail down but was interrupted by some graffiti which needed my attention. I was more than happy to oblige.

Today I continued to find and remove those foam stars which someone has a serial addiction to plastering all around Hubbard Park's trails.

At the Beehive Fountain, I discovered someone's attempt to replace and repair a missing stone. This is a good deed.

But on the backside of the fountain, I found their discarded cup of mortar, lid, and vinyl gloves. This is a bad deed, and cancels out their good deed plus some.

Down near the I-691 walkbridge, are the remains of a Volkswagen which I'd guess has been there since the 1960s. Through time it has become mostly covered in rocks and dirt.

I discovered a small body panel had freed itself from the debris so I picked it up and carried it back to the park.

On the trail back to the park one of my detractors, likely the person with the foam stars, wrote my name on a log I'd recently cut and removed from the trail. From their note I found last month, it was to be expected.

I don't imagine we can blame Marta Kwiczor, who ordered this sheet music, for dumping it on the trail. Likely was one of her Washington Middle School students.

If you ask me, it's still too early for Christmas music, but go tell that to the stores!

I stopped at the dirt parking lot adjacent to Mirror Lake to perform a little cleanup picked up some interesting finds -

Someone lost their cellphone and it appears to have been run over by a car. Expensive.

I also found this carabiner -

What makes this interesting is I JUST BOUGHT A CARABINER LAST WEEK for my truck! Had I found this a week ago I could have saved six bucks.

Lastly, I found a winter headband, good for the upcoming cold weather. Off to Goodwill it will go.

Unexpected

 

This year's Three Peaks Challenge was full of unexpected surprises for me. I got mine; did you get yours?

Visit #1561, Saturday 8 November 25, 9:45AM-3:00PM, 10.2 miles (for me), 26.0 lbs. of litter. My mileage was higher than the Three Peaks Challenge and if you read on you'll see why.

Temps in the 50s, early morning clearing from overnight rain, sunny and mild.

I had planned on joining this Meriden Parks and Recreation event and do nothing but hike. Instead, I'll let John Candy explain it...

At the pre-start briefing, Kathy Matula, Recreation Coordinator, presented to me on behalf of Mayor Scarpati, this:

Yeah, well, to say I was humbled is an understatement. I was at a loss for words and didn't want to ramble on aimlessly so I just smiled out of gratitude and embarrassment. I had to hold back a couple tears, too. Thanks.

So that I wouldn't co-opt this group event with my weekly maintenance duties and bring undue attention on me (the proclamation put and end to that, no?!), I didn't bring any of my tools for trail maintenance, graffiti removal, etc. Or, at least I brought everything but left it all in my truck. If someone brought up the subject I was ready to oblige.

It didn't take long for things to change.

A long conga line of hikers went up the Soap Box Derby track and behind the water tank, picking up the White trail to the Halfway House. Just shy of the gazebo on the side of the trail were two large trash bags. I was near the tail end of the group, and in a Pavlovian response, and having just been essentially proclaimed "Hubbard Park Jesus" 😀, what was I to do?

I abandoned all thought of continuing on with the group, picked up the two bags and headed back toward the south end of Merimere Reservoir.

And just what was in those two large trash bags-

-two Bose 301 Series V speakers. What they were doing near the Halfway House was beyond me and everyone else that saw them. I looked up the specs - they weigh 12.5lbs. each which is why my weight tally this week was so high.

Here's an internet photo I gleaned of them. They cost around $300 new.

Kathy got on the horn and called Rhaelene, the parks and rec department's version of Radar O'Reilly who met me in a van at the south end of the reservoir to pick up this load.

My hike was over, or was it?

Heading down to rendezvous with Rhaelene I developed a Plan B.

I hiked back to the parking lot and picked up my chainsaw. I figured I'm on my own now so I won't annoy any of the hikers and hopefully won't appear too showy if they did see me. I was past modesty; I was now on a mission. But I had to hustle.

I reached the first fallen tree ahead of the group. In my haste, I forgot to take an After photo so just imagine it removed. There's a Three Peaks Challenge sign pointing the way.

I did bump into the lead group just as they were leaving Castle Craig and I had finished removing the tree.

While the second tree was not on the Three Peaks route, it was close, passing by in the background of the After photo.

I did more hustling and caught the tail end of the group at Castle Craig.

I told them to not wait for me as we headed toward the third tree, near the north end of Merimere Reservoir.

I rejoined the group at the north end of the reservoir, where Radar Rhaelene was waiting with supplies and a ride for anyone who had enough trail for the day.

And she did have some takers for that ride back to the finish.

And it was there that Kathy came up with a generous idea; for those taking that ride back to the park, she made them an offer - she would gladly give them their Three Peaks patch when/if they returned some day and joined her to hike just the last leg, the South Mountain leg, of the route.

Hubbard Park Jesus wouldn't have thought of that.

I continued with this last group on the South Mountain loop and the one redeeming thing about my bringing the chainsaw is some hikers got to see that the trails do need maintenance, and what it takes to accomplish it-there was another fallen tree on the South Mountain loop and the group stopped briefly while I did my thing.

If I Only Had a Chain(saw)

 

I thought of this week's title while humming the tune, and hearing Ray Bolger's voice.

Visit #1560, Sunday 2 November 25, 7:05-9:25AM, 5.2 miles, 1.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the upper 30s/low 40s, sunny.

Week Number Two without my chainsaw.

Those of you that are following my escapades in Hubbard Park know that my chainsaw is in the hospital.

While I borrowed a chainsaw last week, I promptly returned it which was a foolish move, although considerate to the owners.

In preparation for next week's Three Peaks Challenge, I wanted to ensure the trails were clear of fallen trees.

If I only had a chainsaw...

The stickers on the blackened birch tree continue unabated.

So does the popularity of posting stickers on this fence post.

It's tough to see but on the upper left edge of the sticker is handwritten, "Take it off". Obviously the poster knows the fate of this, at least as long as I'm around.

I hiked up the Blue Trail and found my first fallen tree. Although not on the route of the Three Peaks Challenge, it's close - it passes by on the road in the background.

Passing Castle Craig, or as Walter Hubbard called it merely, "The Tower", I picked up the Three Peaks Challenge route again and instantly encountered a second fallen tree.

And nearing the north end of the Blue Trail near Merimere Reservoir (I wonder if Walter Hubbard had another name for IT), yet another fallen tree.

Walking on the road around the reservoir, and back to the park, lo and behold, a tree has fallen across the road.

While I couldn't move it (IF I ONLY HAD MY CHAIN(SAW!)), I was able to clean it up a bit. Hopefully word will get passed on to either the parks or water department to remove this. Bring a broom!

Well that's it; things go to hell in a handbasket without my chainsaw. I can't get it back soon enough.