Storm Isaias Cleanup, Week II

Post-Storm Isaias cleanup continues.

Visit 1263, Saturday 15 August 20,  6:15-8:00AM, 10:45-11:45AM, 4.2 miles, 3.2lbs. of litter.
Temps in the low 80's, with reasonable humidity, and sunny.

I was supposed to meet my assistant Paul at 8AM to clear more storm damage from the trails, but since he no longer enjoys picking up litter, I started early by myself and hiked a loop to collect trash myself.

Knowing it would be a long work session, I planned on bringing a snack so I didn't bonk, but I forgot. It was going to get ugly if I ran out of energy...

Shortly after I started my clockwise loop, I stopped to clear some storm damage.

We had skipped by this mess last week because it was still passable. Time to chop it down.

The gods were surely watching over me because further up the trail, somebody's lost granola bar became the sustenance I forgot to bring with me today. Hey; the wrapper was unopened-that works for me!

I returned to the park and met Paul. Our plans changed; we would travel to his house and clean up storm damage there, then return to Hubbard Park.

Upon our return, we hiked up to the trail behind the water tank. Really; there's a trail through there somewhere...

We found it.

Just beyond that tree, with Merimere Reservoir in the background, was the last one for today.

That's all Paul and I had time for this week, so we parted ways.

On the return trip by myself to the parking lot, I stopped by the steep trail adjacent to the Soap Box Derby track to remove one last fallen branch.

Storm Isaias Cleanup, Week I

 Please be patient; trail cleanup will take a number of weeks. You can do your part by removing small branches from the trails as you hike.

In the aftermath of Storm Isaias, I rode the lower trails in Hubbard Park to assess trail damage. This enabled me to plan an efficient route when clearing the trails on Saturday.

Visit #1262, Saturday 8 August 20, 8:45-11:45AM, 3.0 miles, no litter pickup this week.

The trails in Hubbard Park  were a reflection of what you saw in  your hometowns; a lot of trees and branches down. I was fortunate to have the assistance of my friend Paul this week. With his help, we made more progress than I anticipated.

While I didn't photograph everything we removed from the trails, What you see will give you an idea of the damage, and our success. There are certainly many more weeks of trail clearing to be had.

 We started small:

Once our warmup was over, we began the real work.

After we crossed over I-691, and just beyond the wooden walkbridge, we encountered more damage.

Just beyond, there was another tree.

The first hikers to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

We caught a little break here as this didn't require much work.

That break was short, however.

Then it was back to the grind.

This next tree on the main trail presented a problem. The top half of the tree broke but was still attached. The weight of the broken top half was resting on the branches touching the ground. I chose to merely cut a tunnel through it all. In the photo below, Paul is in the middle of creating that tunnel. In time it will fall of its own accord, when it can be cleared.

Paul takes a breather.

This long, slender tree was on the main trail leading to the Halfway House.

A couple simple cuts and Paul was able to remove it from the trail.

The last tree of our day was on the Yellow Trail. Merimere Reservoir is in the background.

Shortly after this my chainsaw ran out of fuel. I'll continue next week.

In Advance

You can't escape the humidity, even if you start your hike early.

Visit #1261, Sunday 2 August 20, 6:35-9:50AM, 4.3miles, 23.6lbs. of litter.

Actually, it wasn't that bad once I arrived at West Peak-see photo above. I stopped to take a break and enjoyed a cooling, drier breeze. The rest of the hike, not so much.

The weather calls for possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. As I sit here typing this blog entry, the U.S. Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Litchfield county. I wanted to finish today before I got rained on. I wound up being wet enough from sweating.

I took a bike ride along the Hubbard Park Trails on Friday afternoon to see if there was anything that would need attention. I found this fallen branch along a trail near the I-691 walkbridge.

On Sunday, I hiked there to remove it from the trail.

It was an ugly dance, but I managed to dance it off-trail.

Something I did NOT notice on my ride Friday, but caught on my hike, was this graffiti on the wooden walkbridge.

I'd previously found this tag in July at the Halfway House. It was written on both sides of the walkbridge, on the south side, upside down. I quickly removed it with sandpaper.

Back in shape.

Further on, I found Painted Rock #28.

The reverse side referenced an Instagram account, but I won't give them the free advertising here.

Up at West Peak, I cleaned up the area and the parking lot. The 16lb. bag was too heavy to continue carrying, so I left it there for the Meriden Parks Department to collect.

I followed the road to the trails and down to the Halfway House. Enroute, I found Painted Rock #29.

Is it a local area code, or "098"?

Painted Rock #30 carries a personal message.

I reached the Halfway House, to address some graffiti in a similar location to recently found graffiti.

I came prepared.

Actually, I should use flat paint rather than satin finish. Depending on how this dries, I may have to return with a better match.

I chugged on back to the parking lot and dropped off my second bag of litter.

I leave you with this week's Covid Mask haul.