Metacomet trail - part 17

This hike occurred on March 15, 2014

Trail Heads:

7 Holcomb St., East Granby, CT - We parked on the side of the road. There was plenty of space for parking on the shoulder around the intersection.

2809 Phelps Rd, West Suffield, CT - We parked on the side of the road. There was quite a lot of parking available both on the side of Phelps Rd and across the intersection of Mountain Rd.

Length/Distance: According the Connecticut Walk book, the route between the trail heads on Holcomb St/Turkey Hills Rd (Rt20) and Phelps Rd was 5.2 miles. According to my GPS tracking program, our route was 6.14 miles. 

Summary: We started our day off with a trip to Mrs. Murphy's Donuts in Southwick. The shop was about 10 minutes north of Phelps Rd. With donuts and iced tea for breakfast, we hiked from Phelps Rd towards Holcomb St. There was still some ice and snow on the trail but it had melted down quite a bit so there was also mud. 

The day was sunny and warm (mid to high 40's). 

After the initial climb, it was mostly a ridge walk. We passed by signage for the "George A Harmon Woodlot" and "Deer Run," both part of the Suffield Land Conservancy.  

There was also a random green post which appeared to have the latitude and longitudinal coordinates. 

Interesting, it seemed that in some of the higher areas, the snow had melted more rapidly. We theorized this was because of the rocky slabs.

At the first lookout, we could see the Heublein Tower in the distance.  

We also could see a small storm closing in from the right. 

With it came strong gusts of wind, a 10 degree drop in temperature, and some light rain. The trail began another climb as we battled the wind. An odd rock formation was near the trail. 

Once we reached the next plateau, a sign let us know we were entering the property of the Bloomfield Fish and Game Club and we might be shot. 

We passed by another look out. The wind made it bitterly cold (low 20's) though it meant the storm moved overhead very quickly. 

After a bit more hiking, we found a lookout where we could see the Newgate Prison. 

By the time we got to the final lookout, the clouds had passed by and the temperatures were back to the 40's. 

From here, it was a fairly short distance to Holcomb St. 

Over all, the hike was pleasant. The warmer weather was nice but the storm mid-hike was less than optimal. We look forward to more warm weather in the near future. 

Metacomet trail - Part 16

This hike occurred on February 8, 2014

Trail Heads:

56 Mountain Rd., Tariffville, CT - There are plenty of curbside spots along Mountain Rd. It's a lane-and-a-half quiet residential road so parking isn't a problem.

7 Holcomb St., East Granby, CT - We did not park here but we ended our hike here. It appears that there's a fair amount of parking available on the road's shoulder around the intersection.

Length/Distance: According the Connecticut Walk book, the route between the trail heads on Mountain Rd and Holcomb St/Turkey Hills Rd (Rt20) was 4.8 miles. According to my GPS tracking program, our route was 6.36 miles. 

Summary: We hiked from Mountain Rd towards Holcomb St. The day was sunny and in the low 30°s. the first portion of the hike was a road walk through Tariffville. 

The trail then entered the woods on the right, right after the bridge over the river. 

It had snowed a few days prior and there was 16-18 inches of snow on the trail. At the beginning, people had used snowshoes on the trail and the trail was partially packed down. 

The trail wound around the river. 

      

We then climbed to reach a ridge. Around the top, we saw an old fireplace. 

Near the peak, the snowshoers went off in a different direction and we were left to break trail for the remaining three-quarters of the hike. 

There was an overlook along the ridge.

We then slipped, slid, and fell our way down the ridge towards Hatchet Hill Rd. 

After crossing the road and walking underneath the power lines, we entered the woods again. There was a sign warning of construction. I would have been very glad to encounter a backhoe at this point. 

We passed by a cemetery restoration project.

We found a number of spots where it looked like deer had bedded down for the night. 

We climbed up to another ridge and then slid back down again. We trudged through a pine forest and it was beautiful.  

Well after the point where our clothes were soaked, we made it to Holcomb St. 

A friend of ours who lives nearby was generous enough to pick us up here and drive us to our car at East Granby Farms which is where we initially planned to finish. After this cold hike, we treated ourselves to an hour in a hot tub at Elements in Amherst, MA. 

Over all, the hike was rather miserable though we were proud we finished. The CT Walk book's mileage was off by over a mile and a half; we were not happy about this. Regardless, we should have only one last hike on the Metacomet trail (once the snow has melted a bit...)!