Hike #10
Trail: Risley Pond Loop Trail (A Regional Trail of the Shenipsit Trail.)
Vernon, CT and Bolton, CT
Distance: 2.9 miles
Approximate time to complete: 1.25 hours
Date Hiked: 11/4/2012
Date Published: 12/28/2012
In my previous recap, I wrote about my hikes on the Case Mountain Trails and how those trails are “Regional Trails”, or a sub-section of trails for the Shenipsit Trail. There are other regional trail sections of the Shenipsit. There is the Risley Pond Loop Trail, which I will write about here, and the Gay City State Park Trails (which I will write about in my next post). Unlike the Case Mountain Trails, the main Shenipsit Trail doesn’t pass through either the Risely Pond Loop Trail or the Gay City State Park Trails. But, you must complete these regional hikes in order to complete the CT400. On top of that, they are actually pretty good hikes.
The day I completed the Risley Pond Loop Trail was the same day I finished up the Case Mountain Trails. After the picturesque sunrise I described in my last recap, I was motivated to do more hiking (even though I was still recovering from the nasty spill I took a few days earlier). So, I headed out to the Vernon / Bolton town line to complete this hike.
I think part of the reason I love hiking is because I’m normally pretty good with directions, but (for some reason) hiking challenges me. On the map provided in the CFPA Walk Book, it is very clear that the parking area for this hike is on the northwest corner of the pond. So, why I felt the need to park on the southwest corner of the pond is beyond me. Maybe it was because it was the first parking area I saw. Maybe because my GPS told me I was approaching my destination. Regardless, don’t make the same mistake I did. The parking area to the northwest of the pond is much bigger. And, you won’t have to backtrack and cover trail you’ve already hiked.
If you’ve been paying attention while reading these recaps, you know I’m all about the silver lining. So, naturally, I don’t consider my parking mistake a complete loss…since I was able to hike over the man-made dam to the south of the pond. This only added an additional .3 miles to my trip (which is why this recap says 2.9 miles while the Walk Book says it is 2.6). And, Roscoe seemed to enjoy the hike over the dam. So, bonus points.
Whether you choose to park in the larger parking area to the northwest or the one where I parked is up to you. But, either way, you will soon after be faced with another decision. This is a loop trail so you will have to decide if you want to complete the trail in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The CFPA suggests counterclockwise, but I would recommend clockwise. First, I like to get all of my climbs out of the way early and just enjoy the rest of my hike on a sort of “cruise control”. Additionally, after my spill up on Case (Birch) Mountain, I was weary of a section described in the Walk Book as a “steep descent”. If you are thinking about doing this hike counterclockwise, the area I’m talking about is around 1.7 miles in (per the Walk Book). So, instead of a steep descent (remember, I fell descending from Birth Mountain), I actually preferred a steep ascent. Call me crazy, but I would rather struggle going uphill than slip and fall going downhill. Just my two cents.
Other than the steep ascent / descent section, there really isn’t much here to talk about. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a nice hike. There just isn’t really anything about the trail that stands out as “recap” worthy. I was hoping the summit of Box Mountain would provide a nice view of downtown Hartford. But, even with no leaves, the trees still block whatever view there would be. No big deal…trees are good.
I did have a cool wildlife moment on this hike involving a pair of deer. This time of year, they are everywhere so seeing the deer wasn’t really all that special. But, I was able to get really close to one of them before he (she?) scampered off. I wasn’t actually trying to get close, but I turned the corner as I was descending the south side of the mountain (my view around the corner was blocked by a rather large tree) and there was the deer…just grazing. I was really surprised (since I’m not exactly the quietest hiker) that it didn’t hear me coming. I was literally no more than 6 feet from this deer. Once he noticed me, there was a brief moment of hesitation, and then he ran off through the woods. The second deer followed right behind. Roscoe had stopped before turning the corner (he must have sensed them there)…but, once the deer were about 20 feet off the trail, he gained enough courage to chase after them. I think, at that point, it was all for show. Either way, I told him to stop (before he hurt himself) and laughed at him. I didn’t know it at the time, but encounters with deer would become a theme for most of my hikes over the next few weeks.
We made our way back to the car and went home for the day. All told on this day I hiked over five miles; climbed to two “mountain” summits; saw a couple of deer and one spectacular sunrise. Not bad for a guy who could barely walk a few days earlier.
Trail: Risley Pond Loop Trail (A Regional Trail of the Shenipsit Trail.)
Vernon, CT and Bolton, CT
Distance: 2.9 miles
Approximate time to complete: 1.25 hours
Date Hiked: 11/4/2012
Date Published: 12/28/2012
In my previous recap, I wrote about my hikes on the Case Mountain Trails and how those trails are “Regional Trails”, or a sub-section of trails for the Shenipsit Trail. There are other regional trail sections of the Shenipsit. There is the Risley Pond Loop Trail, which I will write about here, and the Gay City State Park Trails (which I will write about in my next post). Unlike the Case Mountain Trails, the main Shenipsit Trail doesn’t pass through either the Risely Pond Loop Trail or the Gay City State Park Trails. But, you must complete these regional hikes in order to complete the CT400. On top of that, they are actually pretty good hikes.
The day I completed the Risley Pond Loop Trail was the same day I finished up the Case Mountain Trails. After the picturesque sunrise I described in my last recap, I was motivated to do more hiking (even though I was still recovering from the nasty spill I took a few days earlier). So, I headed out to the Vernon / Bolton town line to complete this hike.
I think part of the reason I love hiking is because I’m normally pretty good with directions, but (for some reason) hiking challenges me. On the map provided in the CFPA Walk Book, it is very clear that the parking area for this hike is on the northwest corner of the pond. So, why I felt the need to park on the southwest corner of the pond is beyond me. Maybe it was because it was the first parking area I saw. Maybe because my GPS told me I was approaching my destination. Regardless, don’t make the same mistake I did. The parking area to the northwest of the pond is much bigger. And, you won’t have to backtrack and cover trail you’ve already hiked.
If you’ve been paying attention while reading these recaps, you know I’m all about the silver lining. So, naturally, I don’t consider my parking mistake a complete loss…since I was able to hike over the man-made dam to the south of the pond. This only added an additional .3 miles to my trip (which is why this recap says 2.9 miles while the Walk Book says it is 2.6). And, Roscoe seemed to enjoy the hike over the dam. So, bonus points.
Whether you choose to park in the larger parking area to the northwest or the one where I parked is up to you. But, either way, you will soon after be faced with another decision. This is a loop trail so you will have to decide if you want to complete the trail in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The CFPA suggests counterclockwise, but I would recommend clockwise. First, I like to get all of my climbs out of the way early and just enjoy the rest of my hike on a sort of “cruise control”. Additionally, after my spill up on Case (Birch) Mountain, I was weary of a section described in the Walk Book as a “steep descent”. If you are thinking about doing this hike counterclockwise, the area I’m talking about is around 1.7 miles in (per the Walk Book). So, instead of a steep descent (remember, I fell descending from Birth Mountain), I actually preferred a steep ascent. Call me crazy, but I would rather struggle going uphill than slip and fall going downhill. Just my two cents.
Other than the steep ascent / descent section, there really isn’t much here to talk about. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a nice hike. There just isn’t really anything about the trail that stands out as “recap” worthy. I was hoping the summit of Box Mountain would provide a nice view of downtown Hartford. But, even with no leaves, the trees still block whatever view there would be. No big deal…trees are good.
I did have a cool wildlife moment on this hike involving a pair of deer. This time of year, they are everywhere so seeing the deer wasn’t really all that special. But, I was able to get really close to one of them before he (she?) scampered off. I wasn’t actually trying to get close, but I turned the corner as I was descending the south side of the mountain (my view around the corner was blocked by a rather large tree) and there was the deer…just grazing. I was really surprised (since I’m not exactly the quietest hiker) that it didn’t hear me coming. I was literally no more than 6 feet from this deer. Once he noticed me, there was a brief moment of hesitation, and then he ran off through the woods. The second deer followed right behind. Roscoe had stopped before turning the corner (he must have sensed them there)…but, once the deer were about 20 feet off the trail, he gained enough courage to chase after them. I think, at that point, it was all for show. Either way, I told him to stop (before he hurt himself) and laughed at him. I didn’t know it at the time, but encounters with deer would become a theme for most of my hikes over the next few weeks.
We made our way back to the car and went home for the day. All told on this day I hiked over five miles; climbed to two “mountain” summits; saw a couple of deer and one spectacular sunrise. Not bad for a guy who could barely walk a few days earlier.