Hikes #7, #8 and #9
Trail: Case Mountain Trails (White, Pink, Yellow and Blue/Yellow)
Manchester, CT
Dates Hiked: 10/28/2012 through 11/4/2012
Date Published: 12/27/2012
For a while, I debated how best to recap these hikes. I did all three of them (as separate hikes) over the course of three days during the week noted above, but they are all part of the same regional trail system (the Shenipsit). In the end, I thought the best way to recap them was to put them all in one place. From there, I can break the descriptions down by the individual blazed trails, rather than try to explain how I broke them up while hiking. As you will see, the trails are confusing enough as is.
Truth be told, if you set aside a day you can probably hike all of the required trails in one shot. The CFPA Walk Book (which I received in the mail not too long before the first of these hikes) states the total mileage is 10+, but I think it is actually closer to 8. 10+ might be true for all of the trails on Case Mountain (including the trails not required for the CT400), but MapMyHike had the distance I travelled for all three hikes at just about 10.15 miles. And, due to poor planning / unforeseen circumstances (which I'll get in to shortly), I did a lot of hiking over trails multiple times. The trails all interconnect so you’ll have to plan ahead better than I did in order to make sure you don’t spend too much time re-hiking trails.
The problem I encountered was that I didn’t really plan ahead. On my first of the three hikes, I was just looking to kill some time. Jaci and I had just returned from a cruise and I was looking to spend some time with Roscoe while she did some shopping. I had originally planned on hiking for only an hour or so. But, when Jaci took longer than expected, I started hiking with no real sense of purpose. For the record, I don’t advise this for any of the other trails I’ve hiked before or since. It only worked for Case Mountain because, no matter how deep you travel into the woods, you are never more than a mile from any of the three trailheads.
The trails listed below are in order of how challenging they are. That said none of them are really very challenging. But, if you are hiking with small children…or, if you are just starting out, try out the White and Pink Trails first.
It should also be noted that the Shenipsit Trail (Blue Blazed) cuts through Case Mountain and is listed on all of the maps. But, I didn’t hike that trail on these hikes because I knew I would be hiking it later as part of my Shenipsit mainline hikes (that hike, along with my other Shenipsit mainline hikes, will have their own recaps).
White Trail (3.5 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
Whether you park at the Spring Street entrance or the first of two Birch Mountain Road entrances, this is the first trail you will encounter. It is referred to, throughout the park, as the Carriage Trail. When you get here, you’ll see why that makes sense. For now, let’s just say that it is a very wide trail (the widest of the Case Mountain Trails…possibly the widest trail I’ve hiked anywhere). It also serves as a connecter trail for the other trails of the park. So, odds are you’ll end up hiking and re-hiking this one as you attempt to complete the other trails. This is very easy hiking. In previous recaps, I’ve referred to the hiking in JB Williams Park in Glastonbury as hiking with training wheels. Well, this is maybe only a half a step up from that. The hills are a little more steep here than in Williams Park, but I would suggest this for hiking with small children. So, you get the idea. I was most impressed by this trail because I had previously spent a lot of time hiking at JB Williams only to find out that I enjoyed this better…and it is closer to our house. So, Williams Park may have lost its place as my “go to, need-a-quick-hike” spot.
Pink Trail (1.8 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
This trail, referred to as the Highland Trail in the CFPA Walk Book (but nowhere in the park, that I can remember), is most easily accessed from the Spring Street trailhead. As you make your way up the White Trail, about a quarter mile in, the Pink Trail will shoot off to the right. It is a loop trail that will eventually intersect with the White Trail two more times (think Olympic rings). About a mile or so from where the trail shoots off from the White Trail, this trails summits Lookout Mountain. On a clear day, there are great views up here (including downtown Hartford, Main Street in Manchester, and the Buckland Hills Mall). On the first day, I only did this trail and portions of the White Trail. This was my favorite trail of Day One.
Yellow Trail (1.1 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
The CFPA Walk Book refers to this trail as the Lookout Mountain Trail. The entire Case Mountain trail map looks and sounds very confusing, but I assure it isn’t as overwhelming once you get there. For example, there is this trail (yellow blazes), the aforementioned Shenipsit Trail (with blue blazes), and the Blue / Yellow Trail (with...you guessed it, blue and yellow blazes). And, if all of that isn't confusing enough, this yellow-blazed trail also joins up with the Shenipsit Trail for about 100 ft, making it a second blue / yellow trail. Or, is this one yellow / blue? I dunno. Either way, make sure you keep your map handy. The best spot to pick up this trail is from the top of Lookout Mountain. From there, it descends through the park (joining and leaving the main Shenipsit Trail, crossing the White Trail, and crossing the Blue / Yellow Trail before looping back around...and up...to end at the Blue / Yellow Trail deeper in the park).
Blue / Yellow Trail (1.2 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
Referred to in the CFPA Walk Book as the Birch Mountain Trail, this trail allows you to summit one mountain (Birch Mountain) and almost summit another (Case Mountain). It should be noted that when a local tells you they are going up to Case Mountain, they are most likely referring to the view from Lookout Mountain…and that they probably aren’t even familiar with this trail. From the end of the Yellow Trail, you basically come to a T intersection with this trail. One direction heads southwest (deeper into the park) for a quarter of a mile or so and links up with the main (Blue Blazed) Shenipsit Trail. The other direction heads north towards the Birch Mountain Road parking area.
A Few Notes about My Hikes
Due to poor planning on my part, I had to hike the short section of the Blue / Yellow Trail (between the Yellow Trail and the Blue Trail) twice…out and then back. I did fine on the way out to the Blue Trail, but on the way back I took a nasty spill. The leaves in the area were still wet from Hurricane Sandy and I slipped off of one, leaf-covered rock and took another rock square in the rib cage on the right side of my back. I’m not kidding when I say I thought I broke my back. The combination of rock (which was sharp but not jagged) and the dog’s water bowl did a number on me. So, now you know why I no longer carry his bowl with me when I hike…and why it is so important to let somebody know where you are going every time you set out to hike. I wasn’t hurt nearly as bad as I could’ve been. But, it is scary to think what could have happened if the rock I landed on hit me a few more inches to the left (in the middle of my spine). So, please…please…please…let at least one person know where you are going every time. Eventually, I made it back to the car. But, I was so out of it on the way back that I took a shortcut from the Blue / Yellow Trail and ended up back on the White Trail before I meant to (that’s right…I did TRY to finish my planned hike even though I could barely breath / walk). That afternoon was rough. I went home and immediately went to bed…hoping to sleep it off and, for the most part, it worked. I wouldn’t heal 100% for another couple of weeks…but I was good enough to return to hiking within a few days and finish up these trails.
In hindsight, having to return to finish up the last section of the Blue / Yellow Trail was a good thing. I woke up early the morning we changed the clocks back and got to the trail before the sun had come up. I re-hiked the sections of the White and Yellow trails that would connect me with the Blue / Yellow Trail and, as I was approaching the “almost summit” of Case Mountain, the sun was coming up over the tree line. It was truly an amazing experience. I’ve attempted to re-create that sunrise experience by getting up early on all of my hikes since that day. So far, nothing has been able to match it. But, that won’t stop me from trying.
Trail: Case Mountain Trails (White, Pink, Yellow and Blue/Yellow)
Manchester, CT
Dates Hiked: 10/28/2012 through 11/4/2012
Date Published: 12/27/2012
For a while, I debated how best to recap these hikes. I did all three of them (as separate hikes) over the course of three days during the week noted above, but they are all part of the same regional trail system (the Shenipsit). In the end, I thought the best way to recap them was to put them all in one place. From there, I can break the descriptions down by the individual blazed trails, rather than try to explain how I broke them up while hiking. As you will see, the trails are confusing enough as is.
Truth be told, if you set aside a day you can probably hike all of the required trails in one shot. The CFPA Walk Book (which I received in the mail not too long before the first of these hikes) states the total mileage is 10+, but I think it is actually closer to 8. 10+ might be true for all of the trails on Case Mountain (including the trails not required for the CT400), but MapMyHike had the distance I travelled for all three hikes at just about 10.15 miles. And, due to poor planning / unforeseen circumstances (which I'll get in to shortly), I did a lot of hiking over trails multiple times. The trails all interconnect so you’ll have to plan ahead better than I did in order to make sure you don’t spend too much time re-hiking trails.
The problem I encountered was that I didn’t really plan ahead. On my first of the three hikes, I was just looking to kill some time. Jaci and I had just returned from a cruise and I was looking to spend some time with Roscoe while she did some shopping. I had originally planned on hiking for only an hour or so. But, when Jaci took longer than expected, I started hiking with no real sense of purpose. For the record, I don’t advise this for any of the other trails I’ve hiked before or since. It only worked for Case Mountain because, no matter how deep you travel into the woods, you are never more than a mile from any of the three trailheads.
The trails listed below are in order of how challenging they are. That said none of them are really very challenging. But, if you are hiking with small children…or, if you are just starting out, try out the White and Pink Trails first.
It should also be noted that the Shenipsit Trail (Blue Blazed) cuts through Case Mountain and is listed on all of the maps. But, I didn’t hike that trail on these hikes because I knew I would be hiking it later as part of my Shenipsit mainline hikes (that hike, along with my other Shenipsit mainline hikes, will have their own recaps).
White Trail (3.5 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
Whether you park at the Spring Street entrance or the first of two Birch Mountain Road entrances, this is the first trail you will encounter. It is referred to, throughout the park, as the Carriage Trail. When you get here, you’ll see why that makes sense. For now, let’s just say that it is a very wide trail (the widest of the Case Mountain Trails…possibly the widest trail I’ve hiked anywhere). It also serves as a connecter trail for the other trails of the park. So, odds are you’ll end up hiking and re-hiking this one as you attempt to complete the other trails. This is very easy hiking. In previous recaps, I’ve referred to the hiking in JB Williams Park in Glastonbury as hiking with training wheels. Well, this is maybe only a half a step up from that. The hills are a little more steep here than in Williams Park, but I would suggest this for hiking with small children. So, you get the idea. I was most impressed by this trail because I had previously spent a lot of time hiking at JB Williams only to find out that I enjoyed this better…and it is closer to our house. So, Williams Park may have lost its place as my “go to, need-a-quick-hike” spot.
Pink Trail (1.8 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
This trail, referred to as the Highland Trail in the CFPA Walk Book (but nowhere in the park, that I can remember), is most easily accessed from the Spring Street trailhead. As you make your way up the White Trail, about a quarter mile in, the Pink Trail will shoot off to the right. It is a loop trail that will eventually intersect with the White Trail two more times (think Olympic rings). About a mile or so from where the trail shoots off from the White Trail, this trails summits Lookout Mountain. On a clear day, there are great views up here (including downtown Hartford, Main Street in Manchester, and the Buckland Hills Mall). On the first day, I only did this trail and portions of the White Trail. This was my favorite trail of Day One.
Yellow Trail (1.1 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
The CFPA Walk Book refers to this trail as the Lookout Mountain Trail. The entire Case Mountain trail map looks and sounds very confusing, but I assure it isn’t as overwhelming once you get there. For example, there is this trail (yellow blazes), the aforementioned Shenipsit Trail (with blue blazes), and the Blue / Yellow Trail (with...you guessed it, blue and yellow blazes). And, if all of that isn't confusing enough, this yellow-blazed trail also joins up with the Shenipsit Trail for about 100 ft, making it a second blue / yellow trail. Or, is this one yellow / blue? I dunno. Either way, make sure you keep your map handy. The best spot to pick up this trail is from the top of Lookout Mountain. From there, it descends through the park (joining and leaving the main Shenipsit Trail, crossing the White Trail, and crossing the Blue / Yellow Trail before looping back around...and up...to end at the Blue / Yellow Trail deeper in the park).
Blue / Yellow Trail (1.2 miles according to the CFPA Walk Book)
Referred to in the CFPA Walk Book as the Birch Mountain Trail, this trail allows you to summit one mountain (Birch Mountain) and almost summit another (Case Mountain). It should be noted that when a local tells you they are going up to Case Mountain, they are most likely referring to the view from Lookout Mountain…and that they probably aren’t even familiar with this trail. From the end of the Yellow Trail, you basically come to a T intersection with this trail. One direction heads southwest (deeper into the park) for a quarter of a mile or so and links up with the main (Blue Blazed) Shenipsit Trail. The other direction heads north towards the Birch Mountain Road parking area.
A Few Notes about My Hikes
Due to poor planning on my part, I had to hike the short section of the Blue / Yellow Trail (between the Yellow Trail and the Blue Trail) twice…out and then back. I did fine on the way out to the Blue Trail, but on the way back I took a nasty spill. The leaves in the area were still wet from Hurricane Sandy and I slipped off of one, leaf-covered rock and took another rock square in the rib cage on the right side of my back. I’m not kidding when I say I thought I broke my back. The combination of rock (which was sharp but not jagged) and the dog’s water bowl did a number on me. So, now you know why I no longer carry his bowl with me when I hike…and why it is so important to let somebody know where you are going every time you set out to hike. I wasn’t hurt nearly as bad as I could’ve been. But, it is scary to think what could have happened if the rock I landed on hit me a few more inches to the left (in the middle of my spine). So, please…please…please…let at least one person know where you are going every time. Eventually, I made it back to the car. But, I was so out of it on the way back that I took a shortcut from the Blue / Yellow Trail and ended up back on the White Trail before I meant to (that’s right…I did TRY to finish my planned hike even though I could barely breath / walk). That afternoon was rough. I went home and immediately went to bed…hoping to sleep it off and, for the most part, it worked. I wouldn’t heal 100% for another couple of weeks…but I was good enough to return to hiking within a few days and finish up these trails.
In hindsight, having to return to finish up the last section of the Blue / Yellow Trail was a good thing. I woke up early the morning we changed the clocks back and got to the trail before the sun had come up. I re-hiked the sections of the White and Yellow trails that would connect me with the Blue / Yellow Trail and, as I was approaching the “almost summit” of Case Mountain, the sun was coming up over the tree line. It was truly an amazing experience. I’ve attempted to re-create that sunrise experience by getting up early on all of my hikes since that day. So far, nothing has been able to match it. But, that won’t stop me from trying.