bog

Too perfect a day not to get out and log some steps in the neighborhood. Clear blue sky, temp in the 50° range with a light breeze, I couldn’t resist!

But, it was nearly turn around and go home. Hadn’t gone 5 yards before the first nip bottle showed up, then the next, and another one, 8 of them before I’d gone 50 feet. It wasn’t anything new, I’ve walked and cleaned this stretch of road for years. The numbers seem to be higher lately but there’s always a lot in this stretch. I’m pretty much 2 nips from the corner package store. Why 2 nips? Because on Earth Day I also do a long stretch between here and the package store and about half way between my house and the package store is always another concentration of nip bottles.

Today though is about a walk around the small development that has almost no traffic other than residents coming and going. Two laps are good for 10,000 steps if you circle the cul-de-sacs 2 or 3 times.

Definite signs of Spring in this curbside bed.

Despite narrow, curvy road with no sidewalks, make it safely into the development and start the walk.

There are signs of spring all around, that’s a little worrying because it’s still so early in the year. A couple days of hard freeze will kill buds and mean no apricots, peaches… 2017 and 2018 were like that.

Looking now for early emerging plants like skunk cabbage, mullein, and others are on my mind because we also did the same thing yesterday. I taught a Korean Natural Farming class on gathering and using local ingredients for Fermented Plant Juice extracts to feed our early plants, crops. These little flowers, and some trees adorned with sap buckets, are signs of encouragement.

Walking is always a great time to think, mull things, order, plan your day, if you’re walking alone. If you have company it’s a time to catch up, chat, or just enjoy the day together.

Hoping you know, or can find, a small and safe walk near you. One you can step out your door and just start walking.

See you on the trail…

The Avery Preserve is located on Avery Hill Road to the North of its intersection with Route 214. There is a small, rocky, parking area on the East side of Avery Hill Road, opposite the entrance to the West side of Avery Preserve. The trail for the East side of the preserve begins in the rear left corner of the parking area. You can download and print a guide to hiking trails, including a map of the West Avery Preserve from Ledyard Parks & Rec., located at the bottom of their activities page.

East Avery Preserve
This portion has one loop trail and off of that a short side trail from which you can access Avery Hill Road and connect to West Avery Preserve or return to the parking lot. This portion of the preserve is primarily wetland and today was definitely wet and soggy. The trails here are not blazed and the loop trail fades out after you pass over a small unnamed brook that feeds into Billings-Avery brook.

While difficult and wet in the spring this is still worth exploring. There are lots of signs of deer throughout the wetlands and there is also a significant stand of giant rhododendron (mountain laurel) here. Restoring the former loop trail and blazing both it and the spur trail would make this a pleasant short hike when the rhododendron are in bloom. There is a usable bench far enough along the trail that it should serve as a good spot to watch wildlife and spend time birding here. The spur trail leads to a stream side glen ideal for a cool summer picnic and break from hiking.

West Avery Preserve
West Avery Preserve is the more developed, better maintained, and used portion of this preserve. An Eagle Scout project just upgraded two bog bridges on the orange trail. Trails here are numerous, open, and well blazed. Many of the intersections have map boards like the one at the entrance that clearly indicate your location and trail options.

The orange blazed trail, just to your right after entering the West preserve, has the most elevation change although none of the trails here climb any great distance. This is primarily a perimeter trail that circles out to the farthest reaches of this section and returns to the entrance.

White and yellow blazed trails provide shorter loops within and in conjunction with the orange trail.

The central hub of all the trails is an old, now mostly silted in, mill pond, dam, and sluice race. This is another spot to take a break in the hike and enjoy lunch, birding or the cooling chatter of Billings-Avery brook’s run downhill.

Both tracts encompass just under 100 acres and provide, depending on how many of the trails you use, or loops you make, approximately 5 kilometers of hiking with some nice changes between wetland and upland vegetation and wildlife.