trail

Saturday’s a go…

by taohobo

I walked the Hoffman Evergreen Preserve today in preparation for this month’s Pancake Breakfast Walk. The weather report is changing its mind about a storm, maybe some rain Friday night, but walkable on Saturday. Check the sidebar if you’re interested in hitting the Pancake Breakfast for details.

There’s plenty of parking at the Hoffman Evergreen Preserve so if you want to just meet there, here are the directions. Take the Gold Star Highway, Route 184 to route 201, turn North. If coming from Groton, that’s a left, from the 184 rotary it’s a right. The preserve is 1.4 miles from route 184.

If you haven’t hiked with me before please read the side bars and the About page for safety information and the hike guidelines. You also should read the Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability requirement.

Walking the Pike Preserve Trails

by taohobo

A preview of the April Pancake Breakfast Walk.

Don’t let the moving time dismay you. When I’m on the Pike Preserve trails I constantly stop look, listen… It’s a nature walk and the nature, regardless of the season grabs me.

While there are few hikers or walkers on these trails there are several stables that take advantage of the contingent trails. It does help to keep the inner trails well trodden and identifiable year round. The entry and exit trails for walkers and hikers are well blazed but you need to keep a check on them since these trails meander frequently.

Two unique features that keep children of all ages interested are the ‘Castle Rocks’ at the Northwest turn around and the spring pool at the Northeast side trail.

Castle Rocks…

Walking in the Rain…

by taohobo

Walking the East side of Bluff Point on Saturday is looking like it’ll be dry walk according to one weather source and maybe some rain or light snow by the other one I use to plan what to wear, bring, etc.

Regardless of any precipitation we’re looking at temperatures creeping into the 40º zone by the end of our walk. So, I’m walking…

Since this will be a Pancake Breakfast (at Ledyard Congregational Church – free or goodwill donation that benefits a local non-profit group from 7:30-10:00) we’d normally car pool from the breakfast at 9:00. Since Bluff Point has plenty of parking you can just plan on meeting at Bluff Point State Park to begin the walk at 9:30. If you do want to car pool from church I’ll be leaving there at 8:45, it’s nice to be at the walk site before the early birds.

Be sure to check the sidebar for additional information about checking in, the release form, safety, etc.

If the weather takes a drastic down turn any cancellation notice will be here on the main page early Saturday morning. Not anticipated, but this is New England, and it is supposed to be winter.

If you’re a birder bring binoculars or a spotting scope since we’ll likely see loons on Mumford Cove.

Just Loony…

by taohobo

There’s a backside to every story. There’s a backside to walking at Bluff Point State Park that also has a contemplative side, a connection to Haley Farm State Park in Noank, and a loony side.

But, what always draws me to the backside of Bluff Point in the winter are the loons that winter over in the cove. It’s one place where I can almost always find a loon or two floating and working the cove. Occasionally I’ve caught one on the edge of beach and watched its awkward scramble back to the safety of the water.

It’s not a sunning beach, mostly shells and gravel. It can be a “treasure” beach, especially for the young and young at heart. Shells, interesting stones, horseshoe crab shells… The things that spark a world of imagination – and often fill a child’s pockets (or bucket).

If you’d like to explore the backside of Bluff Point you can join me on Saturday, February 1st. (See the side bar ”Upcoming Walks and Hikes”.) or you can also use this link to Bluff Point Eastern Trail in AllTrails.com and explore on your own.

Enjoy the hike..!

An Easy Farm Trail

by taohobo

The background is not the type of terrain you’ll be walking at Haley Farm State Park in Groton Connecticut. Although there are a variety of trails the main ones are wide and easy walking. There are some amazing stone walls and foundations from the old farm buildings.

AllTrails has over 200 photos, 50 comments, and 55 recorded walks of the trails to help you decide which of several options you have for walking here. These trails also link to trails in Bluff Point State Park.

Enjoy your walk, see you on the trail.

Past and upcoming…

by taohobo

Saturday was a perfect day to walk the Pike-Marshall preserve in Ledyard… Except no one showed up. If you’d like to see what you missed you can check out an earlier hike that I recorded in AllTrails (R) (click here). Check the sidebar for walks coming up on New Year’s Day & a short Pancake Breakfast on Saturday the 4th of January 2020.

Anemome quinquefolia

So easy…

by taohobo

To put off the things you enjoy doing for the things that appear urgent, not necessarily important, and to be detoured by little things like the weather. After all why couldn’t, wouldn’t you hike in the rain. Well maybe not in 50º temps and 20 knot winds. But, you must get my drift. Yes, I’m talking about this blog and walks and hikes in and about Ledyard, SE Connecticut, and further afield.

So there’s a walk scheduled for December 7th. I hope to see you there.

A Little Remiss…

by taohobo

Well, it has been quite a while since I’ve updated this blog. The fact that our last attempted hike was aborted because of a trail I’d planned on using needed maintenance isn’t a good excuse. Primarily because I did contact the organization about the trail and volunteered to do the clearing, which they accepted, and I did. It needs a touch up again, which I’ll be taking care of one day this coming week.

So, look forward, check back, be curious… This will be an active blog. I look forward to walking/hiking with you.

Spring is here, so…

by taohobo

Spring is here, so we’re probably all busy getting yards and gardens cleaned up and ready for the year. Here I’m busy making over my gardening and yardening after taking the UConn Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener course last year. Layered on top of that is all that I’m learning from volunteering at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center’s Giving Garden at Coogan Farm in Mystic about no-till-no-dig and bionutrient intensive farming.

So instead of cutting back on other activities, like this blog, I’m going to be ramping up my use of social media. Specifically, LedyardWalks will become more outdoors, nature oriented. As that happens there may some format changes as this evolves.

The walks will not change, my Pancake Breakfast Walk on the 1st Saturday of every month will continue. I’ll also be doing additional walks in Southeastern Connecticut, and nearby Rhode Island.

If you have a particular walk, or topic, you’d like to see covered in LedyardWalks let me know through the comments.

And, thanks for wayfaring

Early spring, Common Merganser male.

with me.