Category: Hiking (Page 3 of 6)

HIKING MIANUS RIVER PARK
STAMFORD, CT
NOVEMBER 18, 2021

On a spectacular mid-November day, 10 DMAers and 2 spouses hiked
for 3.8 miles in a little over two hours through the beautiful trails at
Mianus River Park, a 391 acre nature reserve on the
Stamford/Greenwich border. The combination of some still colorful
leaves, glacial rock outcroppings and a forest floor largely free of low
foliage made for a very scenic hike. Alas, again we spotted no wildlife
but we did encounter many other hikers and their dogs on such a nice
day. No injuries or other mishaps occurred extending our safety record!
The beauty of these hikes is the opportunity to converse with each
other in a quiet setting and to get to talk to every hiker at some point
during the walk.

After the hike, ten of us enjoyed a delicious and well served lunch at
Jody’s 19 th Hole at the E Gaynor Brennan Golf Course in Stamford.
Our next hike will be on Thursday December 9 at 10:00 at Greenwich
Point. Always a DMA favorite for its flat path and spectacular views of
Manhattan, we welcome a return after a Covid enforced absence of
two years.
Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett

HIKING DEVIL’S DEN PRESERVE

WESTON, CT

MONDAY OCTOBER 25, 2021

    10:00 AM

The Devil’s Den Preserve’s original 1,400 acres  was purchased by The Nature Conservancy in 1966 using funds donated by Katherine Ordway, a local philanthropist. Today it encompasses over 1,700 acres and is the largest preserve in SW Connecticut. The history of the property goes back to 1767 when it was first used as a sawmill during the Revolution. Forestry was the principal use of the property until the 1930s but the many stone walls on the land indicate its use for agriculture as well. For about 80 years during that time span, charcoal was produced at over 30 sites on the property. There are woodlands, wetlands, ponds and streams on the acreage.

We will be hiking a trail of about 4 miles which we rate as easy to moderate. The trails are mostly wide and well maintained but often have rocks and roots as you would expect. There are no serious ups and downs but there is a fair degree of elevation change. We estimate the hike will take 2 ½ to 3 hours.

There will be no lunch after this hike.

As usual we welcome friends, spouses and others to join us. These hikes are a great way to meet new members and to have a chance to converse in an outdoor environment. NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED AT DEVIL’S DEN.

Devil’s Den is accessed off of Exit 42 on the Merritt Parkway. The address is 30 Pent Road, Weston but Google Maps and Waze recognize Devil’s Den as a destination.

Contacts: Dave McCollum  and Bob Plunkett 

Not deterred by an overnight rain which left the trails a bit wet, a hardy group of
10 DMAers hiked about 5 miles in three hours over the Perry, Godfrey and
Aspetuck trails at the 1700 acre Devil’s Den Preserve in Weston. The damp ground
was offset by very mild and occasionally sunny weather. The trail markings and
signage at DD re very good and we navigated the course with nary a wrong turn.
Oh, wait a minute, the navigation excellence was actually more the result of
various hiker’s backwoods savvy and a nose for the correct direction!
The Preserve’s ownership by The Nature Conservancy dates to 1966 but the
property records go back to 1767. While forestry and agriculture were the
principal uses of the land, for eight decades the property was chiefly used to
produce charcoal. The accompanying photo shows one relic of that period. Again
on this hike, as was the case at Trout Valley last month, we saw very few humans
and only a worm and a toad for wildlife. These animals, which surely reside in
preserves like DD, must somehow know we are coming and spend the day in
hiding.
The next hike is scheduled for The Zofnass Family Preserve in Pound Ridge, NY on
Thursday November 18.
As of now, we plan to resume the optional lunch after this hike.
Spouses, friends and any others are encouraged to join us and dogs on a leash are
allowed at Zofnass.
Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett

 TROUT BROOK VALLEY HIKE

      WESTON, CT

          SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

                10:00 AM

On our first hike of the fall, we will return to the Trout Brook Valley Conservation area in Weston, an 1100 acre preserve that is part of the Aspetuck Land Trust, where we last hiked in 2019. Trout Brook Valley classifies their trails  as hard, medium and easy and your DMA hiking team discovered  that on our pre-hike where we tested a “hard” trail and found the description very accurate! We will not be using that trail for our hike of about 3 miles over easy and medium terrain. The preserve is still quite lush and green in September so it will be mostly shady. The trails are well maintained and the trail markings are excellent. There is some traversing of mostly flat rocky areas. This hike should be a great way to start off our fall season!

As always, friends, spouses, etc are welcome to join us. Dogs on a leash are permitted. There will be no lunch after the hike.

We will be using the Bradley Road entrance to the preserve in Weston. On Google maps or Waze enter Trout Brook Valley Preserve or 18 Bradley Road, Weston. The parking lot is not large so car pooling would be a good idea. If you let either of us know you will be joining us, we can arrange pools. The drive takes about 25 minutes from Darien.

Dave McCollum or Bob Plunkett

A small but enthusiastic group of seven spent a delightful two hours hiking the Green and Orange Trails at Trout Brook Preserve this morning, a cool and invigorating day to be in such beautiful woods. 

The 730 acre Trout Brook Preserve was purchased in 1999 by the Aspetuck Land Trust from the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company which was planning to sell it to a developer who wanted to construct over one hundred luxury homes and a golf course. The $11.3 million purchase price was raised jointly by the State of Connecticut and Aspetuck. Actor Paul Newman was among the contributors.

The trails we hiked were well maintained and of variable difficulty but nothing our group could not handle. We pretty much had the whole Preserve to ourselves as we saw very few other hikers which contributed to the quiet attractiveness of the trails. We crossed three brooks, one of which must have been Trout Brook, but saw no trout or other fauna other than a worm or two. So much for wild kingdom!

As usual on our hikes, the opportunity to talk to each other was a highlight. 

We hope a larger group of DMAers will join us on our next hike at Devil’s Den in Weston on Monday October 25.

Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett

HIKING WARD POUND RESERVATION

    MONDAY MAY 24, 2021

  10:00 AM

Ward Pound Reservation is a 4,315 acre park located in Cross River, New York with more than 35 miles of hiking trails over varied terrain. We plan to cover only a fraction of that, about 3 miles, with some moderate climbing and descending on the Leatherman’s Loop section. The reward for the climb is a spectacular view of the Cross River Reservoir and surrounding territory. The trails are wide (except for the up and down to the Loop), well maintained and clearly marked. For the adventurous, a short but steep side trip to see Leatherman’s Cave is an option! 

Guests and dogs on a leash are welcome and there will be no lunch after the hike which should take us about 2 hours.

We will assemble in the parking lot at the ticket booth (no fee) at 10:00 AM sharp and then drive our cars about a mile to a large parking lot at the trailhead (where there are porta pottys). DON’T BE LATE!

DIRECTIONS;

Address—6 Reservation Road, Cross River, NY 10518.

Reservation Road is Rte 121 and the entrance is just south of the intersection of 121 and Rte 35. Take either 124 up through New Canaan or the Merritt to exit 35 and then north on 137 to Inn at Pound Ridge. Past the Inn bear left on 137 to the end then right on 121 for 2.9 miles to the entrance.

CONTACTS: Dave McCollum and/or Bob Plunkett

Hike recap:

On a refreshing cool morning after the heat of the weekend, a hearty group of 12 (plus one dog) spent a delightful two hours exploring a tiny section of the mammoth 4,300 acre reservation in Cross River, NY. The park offers not only hiking over miles of trails but also camping, picnicking and horseback riding. Ever on the lookout for fauna, we spotted a fat worm and a tiny frog—wild kingdom! 

As on past hikes here we opted for the Leatherman’s Loop trail which climbs steeply to a scenic overlook of the Cross River Reservoir. Once on top we paused to admire the view and take some photos. As we descended from the viewpoint over a narrow but navigable trail we stopped again for a side trip up to Leatherman’s Cave, one of the many caves frequented by the legendary “Leatherman” who roamed the northeast around the mid 1800s. Four of our group hiked up the very steep rock path to the cave. Alas, he was not in residence.

We returned to the main trail to continue our 3 mile circuit back to the parking lot. A very pleasant hike in a beautiful and rugged park.

This was the final hike of the 20-21 DMA year. Since September of 2020,  we have been on 7 hikes or almost one a month, giving our hikers a chance to get outside to walk and talk to fellow DMAers despite the pandemic. We will resume our hiking program in September along with resuming the optional lunches.

Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett

Trailmaster: Dave McCollum

Greenwich Audubon Center in Greenwich, CT at 10:00 AM on Thursday April 22.

Greenwich Audubon Center is a 285 acre sanctuary which opened its doors in 1943 as Audubon’s first nature education center in the country. Located on land donated by Eleanor Clovis Reese and H Hall Clovis the center includes over 7 miles of trails through a rich diversity of hardwood forest, meadows, lakes, streams and vernal ponds. Also on the property are an expansive Nature Education Center, an old apple orchard and original New England homestead buildings.

We plan to meet in the main parking lot at 10 AM and hike for about two hours over varied terrain including one steep climb and several sections of rocky trail. We rate this as a hike of moderate plus difficulty. The footing on our pre-hike was very good. The scenery is spectacular particularly at this time of year before the leaves are out.

The Center is located at 613 Riversville Road in Greenwich on the north side of the Merritt Parkway. Exit at Round Hill Road and use GPS to get you to the center. As always, guests and spouses are welcome but no dogs on the property please! There will be no  lunch after this hike.

CONTACTS: Dave McCollum and Bob  Plunkett

Hike recap. On an unseasonably cold and windy April morning, twelve DMAers and guests hiked 2.8 miles in under two hours over spectacular terrain at the 285 acre property which also serves as the education center for Greenwich Audubon.
Located on land donated by the Clovis family the center’s trails traverse meadows, hardwood forests, lakes and some awesome rocks and ravines. Despite the heavy downpour yesterday, the trails were largely dry or just damp. With the
leaves still not out, the varied topography of the center was in full view. What was not in view was wildlife! We saw a grand total of one robin and a chipmunk! All hikers were totally up to the steep (160 vertical feet) path from the lake area
to the parking lot. This is a property that should be on our regular hiking rotation.

HIKING WAVENY PARK

    NEW CANAAN, CT

THURSDAY MARCH 25

    10 AM

Waveny Park in New Canaan is a 300 acre complex of athletic fields, extensive woodlands and numerous structures that was originally the Lapham Estate. Also on the park grounds are New Canaan High School and Waveny Life Care Network. It is a remarkable resource for New Canaan and surrounding towns.

We plan to meet at 10:00 AM in the first parking lot on the right after entering from South Avenue. This lot faces the large lawn used mostly for soccer. We will hike most of the woodland and parkland trails over a distance of 2.5 miles. The trails are wide and flat although the climb back to the parking lot from South Avenue is a little steep in spots. Be forewarned the wind up on the soccer field can be brutal but once in the woods no problem. Layer up if it is cold!

As always on our hikes guests are welcome and Waveny allows dogs on a leash. This venue should be another where it will be easy to keep distanced but have the opportunity to talk to each other in person, something we have missed during the pandemic.

The entrance to Waveny is at 677 South Avenue (Route 124) in New Canaan. There is ample parking.

CONTACTS: Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett 

Trip report:

Our first hike of spring took place in magnificent Waveny Park in New
Canaan on a cloudy but pleasant morning. A group of 12 DMAers and
guests plus two dogs enjoyed the well groomed trails and the chance to
meet face to face rather than over Zoom.

We hiked a total of 2.5 miles in a little more than an hour over mostly flat
terrain on the former Lapham Estate, now owned by the Town of New
Canaan. The trails are mostly through woods but closely border the Merritt
Parkway for a relatively noisy stretch! Once away from the traffic, all was
serene again.

As has been our practice since the start of the Pandemic, no lunch was
scheduled after the hike.

“HIKING” ROWAYTON

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2021

      9:00 AM

                 MEET AT ROWAYTON MARKET*

Please join us for a three mile tour of the village of Rowayton.

We will start out from the Rowayton Market at 9:00 AM and hike around most of the perimeter of Rowayton. Lot’s of water views and interesting architecture and history. While there will be some modest hills, for the most part the hike will be relatively flat over paved surfaces. It can be windy so layer up!

Guests and dogs on a leash are welcome. Should be fun!

*THERE IS PLENTY OF PARKING IN THE LOTS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE MARKET

Contacts:

Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett

HIKING ROWAYTON
JANUARY 15, 2021

Led by David McCollum and Bob Plunkett, a hearty group of 20 including
several guests participated in a walking tour of the coastal village of
Rowayton on a cool and windy Friday morning.
Our route started at the Rowayton Market and proceeded south along
Rowayton Avenue to the end and then around Pine Point and Nearwater
Lane to South Beach. DMA member Peter Tombros, a Bell Island resident,
joined us to get us access to the Rocky Point promontory surrounded on
three sides by the Sound. Normally a great place to see Manhattan, but the
misty weather blocked our view.
After a windy and cold stop for sightseeing,, we walked the length of Bell
Island over the stone bridge to the Rowayton Yacht Club. At that point, we
split into two groups, one taking the Sammis Street shortcut back to the
Market, and the remainder continued up Bluff Avenue and then down
Wilson back to the Market. About one and three quarters hours for the
longer walk.
A good start to what we hope is a series of winter walks over local venues.

Contact Dave McCollum or Bob Plunkett

“HIKING” SHERWOOD ISLAND STATE PARK

SHERWOOD ISLAND CONNECTOR

              WESTPORT, CT

      FRIDAY DECEMBER 11, 2020 AT 10:00

We will be walking about 3 miles through Sherwood Island State Park on mostly hard and gravel paths. Very little up and down. We will meet in the Pavilion parking lot at 10:00 AM. The Park hugs the Sound shoreline and is often quite windy. Dogs are permitted on a leash and, as always, bring anyone with you who would enjoy a one hour plus walk in a beautiful setting. NO LUNCH after.

HISTORY

Sherwood Island State Park is the oldest state park in Connecticut dating to 1914. The island itself was first settled by Daniel Sherwood in1787 where he built a grist mill. Over the next 70 years the land was farmed by many others but around 1860 the property became known as “Sherwood’s Island”

After the Connecticut State Park Commission was formed in 1911 the search for suitable shorefront property to buy was on. The first piece of the existing park was purchased in 1914 making this the oldest state park. The park officially opened in 1932 but not until 1950 did the Army Corps of Engineers build the jetties and extend the beaches. The Pavilion opened in 1959 and a 911 Memorial was added in 2002.

DIRECTIONS

This one is easy! Take Exit 18 off I-95 (Sherwood Island connector) and turn right towards the Sound. The road goes directly into the Park. Keep straight onto the wide roundabout and take the exit marked “Pavilion Parking”. We’ll meet at the front of that lot up towards the Pavilion.

Recap of hike:

A near record 22 DMA members, spouses and friends spent a wonderful hour and 45 minutes touring the perimeter of Sherwood Island on mostly flat and hard surface trails. The weather was magnificent as was the opportunity for hikers to see and talk to each other (even through our masks) rather than on Zoom. The easy terrain and wide paths made conversation possible and we took advantage of it by taking nearly two hours to walk three miles!

Sherwood Island, the oldest state park in Connecticut, covers 234 acres of mostly open shoreline but has a substantial wooded area as well. A beautiful feature of the park is the Connecticut 911 Memorial sited on a point with a direct view down towards New York City. The names of all Connecticut residents who died from that attack are memorialized on stones embedded on the monument. From that point we walked ¾ of a mile along East Beach to the end of the park at New Creek and then back to our starting point.

A thoroughly enjoyable day and a great way for us to get together outside during this pandemic. We will explore further walks over the winter.

cancelled

HIKING THE LEON LEVY PRESERVE

SOUTH SALEM, NY

  THURSDAY OCTOBER 22, 2020

9:30 AM

 The Leon Levy Preserve, formerly the Bell property, was purchased by the Town of Lewisboro in 2005. It is 383 acres of forest and wetland located in the watersheds of both New York City and Stamford. The preserve has an extensive, well marked, trail system, the ruins of the Black mansion (1899-1979) and other outbuildings. The scenery at this time of year is spectacular and the Preserve encompasses an impressive gorge and numerous large rock outcroppings. 

The hike of about 3+ miles (2 hours) we will take features mostly wide and well maintained trails which range from easy to moderate levels of difficulty. This hike should appeal to hikers of all levels of experience. As always, we welcome spouses, friends and dogs on a leash. No lunch.

DIRECTIONS:

The actual address of the Preserve is 2-50 Smith Ridge Road (Route 123) but Google 45 Smith Ridge Road in South Salem, NY which is a private house on the right side of the road. Just beyond that address is a sign for the Preserve on the left side indicating a left turn into the parking lot. The location is well up Rt 123 into NY State past Vista but short of Rt 35. There is ample parking.

Contacts:

Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett

Bob Plunkett

“HIKING” GREENWICH POINT PARK

6 TOD’S DRIFTWAY

OLD GREENWICH

Write up:

The US Postal Service has nothing on the DMA hikers—“neither rain nor snow…” oh, wait a minute, the day did not turn out badly after all! The overnight snow was still evident at 10:30 in the morning but not a footing issue and the sun came out later on the hike. A good size group of 17 including three spouses walked just short of 3 miles in an hour and a half around the spectacular property. It’s easy to see why Greenwich keeps it pretty much to residents for most of the year!

About half the group stayed on for a delicious lunch at the Beach House Café in Old Greenwich. 

Again this hike, as others, give us DMAers a chance to walk and talk in some really nice places!

Next hike—Sherwood Island Park in Westport Thursday, January 12 at 10:00 AM

Dave McCollum

Bob Plunkett

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2019

 HIKING  POMERANCE/MONTGOMERY PINETUM PARK

GREENWICH     10:00 AM

This 100 acre property is now owned by the town of Greenwich but was originally the estate of Ernest Seaton and later the home of financier Maurice Wertheim. The estate house was demolished by the town after falling into disrepair but the stone walls remain. Mr. Seaton is credited with starting a boys group called “The League of Woodcraft Indians” which evolved into the Boy Scouts. Wertheim’s daughter, Barbara Tuchman, lived on the property and wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning book “The Guns of August” there.

This hike is really more of a walk in the woods as the trails are wide, relatively flat and well maintained. It is a very scenic property with mature trees, rock outcroppings and moving water in addition to the historical features. As the property is relatively small, our hike will take approximately 2 hours after which we will enjoy an optional lunch at Louie’s Restaurant (136 River Road Ext.) nearby in Cos Cob.

DIRECTIONS: On Google Maps, enter Montgomery Pinetum on Bible Street in Cos Cob.  There is another entrance to the park but parking there is limited. Go to the Bible Street entrance. We will gather in front of the Greenhouse building at 10:00 AM.

Take I-95 south to Exit 5 and stay in left lane on the ramp to turn left at the light onto US 1 south. Proceed .8 miles across the Mianus River Bridge and turn right into Nassau Street and then a quick left onto Valley Road. After .2 miles turn right into Orchard Street and then a quick right onto Bible Street. Drive .8 miles to a left turn into Montgomery-Pinetum Park. 15-20 minutes from Darien with average traffic.

Contact: David McCollum