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