12/28/2015
As we approach the end of 2015, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on where I went and what I saw on my journey to hike 500 miles in a calendar year.
After my previous hike (#150), I still had 3.4 miles to goal. So, I made my way over to Gay City State Park yesterday and took a quick 6.0 mile hike with Roscoe. I decided to take the hike at Gay City because I wanted to pass the 500 mile mark on the same trail, the Red Trail, where I originally had the idea to try and hike 500 miles in 365 days in the first place. While there, I thought about how to recap the hike because I don’t typically do separate recaps for trails I’ve previously covered. However, I also wanted to make sure I did something because the hike which actually took me over the 500 mile mark is a significant one. What I decided to do is type up a quick paragraph and include a breakdown of the mileage per trail/trail system. I’m also including a collection of my favorite pictures from 2015 below.
216.2 .:. Gay City State Park and Case Mountain Trails
171.5 .:. Appalachian Trail*
37.9 .:. Tunxis Trail**
22.5 .:. Nehantic Trail
20.1 .:. Mattabesett Trail***
14.6 .:. Savannas State Park
13.0 .:. Long Trail****
4.5 .:. New England Trail
1.2 .:. Pachaug Trail
1.1 .:. Nehantic-Pachaug Crossover Trail
*Appalachian Trail mileage includes side trails
**Tunxis Trail mileage includes a portion of the Shelter Four Loop Trail
***Mattabesett Trail mileage includes a portion of the Lone Pine Trail
****Long Trail mileage includes side trails in the Mount Mansfield Area
Summary: I’m somewhat surprised to find less than half of my total distance was spent in Gay City State Park and Case Mountain. When I first started planning how to accomplish this goal without typing a recap every time out, I thought for sure at least two thirds of the miles would be within one or both of these “local” parks. I’m also surprised to see just how many miles I hiked on the AT this year. I knew I spent a lot of time on that particular trail, but I didn’t realize I spent almost as much time on that trail as I did on the Gay City/Case Mountain trails. Finally, I’m surprised and somewhat disappointed I only spent 4.5 miles on the New England Trail. Typically, I prefer to save my NET hikes for when I have maintenance done on my car (the dealership is closer to the NET than it is to my house). So, I may need to reconsider this in the future.
500 Miles in 2015 .:. In Photos
Note: I had a hard time putting these pictures in a standard “Top 20” order. So, I decided to post them chronologically. Larger versions of each image are available on the individual hike recap page.
On only my fourth hike of 2015, the Nehantic Trail brought me up this gravel road and to the ominous looking farmhouse in the distance. The farm, having seen better days, provided an erie feeling and inspired me to title the recap “The Walking Dead”. |
Prior to this hike (#125), I noticed what looked like frozen tears on the side of my eyes in some of my hike recap photos. I thought the goggles would help with what I was calling “cold eyes”. If I had known how much of a bad ass I would look like, I would’ve ordered them sooner. |
After hiking 70 miles from January 1st to February 1st, the snow came and slowed my pace to only 48.3 miles from February 8th to March 21st. Thankfully, in late March, I took a vacation in Florida and made a pair of hikes at Savannas State Park. This picture is from the first hike. |
On the second Savannas State Park hike, I crossed this power line cut. I don’t typically get excited about power line cuts, but this one included a strange announcement (“This is a test…this is only a test” followed by a countdown) which reminded me of the hatch scenes in the second season of the TV show L O S T. |
This picture is from Hike #130, while I was on the Tunxis Trail when I returned to Connecticut. The snow melt was in full swing and I was happy to be back out on the trail with my buddy. |
On the very next hike, we had "Perfect" weather as we continued making our way northbound on the Tunxis. In this photo, we are overlooking Lake McDonough in Barkhamsted, Connecticut. |
A few weeks later, on Hike #135, I returned to the Appalachian Trail and made my way southbound from Route 41 to Rand’s View. I had seen the same view in November of 2014, but the promise of spring made the view even better this time around. It also provided a nice preview of the ridge I would be hiking on over the next several hikes. |
This photo, from the summit of Bear Mountain in Connecticut, was taken on Hike #137. It provides a great view to the north of Mount Race and Mount Everett in Massachusetts. I didn’t know this at the time, but only a few months later, I would summit both of those peaks. |
After a three month break from hiking, we made our annual trip to Stowe. My friend Eric took this photo as I was climbing back up a section of the Long Trail which includes ladders. I really enjoy the technical aspect of this section, but circumstances have forced me to turn around twice now. |
After our Stowe trip, I didn’t immediately return to hiking. I had been training for the Hartford Half-Marathon for months and I didn’t want to risk injury so close to the “finish line”. Once I did return to hiking, the timing was perfect for fall foliage, as seen in this picture, from Hike #140. |
On the very next hike, I made my way up Jug End. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Mount Greylock can be seen in the distance. This picture also provided a nice preview of the trail I would be hiking on over the next couple of months. |
This photo, from Hike #142, shows the monument for Shay’s Rebellion. Located right on the Appalachian Trail, the monument marks the last battle of a rebellion which took place more than 225 years ago. |
This photo was taken on one of the most emotionally and physically draining hikes I’ve ever made, Hike #145. I spent the first half of this hike walking in the rain for three hours. Thankfully, I had this unique encounter with these cows so the memories aren’t all bad. |
On the very next hike, I made my way to Upper Goose Pond Cabin in Lee, Massachusetts. Before heading back to the car, I spent some time exploring the area around the cabin. The view from the dock overlooking the pond is one of my favorites from my time spent on the AT. |
I took this photo on Hike #149. There really isn’t anything special about this footbridge or this particular section of woods. I just think this picture perfectly captures the miles and miles of trail in between some of the more famous spots on the AT. As I’ve noted before, it isn’t all just hiking up and over mountains. In fact, there are many miles of trail which head through wetlands over footbridges similar to this one. |
On my final Appalachian Trail hike of 2015 (#150), I took this picture of icicles starting to form on the north side of Day Mountain in Dalton, Massachusetts. I like this photo because it shows how winter is just around the corner. |
Later, on the same hike, I crossed paths with this horse-drawn cart on my way back to the car. I spent a lot of time in the woods of the Berkshires this fall and it was strange to walk through a residential neighborhood. It got even weirder when I heard the click-clack of hooves on the pavement. I love this picture and I can’t think of a better way to close out 2015. |