OakAshandThorn
27-10-2015, 12:46 PM
Autumn has made its presence known here in the Northeast; our forests in Connecticut have reached their peak colour transition, the nights are getting longer and chillier, and farmers are completing their harvests before winter sets in. The excitement also draws folks from out-of-state, touring our back-roads and parks to see for themselves the grandeur of Nature’s fiery foliage, a beloved hallmark of our rural countryside.
I figured it would be ideal for me to make a 3 day-2 night journey on the Ives’ Trail – the time-off would be a welcome celebration after finishing all the tiresome work overhauling the front yard at home. In the morning on Tuesday the 19th, I set out to the Ives’ House and the trail-head.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7402_zpscr2fzegp.jpg
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7400_zps74mxqgjc.jpg
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7398_zps0l8l1qp6.jpg
After looking around for a short while, I hopped back on the bike and made my way to the trail-head, just down the road. From there, it was a steady climb up Town Hill (summit 820 ft/250 m). Near the top I came across the ruins of an old mansion, dating back to the very late 1800s.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7407_zpsyxpu40cj.jpg
Many people mistakenly call it a "castle" due to the stone construction, disregarding the fact that many other structures built before the 1900s were also made with stone, such as cellars, cottages, and spring houses. This building has Victorian architecture. It was constructed in 1879 as a summer mansion for local photographer E. Starr Sanford. After only 5 years, Sanford sold it and the property passed through multiple owners until the town of Danbury acquired it in 1985.
It was a nice place to stop for a bit and have some granola for a quick snack.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Cocaireacht/IMGP7410_zpsbhgcgc3i.jpg
This is a mixture I put together myself, consisting of some pre-made gluten free granola (Bear Naked Maple-icious Pecan), dehydrated slices of heirloom old-stock apples (mostly Newtown Pippin), and for an extra kick of calories and fat, 1 qt of raw sunflower seeds. This mixture was great for breakfast meals and for snacking.
Before I started on again, I noticed nearby the old mansion were the ruins of a circular stone wall.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7409_zps3srzktdi.jpg
After the trip I did some research and found out that this was likely the spot of one of Mr. Sanford's gardens. Apparently he also had a goldfish pond somewhere on the property.
I continued on descending a steep side of Town Hill, crossed a road, and made my way over to the adjacent Laurel Hill (summit 787 ft/240 m). From there, once you reach the southern foot of the hill, the Ives' Trail branches off in two directions: to the left, it continues south past Beaver Lake and into the towns of Bethel and Redding; to the right, the trail meanders mostly west and south, down to and up over Black Oak Ridge (aka Thomas Mtn, summit 938 ft/286 m), up and down Hemlock Heights (aka Moses Mtn, summit 971 ft/296 m), and beyond into Ridgefield. I decided to go to the right as the rugged and steep terrain would give me a nice challenge.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7420_zpscm7qys3k.jpg
This brook snakes into the valley bisecting Black Oak Ridge and Laurel Hill, fed by runoff down from the ridge and a marsh farther to the south. Normally there would be more water flow, but the dry weather we've been having has dried up many streams.
Climbing Black Oak Ridge via the Ives' Trail cannot be done whilst riding the bike. The angle of the slope is just too steep, and the only recovery spots are a few switchbacks. Thankfully, there wasn't a mess of leaves to disguise any loose rocks from view. I pushed the bike up most of the way until I reached near the top. Then I came to a 3 way branch-off. One direction I knew would take me off the Ives' and down the ridge in a loop. The other two directions seemed plausible to follow, but I couldn't be sure since the Ives' Trail markers were not present on either paths. Unfortunately, my topo map wasn't of much help, since it was printed just two years before the Ives' Trail was created. I remembered briefly looking at a posted overview map back at the trail-head, but this also wasn't helpful as that map didn't include many of the visual features portrayed on my topo map. So I hopped off my bike and went down both directions for a short distance, hoping to at least see one marker indicating that I was on the Ives' Trail. Alas, there were none, so I walked back to my bike, studied the topo map and thought for a few minutes, and then made my best guess.
Fortunately for me, my guess was accurate. But it wasn't until I was partway down the other side of Black Oak Ridge when I saw the trail markers again...this was the Terre Haute section of the Ives' Trail, which parallels the contour lines of the ridge for about 3 miles/5 km.
After a little over a half mile/ .8 km, the Ives' branches off and continues down to the valley of Black Oak Ridge and Hemlock Heights. It was there that I was bestowed the view of a beautiful gorge.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7431_zpsdesa4gl5.jpg
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7434_zpsb7wrodg7.jpg
At the very bottom was a rocky brook that threads through the valley, feeding into a lake about a half mile to the north. There was no water flow to be seen due to the dry weather.
All around the gorge were large boulder formations, left behind by the glaciers. As I crossed the brook and started the climb up Hemlock Heights, I looked behind to see the view of the gorge from that side. It was just as beautiful, but with a bonus - there was an overhang formed by a ledge just below part of the Ives' Trail on Black Oak Ridge, near the brook. I took note of its location and planned to stop-by there the next day.
Ascending Hemlock Heights was challenging, as the first 250 ft/76 m or so was nothing but a mess of large stones on and all around the trail, and the incline was at a steep angle. Perhaps if I didn't have the bike to push up, the ascent wouldn't have been so tricky. Eventually I made my way near the summit, where I stopped for a short break at the edge of a dense grove of Canada Hemlocks.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7439_zpshs1dxiyw.jpg
Here, the trail is much more manageable on the bike :).
It was a little after 14:00 when I started the descent down Hemlock Heights. In the distance I heard the pow and bangs of firearms from Wooster Mountain State Park, where there is a public shooting range.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7447_zpsfm3bupoo.jpg
Here's a view of Spruce Mtn (summit 892 ft/272 m), part of the state park.
As I continued the descent, I stopped at the Ives' Trail Register and wrote down my name, trail name, how long I intended my trip to be, and some other info.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7441_zpszcure8fg.jpg
I figured it would be ideal for me to make a 3 day-2 night journey on the Ives’ Trail – the time-off would be a welcome celebration after finishing all the tiresome work overhauling the front yard at home. In the morning on Tuesday the 19th, I set out to the Ives’ House and the trail-head.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7402_zpscr2fzegp.jpg
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7400_zps74mxqgjc.jpg
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7398_zps0l8l1qp6.jpg
After looking around for a short while, I hopped back on the bike and made my way to the trail-head, just down the road. From there, it was a steady climb up Town Hill (summit 820 ft/250 m). Near the top I came across the ruins of an old mansion, dating back to the very late 1800s.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7407_zpsyxpu40cj.jpg
Many people mistakenly call it a "castle" due to the stone construction, disregarding the fact that many other structures built before the 1900s were also made with stone, such as cellars, cottages, and spring houses. This building has Victorian architecture. It was constructed in 1879 as a summer mansion for local photographer E. Starr Sanford. After only 5 years, Sanford sold it and the property passed through multiple owners until the town of Danbury acquired it in 1985.
It was a nice place to stop for a bit and have some granola for a quick snack.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Cocaireacht/IMGP7410_zpsbhgcgc3i.jpg
This is a mixture I put together myself, consisting of some pre-made gluten free granola (Bear Naked Maple-icious Pecan), dehydrated slices of heirloom old-stock apples (mostly Newtown Pippin), and for an extra kick of calories and fat, 1 qt of raw sunflower seeds. This mixture was great for breakfast meals and for snacking.
Before I started on again, I noticed nearby the old mansion were the ruins of a circular stone wall.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7409_zps3srzktdi.jpg
After the trip I did some research and found out that this was likely the spot of one of Mr. Sanford's gardens. Apparently he also had a goldfish pond somewhere on the property.
I continued on descending a steep side of Town Hill, crossed a road, and made my way over to the adjacent Laurel Hill (summit 787 ft/240 m). From there, once you reach the southern foot of the hill, the Ives' Trail branches off in two directions: to the left, it continues south past Beaver Lake and into the towns of Bethel and Redding; to the right, the trail meanders mostly west and south, down to and up over Black Oak Ridge (aka Thomas Mtn, summit 938 ft/286 m), up and down Hemlock Heights (aka Moses Mtn, summit 971 ft/296 m), and beyond into Ridgefield. I decided to go to the right as the rugged and steep terrain would give me a nice challenge.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7420_zpscm7qys3k.jpg
This brook snakes into the valley bisecting Black Oak Ridge and Laurel Hill, fed by runoff down from the ridge and a marsh farther to the south. Normally there would be more water flow, but the dry weather we've been having has dried up many streams.
Climbing Black Oak Ridge via the Ives' Trail cannot be done whilst riding the bike. The angle of the slope is just too steep, and the only recovery spots are a few switchbacks. Thankfully, there wasn't a mess of leaves to disguise any loose rocks from view. I pushed the bike up most of the way until I reached near the top. Then I came to a 3 way branch-off. One direction I knew would take me off the Ives' and down the ridge in a loop. The other two directions seemed plausible to follow, but I couldn't be sure since the Ives' Trail markers were not present on either paths. Unfortunately, my topo map wasn't of much help, since it was printed just two years before the Ives' Trail was created. I remembered briefly looking at a posted overview map back at the trail-head, but this also wasn't helpful as that map didn't include many of the visual features portrayed on my topo map. So I hopped off my bike and went down both directions for a short distance, hoping to at least see one marker indicating that I was on the Ives' Trail. Alas, there were none, so I walked back to my bike, studied the topo map and thought for a few minutes, and then made my best guess.
Fortunately for me, my guess was accurate. But it wasn't until I was partway down the other side of Black Oak Ridge when I saw the trail markers again...this was the Terre Haute section of the Ives' Trail, which parallels the contour lines of the ridge for about 3 miles/5 km.
After a little over a half mile/ .8 km, the Ives' branches off and continues down to the valley of Black Oak Ridge and Hemlock Heights. It was there that I was bestowed the view of a beautiful gorge.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7431_zpsdesa4gl5.jpg
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7434_zpsb7wrodg7.jpg
At the very bottom was a rocky brook that threads through the valley, feeding into a lake about a half mile to the north. There was no water flow to be seen due to the dry weather.
All around the gorge were large boulder formations, left behind by the glaciers. As I crossed the brook and started the climb up Hemlock Heights, I looked behind to see the view of the gorge from that side. It was just as beautiful, but with a bonus - there was an overhang formed by a ledge just below part of the Ives' Trail on Black Oak Ridge, near the brook. I took note of its location and planned to stop-by there the next day.
Ascending Hemlock Heights was challenging, as the first 250 ft/76 m or so was nothing but a mess of large stones on and all around the trail, and the incline was at a steep angle. Perhaps if I didn't have the bike to push up, the ascent wouldn't have been so tricky. Eventually I made my way near the summit, where I stopped for a short break at the edge of a dense grove of Canada Hemlocks.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7439_zpshs1dxiyw.jpg
Here, the trail is much more manageable on the bike :).
It was a little after 14:00 when I started the descent down Hemlock Heights. In the distance I heard the pow and bangs of firearms from Wooster Mountain State Park, where there is a public shooting range.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7447_zpsfm3bupoo.jpg
Here's a view of Spruce Mtn (summit 892 ft/272 m), part of the state park.
As I continued the descent, I stopped at the Ives' Trail Register and wrote down my name, trail name, how long I intended my trip to be, and some other info.
http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/ah141/DuirOnnCrataegus/Ceardaiocht%20agus%20dulra/IMGP7441_zpszcure8fg.jpg