Great Pond - Kaye Loop

I returned today to hike the Kaye Loop at Great Pond Preserve. It was ridiculously hot and humid but nevertheless - still nice to be outside in the woods.

Oops!

This short trail was a dead end!

Cedar...

The dead cedar trees here are abundant. I felt this one was looking at me! 

Kaye Loop

I hiked this loop counter clockwise.

There's a large ravine on the right

Gotta love those ferns!

At the top of a very steep climb, thoughtfully there was a bench to catch your breath

Bench Location

Short Video

Its a nice park - I'll be back!

Second Visit - Shoddy Mill Hollow

I returned for a second visit to this park to get a closer view of the old dam. It was hard to find the trail on the east side of the creek that led to the dam.

The hard-to-locate trail head

A short hike

At the Dam

The pond

This was a covered gate to a small sluiceway

A Short Video

Perhaps there were supporting wooden structures here?

Why is it called "shoddy"?

This mill produced “shoddy” (reclaimed wool, usually made from rags, which can be processed into felt or fabric of inferior quality.

"Shoddy is the name given to an inferior woolen yarn made by shredding scraps of woolen rags into fibers, grinding them and then mixing them with small amounts of new wool. The object was to manufacture a cheap cloth which could be made into products and clothes."

An early evening quickie at Smith School

I returned for an early evening quickie at the Smith School trails and discovered a few new trails. Its generally an easy ride there - everything is pretty flat but there's a couple of trails on the northeast side heading to the power lines that are steep.

I ended up at the powerlines at the orange square indicator and had a bomb down the gravel trail then rode the trails to the south of the main paved trail to finish off the ride,

Map indicates where the additional trails (square ovals) are, as well as where I joined up with established trails (solid squares).

No photos were taken in the woods - just at the power line bomb!

Looking north

Looking south

A Secret Hideaway!

Close by but very secluded!

Earle Park - Glastonbury

I took a brief hike in Earle Park - it's a small area that provides access to the Connecticut River...

AllTrails map

Entrance

small pond

I made a beeline to the river and had to pass through a couple of lush green swampy areas full of mosquitos! 

There was a field for horseback jumping off on a short side trail..

I suppose I could try mountain biking here at another time - the trails had a nice vibe..

At the riverside there's a nice beach!

Lots of tree canopy in spots...

Nothing spectacular here but a nice spot for a leisurely hike.

Cotton Hollow Mountaineering!

My good friend Kevin Malone came up to visit and we went on an adventure in Cotton Hollow. My goal was to reach the old 3-story mill ruins. Despite rigorous mountaineering over some very treacherous trails,  we were only able to get close enough to barely see it. The last stretch was impassable :-(

This is the swimming hole...

Gorgeous scenery!

The climbing was crazy!!!

End. of the Line...

We were close - but...

Heading Back

It was even more tricky going down these crazy trails then coming up them!

Hard to tell but we are up pretty high...

It was so rugged and picturesque...

Yep - another wonderful adventure checking out the splendors of South Glastonbury - Ooo yeah!!!