Pick Up the New Issue of Backpacker!

Check out the December issue of Backpacker magazine and read my hike description of Ragged Mountain! You can pick it up at Barnes and Noble or Eastern Mountain Sports. Forthcoming in Backpacker: my hike description of the Appalachian-Mohawk Loop. Thanks for reading!

Leaves and Local Lore

"It’s a climb," warned the man with the dog.
Great, I thought, and although a few unexpected ascents had just mashed my quads into jelly, I really meant it, too. That’s because this perfect Columbus Day morning was less about my actual bike ride and more about the destination itself- the top of Central Connecticut’s legendary Hanging Hills.
I followed the man’s directions to the closed gate at the other end of Meriden’s Hubbard Park. I had another 45 minutes before the scenic road would be opened to cars, so I squeezed around the barrier and began my ride up to what many consider to be the best view in Connecticut.
Just the day before, my wife and I took a foliage drive in the Berkshires of Massachusetts and were surprised with the lack of color north of the border. I wanted to get a perspective of our own state’s foliage, and what better place to do so than Castle Craig, the highest point within 25 miles of the coast between Florida and Maine?
I don’t know if it was the stillness of Merimere Reservoir or the perfect sky it mirrored, but the leaves of East Peak were screaming autumn. Here the road is relatively flat, and with the lake at an elevation of just 394 feet above sea level, Castle Craig taunts you from its perch at 976 feet.
It was at a time when this road was still a dirt path that one of the area’s most captivating campfire stories crept into Connecticut lore forever. In the late 1800's, a New York geologist visited the area to study formations left by the ancient lava flows responsible for creating the Hanging Hills. Beside Lake Merimere, he had an encounter with the infamous Black Dog of West Peak. It had already been widely believed that three encounters with this mysterious canine would certainly lead to death. To make a long story short, the geologist, of course, made two more visits to Central Connecticut.
With my only canine encounter being the white lapdog in the parking lot, my true climb began at the far end of the reservoir, where the road is canopied by trees for the rest of the two miles up to East and West Peaks. After standing on my pedals for much of the climb, I came to the fork in the road that brings you to either of these summits. I initially bore right to the higher West Peak, to which hikers can follow the blue-blazed Metacomet Trail. The 1,800 acres of Hubbard Park also attract lots of mountain bikers who enjoy the varied terrain of the land. This road, however, brings you up the steepest part of the entire ascent to the radio towers shooting up from the relatively uneventful 1,024-foot summit.
A quick descent back to the fork, though, brought me to the vacant parking area of the lower- but much more rewarding- East Peak; there was still plenty of time before the gate down below would be opened to cars, but I was still the only one at the summit on this holiday morning.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 32-foot Castle Craig, which will have been dedicated 106 years ago on October 29, was a gift of Meriden businessman Walter Hubbard. During its century atop Hubbard Park, the much older-looking castle has attracted generations of hikers to the top of East Peak. The 1935 Connecticut Guide, for example, talks up the Hanging Hills as a must-see destination for travelers: "The central peak gives a complete horizon from its stone tower, Castle Craig. . . East of this, nestling among wooded hills, is Lake Merimere, with a picturesque wooded island at the lower end."
I can’t imagine that much has changed here since these lines were published over 70 years ago. As I mentioned earlier, Merimere is still "picturesque," and as I stood at the top of the castle, that "complete horizon" I came for was still there, too. As for the foliage, the colors were still working their way onto the canvas of the panorama, but with views of Long Island to the south and Massachusetts to the north, there wasn’t any place I’d rather be than Central Connecticut.
At least not that I could see from here.

Less Daylight Means More Adventure

I thought having a frog catapulted through the spokes and into my chest was my weirdest cycling story. Then on my ride into work last week, I came within a few feet of hitting a raccoon, and when you’re rolling along in the dark on two skinny tires, any mammal is a big one.
She scrambled to the safety of a nearby storm drain, where I imagine she grappled with the incongruity of a cyclist outside of his typically diurnal world. Meanwhile, with nearly an hour til sunrise, it hit me that such an encounter makes sense for this time of year- a season in limbo, and one that is strange for all species.
At either end of these early autumn days, I’ve noticed more runners and cyclists working out in the dark. In fact, if I hadn’t announced the arrival of dawn to my masked, furry friend, then the group of runners I see training for a marathon each morning would have.
It seems ironic to me that activities requiring us to wear florescent colors and reflective piping just to make it home alive are the ones that we find time for. All the other things we love to do in the fall- hiking, paddling, mountain biking- seem to be reserved for the daylight hours of the weekend. For whatever reason, heading into the wilderness after dark is synonymous with insanity, while jogging at rush hour is perfectly acceptable.
At least this seems to be the case here in the Northeast. Or maybe it’s just wherever there are trees to block the light of the moon. Barren, western landscapes, on the other hand, are among the most popular destinations for nighttime adventurers. From hiking at Bryce Canyon to paddling at Lake Tahoe, the full moons of the cool American desert offer just as many adventures as the Southwest’s baking sun.
Connecticut, however, has limited opportunities for nighttime adventures. At least legal ones. Our favorite trails and state parks close at sunset, so most Connecticut residents never get to experience the magic of a moonlit excursion.
There are, however, some outdoor organizations in our state that sponsor nighttime adventures and usually organize these around the full moons.
For instance, the Connecticut Audubon Society will lead a hike beneath the full Frost Moon of November 3rd. Sometimes called a Beaver Moon because this creature is busy readying her home for the approaching winter, the moon will illuminate the hikers’ way through the 152-acre Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary in Fairfield. Visit http://www.ctaudubon.org for more information.
Beneath the full Harvest Moon which peaked at 11:13 last Friday night, New Haven Parks and Recreation led a group of experienced paddlers for a nighttime tour of New Haven Harbor and Lighthouse Park. NHPR will also be hosting a sunset hike at the West Rock State Park’s Nature Center this Thursday, October 12 at 5:30 pm. On November 5th, the NHPR will again offer the Lighthouse Park paddling tour, but participants must pass a brief safety test before departing. Visit www.cityofnewhaven.com/parks for registration information.
If you look hard enough at the online message boards where area mountain bikers congregate, you’ll also be able to find loosely planned- if not spontaneous- full moon rides.
But you’ll also find that many of these private-but-open excursions take place regardless of the phase of the moon, and with such great nighttime equipment available, it’s no wonder. From headlights to headlamps, the latest technology helps make the darkest of trails accessible with bright and lightweight gear. Outside magazine’s "Gear of the Year" awards for 2006 rated six of the top brand headlamps, looking at their price, weight and lifetime. Ranging from $33 to $110, the list was topped by the Petzl Tikka XP. At just 3.4 ounces, Outside called this their "go-to lamp for trail runs." Visit http://www.petzl.com./
Whether the light that leads you is from the full moon above or the LED on your forehead, the nighttime woods and water can offer something unique to your outdoor excursion. The most worn trail is now unexplored. The most trafficked waters are now uncharted. Your own backyard . . .strange.

The Jack Kerouac 5K: 10/1/06 in Lowell, MA

My friend Pete and I have run the Kerouac race together for the past two years. The course brings runners through historic Lowell, the Massachussetts town in which the legendary writer grew up. Proceeds from the race are awarded as a scholarship for an area student majoring in journalism.