Winterberrys and Posts

Saturday was a beautiful Fall day, warm, clear, with a lot of people out enjoying the parks.

The big beech tree near the Red Barn is finally turning.  This one had held on to summer later than all the rest, but the frosts were finally getting to it.  Winter is coming.

The wildlife is getting ready for Fall yesterday too.  Here's a flock of turkeys in their natural habitat; the 12th green at Tashua Knolls.  They need to move out of the way quicker, Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away.

Sunday was a different day, it started out a somber grey, but it looked dry enough so we started to install the last of the trail marker posts on the Paugussett Trail.  It was misting when I started, but not too bad.

But then it rained once I got out at the Wiacek Open Space on Constitution Boulevard North.  Since everything was wet we kept on going.  The trail marker posts go along the edge of the meadow and the blazes are high enough to be seen when the hay is high.

The Winterberrys are in rare form this year.  This one is at the junction to the Soundview Garden Cut-Off Path.  They like full sun and wet feet.  They really stand out in this portion of the Paugussett Trail now that the leaves are down.

The Asiatic Bittersweet was also doing well along the powerlines.  A non-native invasive species that's not good to have but it's tough to control and spreads along corridors like the powerlines.

South of Wellington Court the trail was re-routed off the powerlines into the woods.  If you look closely, you can see the holes drilled by a sapsucker into this small tree right above the blaze to turn right.

A post was added to replace a small stone cairn on the powerlines South of Wellington Court.  Chuck Sack from CFPA had walked the route and the additional marker should clear up any confusion on which way to go when traveling north.  Somebody topped a bunch of pines under the powerlines and left all the tops right along the trail - probably the power company - hopefully it keeps down some of the briars.

The rain had turned to a dense fog by the time I finished at Wellington Court.  Another post was added to show the turn going South - see it's clear as a bell.

One reason that we try to make the blazes clear is to help hikers and residents find their way during bad weather.  Today was a good test.

Helpful Trail Tip:  Remember to put a flashlight in your pocket when going out on late afternoon walks this time of the year, particularly if the weather is iffy.

An Independent Bunch of Scouts

The residents of Shelton were fortunate enough to have not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5; count'um 5 eagle scout project completed in August, 2013.  It's a new record, with more on the way in the Fall.

Two separate projects from Troop 27 were completed north of Independence Drive along the Paugussett Trail Extension.  Wesley Sekelsky's team constructed two footbridges, re-routed trail, constructed an earthen ramp, and cleared bush for two stream crossings.

Daniel Vigezzi's team also constructed a bridge and moved a number of stones along the stream.

Both sets of improvements are part of a larger project to extend the Paugussett Trail from Indian Well State Park to Buddington Road this year.  

The earthen ramp down from the north side of  Independence Drive makes for a much easier walk or ride.

These two bridges criss-cross a pair of wetlands that we had to cross when the trail was relocated off the powerlines at the request of CFPA.  This should reduce our maintenance efforts because the powerlines always needed a lot of mowing in the Spring.

Dozens of groups and volunteer work parties have been chipping away at this 6 mile trail extension.  Good job Wesley and Daniel and all your team mates - thank you for all your hard work.

Update: A surplus of $373.55 was donated to the Conservation Commission and is ear-marked to be used for future Eagle Scout projects. 

Update 2020: One of the bridges was moved as part of a trail relocation.

Update 2025: One bridge was replaced due to rotting boards.