H - Haystack Mountain State Park, Norfolk, CT

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

H - Haystack Mountain State Park, Norfolk, CT

 

 

 

 

 

Lookout Tower at the top!

 

 

 

Back in the swing of things! After a 3-day conference in Boston, and a visit from some Kentucky friends, I had a free day to hit the trails! I was undecided between Hidden Valley Preserve in Washington, or Haystack Mountain, which I had already ascended!

I decided on Haystack, but I would take "the long way," about a 2-mile loop around the back side of the mountain (see map above: Yellow trail).

"Steps" on the trail

Most people drive up the road almost to the top, then hop on one last steep stretch of trail to the summit. A stone and concrete lookout tower, constructed in 1929, allows for stunning panoramic views of the Taconic Range of New York, and the Berkshires of Massachusetts, as well as the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut.

An open meadow before entering the woods

 The "Yellow" trail starts off the park road as soon as you turn in off Route 272. There's not really a parking area here, but there's enough of a flat shoulder to pull off and park. The first leg of trail from the road up until an open meadow with mowed trails, is a bit overgrown (with some poison ivy). I could tell most people didn't follow this spur.

After it reached the mowed meadow, the trail entered the woods. The trail was wide and smooth, with few rocks or roots, and clearly blazed with yellow. The ascent was steady, but not steep. I was looking to take the right "fork" and follow the loop counter-clockwise to the summit.  I guess I missed the "fork" (more on that later), because I was soon ascending a steep, rocky path, that seemed familiar. This was the path that most people travel up to the summit. Rather than backtrack, I would just run the loop in reverse once I reached the summit.

Haystack Mountain Summit Tower

Just one of the amazing vistas! (Sorry for getting in the way!)

I took one "lap" around the overgrown road just below the tower, and was about to head down the mountain, when I heard a rustle in the canopy. I looked up, expecting a brance or acorn to fall from the trees, but instead it was a gray squirrel in a nose dive! It must have fallen 20 feet, but then sprung back up the neighboring tree, so I guess it was okay. I had never seen that in all my life! 
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One of the panoramic views from the tower

The spooky, curved staircase down the tower!

So I headed off down the other half of the yellow loop trail. It was mainly an old mountain road, but a soft enough, unpaved surface. It was quite a slope, so the pace was quick. I paused for a moment to have a whistling conversation with a black-throated green warbler, but I couldn't coax it out of its hemlock hiding spot. I passed a hiker hustling up the way I was heading down.

The downhill trail

After passing through some old rock walls, the trail rejoined the main trail at a less-than-obvious junction. No wonder I had missed the turn on the way up!

"Busting through" an old rock wall!

I helped a couple of hikers with directions when I got back to my car. I also saw the ascending hiker jogging down the road. I asked him if he had stopped at the top, but he said he just went "right up and back down!" Amazing!

As I was having a banana snack in my car before leaving, the White Memorial Summer Camp van passed by, then reversed until it was even with me. A familiar face (my wife) asked if I wanted to join them on an ascent to the summit. I declined, but wished them well! 

I contemplated tacking on a hike at Hidden Valley Preserve (a bonus "H" hike), but my feet had a dissenting opinion. So home for lunch!

Notable Sightings:

• Red-eyed Vireo
• Eastern Wood-Pewee
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Hermit Thrush (seen at summit)
• Black Vulture (seen soaring at eye level from tower)
• Gray Squirrel (falling out of tree!)
• Black-throated Green Warbler (had a whistling conversation with)
• Black-and-White Warbler (saw!)
• Common Yellowthroat
•  Blue-headed Vireo? (heard)