TM Report: West Rock Ridge SP

Date: May 3, 2015
Report Type: TM Report
Trail Name: West Rock Ridge SP
Town: Hamden
Trail Conditions: Dry and Rideable

Observations/Information: I worked on the Red-White Trail from Hill Street to its junction with the Red Trail where that trail is a wide gravel road. I reblazed the trail and pruned back the overgrowth. The new blazes are bright and really pop out. Other than the usual muddy spot near the brook, the trails are solid and dry.

I have been working on a state-approved project to relocate the Red Trail out of the field and into the woods by Farm Brook Reservoir. That work is progressing slowly, but steadily. In the final section, I literally have a wall of invasive plants to cut through. Today was a typical day. I through a layer of sharp-thorned greenbrier to reach an autumn olive shrub that I cut down piece by piece. With each piece, I had to drag it through to woods to find a place to place it. After I got through the autumn olive, I cut down a multi-flora rose, which kept catching me with its sharp thorns.

The motivation for the relocation is that there is nothing in the field to blaze, so when people come to the end of the gravel road, there is no clear indication which direction they need to go. This project will probably take another four to six weeks, depending on how much I get out there to work on it. After all the clearing is done, I need to rake the leaves to better define the path, and then blaze the trail.

Trail Ambassador Name: Tom Ebersold
Trail Ambassador E-mail: bikehikekayak123 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
How did you use the trail? Hiking/Walking
Trails Ridden: Red and Red-White
Time of day: Afternoon
Time/Duration (hours): 6 hours
Approximate Distance (Miles): 2 miles
Image 1: Wood anemone, Red-White Tr. 5-15.jpg
Image 2: Rue anemone, Red-White Tr., 5-15.jpg
Image 3: Red-White Jct. with gravel road, 5-15.jpg
Image 4: Red-White Tr. by lake looking to field, 5-15.jpg
Image Description(s)/Instructions: Wood anemone and rue anemone are two wildflowers in bloom along the Red-White Trail. The Red-White Trail crosses an open field from Farm Brook Reservoir to the west side of the field. The blazes are faintly visible in the distance. The Red-White Trail has a junction with the Red Trail where the Red Trail is a gravel road.