Date: February 26, 2011.
Location: River Highlands State Park
Condition of Trails: Between 8" and 12" of snow
Observations: I'm happy to report that the snow is melting, less happy to report that there's a fair amount of melting yet to do before the place is rideable on anything less than a snow bike with studded tires. There's still 10-12 inches in the shady blow hole, and 8-10 inches up on the ridges. The stream is running fast and clear with snowmelt.
The trails are littered with twigs, sticks, limbs, and even small trees in some places, and will require some dedicated cleanup work this spring. The snow is hard with a slippery crust of ice on the well packed trails, and also badly post-holed in many places.
I was amazed at all the evidence of animal activity. Tracks were everywhere. One entire hillside had been scraped clean of snow, probably by deer in search of food. I also found "critter holes", their mouths littered with acorn shells. You wonder how animals can find food under all the snow, but then you see their droppings everywhere and realize that they must be eating something.
River Highlands will be one of the first places to dry out this spring. With luck we'll be able to ride there before the board meeting in three weeks. I'll be hosting mud season rides there, so keep an eye on the blog.
Trail Ambassador Name: Glenn Vernes
Trail Ambassador Email: glennvernes33athotmail.com
Town: Cromwell
Trails Ridden: Green, yellow, red
How Did You Use The Trail? Snowshoeing
Time of Day: Afternoon
Duration: 1.25 hrs.
Distance: About 2.0 miles.
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