Meadows, Light, Hemlock Grove, Volcanic Rock

The 32-acre John Tynan Memorial Park is owned by the City of Middletown and offers a variety of walks. Access to the eastern side of Higby Mountain is possible from the entrance on Higby Road.

From the Middletown guide to trails: "Turning north, the trail enters a dense shrub thicket. Then turning west, the trail crosses an intermittent stream and enters forested land, predominantly eastern hemlock. There is a second water crossing at Fall Brook (continue west instead of heading downstream because that path dead-ends).



"At this point, the trail becomes rocky, slopes upward, and then veers slightly south. The trail ends at the intersection of Massa Tom Road, a woods road that connects Country Club Road with the Mount Higby Reservoir service area.



"The crossing at Fall Brook can be difficult, if not impossible, when
the water level rises."

And when the water level is low, scan the stream bed for rocks filled with small holes - vesicles (that's the term for holes) left from when a long ago volcano was active in Connecticut - and left the Swiss-cheesy rock behind as evidence.

Winter Walks: River's End, Long Island Sound

New England winters test human and dogs. Blasting winds, cold clawing at your face and stinging sand await - but walking daily means sometimes the weather is a true force to reckon with.

Like this recent stormy day at Hammonasset Beach State Park. (In my family, when someone says "the beach" this is the destination.)

Located in Madison, the park offers plenty of walking and thinking space in the winter. No fee is charged for admission in off-season. Do note that if there is snow, the front gates most likely are closed and all walks start there.



Here's an excerpt from the history of the park, listed on the Connecticut DEP site (which offers maps and links worth a look): "Hammonasset' means, "where we dig holes in the ground" and refers to the place where a settlement of eastern woodland Indians farmed along the river.

"In 1898 the Winchester Repeating Arms Company bought Hammonasset and used it as a testing site for their new rifle . . . which it was fired into targets on the beach.

"During World War II the park was closed to the public and loaned to the federal government as an army reservation."

The geology at the park is quite interesting too. The rock beach at the south end shows off the glacial outwash and on clear days walkers can see Long Island, a terminal moraine. But that's another story.