Friday, December 24, 2021

Bear Brook State Park - Part 2

 It's Christmas Eve and I have plenty of things I should be doing. What I did do, was take myself on another adventure in Bear Brook State Park. We received some snow since my last visit and the trails and trees are all covered in the white stuff. It made everything very beautiful. Spikes were worn and were enough on the icy sections packed down by bikes. I stayed in the same corner I started last week and finished off some of those trails as well as picking up several more. When I arrived at the hiker/biker lot off Podunk Road, there were many cars with riders gearing up. There must have been some sort of meet up event planned, and I thought that might make the trails crowded and busy, but in 8 miles of hiking, I saw no one until almost the very end, when 2 ladies and their pup passed me. Amazing! I started out on Little Bear Trail following that to Bear Brook Trail. Backtracked to Cub Trail and took that around to Little Bear Trail and over to Hayes Farm Trail. Finished the section I needed there, and then took Sentinel Pine Trail to Alp d'Huez. Since most of these, as mentioned last time, are geared to mountain bikers, the trails are windy and flowy and mostly smooth. It makes being able to enjoy the surroundings a lot easier, as you aren't constantly looking down to make sure you don't trip on a hidden obstacle. Back to Sentinel Pine Trail, I finished that off before jumping on Cascade Trail. This was the hidden gem and my favorite section of the entire day. The trail leads down to Cascade Brook, then follows it for a while. It lives up to the name of Cascade Trail, following some beautiful cascades for a few tenths of a mile. The snow/ice creating some beautiful artwork. I was enthralled. I grabbed the Cascade Connector as well on this section. Next up was Carr Ridge Trail, which was a gentle climb with some peekaboo views of the surrounding area through the leafless trees. I crossed over Hayes Farm Trail completing Carr Ridge and joining Lane Trail. Down to the other end of Little Bear Trail and I finished that trail by following it back to the parking lot. Just over 8 miles. 

Strava Activity




















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