Butterfield Pond, Low Plains Trail, Morris Trail

  Wrapped up the year with a couple small hikes from my redlining spreadsheet in whiteout conditions. Fog, not snow. Thankfully I chose hikes with nothing scenic!

Butterfield Pond- parking wasn't plowed, so I parked along Rt 4A at the entrance. No signs indicating otherwise. Trail to the pond was sort of broken out. Trail around the pond had some intermittent old footsteps, but I broke trail for most of it. Thankfully just a few inches of mashed potatoes and well blazed. Easy to follow. Pretty area! The trail meanders through the woods for 0.5 miles before reaching the pond, and then around it. You can see the pond for the majority of the loop and I imagine is a popular spot during the warmer months.

Strava Activity

Low Plain Trail (part of New London Conservation Commission)- parking across the street from entrance on Mountain Road in signed area. Much different scenario as this trail is part of a XC Ski Area that begins across the street. I saw a few snowshoers and a few skiers. I took the spurs to the observation blinds on my return, which had an orange blazed loop that bypasses some of the main trail. Not much to see here, but a nice walk in the woods.

Strava Activity

Morris Trail (another of the NLCC trails)- I parked in the Colby Sawyer lot across the street as the entrance is signed for no parking (although a car was parked there). The Colby Sawyer lot isn't signed for student only parking that I could see. This trail loops around the Kelsey Athletic fields and while it was easy to follow, it wasn't well marked where it mattered. I saw sporadic green hiking blazes, but never at an intersection or point where I questioned which way I needed to go. So I just followed the main packed trail and hoped for the best. My upload is sort of like the map on NLCC, so I'm calling it it done! Nothing to see here either, another wander in the woods!

Strava Activity

Happy New Year one and all, here's to 2022!