CFPA New England Trail Series: Ragged Mountain LbNA #69426 (ARCHIVED)
Map
Nearby Boxes
Add Note
Add Location| Owner: | CT Forest & Park Assoc  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Nov 1, 2015 |
| Location: | West Lane |
| City: | Berlin |
| County: | Hartford |
| State: | Connecticut |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Not yet found! |
|---|---|
| Last found: | N/A |
| Status: | am |
| Last edited: | Nov 20, 2015 |
New England Trail Letterboxing Series: Ragged Mountain
Total Distance: Varies; As an out & back, approximately 5.3 miles
Start at the West Lane trailhead in Berlin, CT
Google Maps Directions: https://goo.gl/g0b3pl
The 8-part New England Trail Letterboxing Series was created by Connecticut’s oldest non-profit conservation organization, the Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA). Grab your gear and get ready to experience one of America’s national scenic trails right here in your own backyard. Discover the rich natural and cultural features of this incredible trail. Enjoy this fun and adventurous learning quest! We challenge you to find all 8 in the series. To learn more, visit www.ctwoodlands.org.
Note: A compass may be useful for identifying landscape features viewed from atop one scenic vista along the way to the letterbox.
From the parking area on West Lane, proceed past the map kiosk onto the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail. After a short distance, the Preserve Trail splits in two directions. Go left. Immediately after, the trail splits again with the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail to the left and the blue/orange-blazed trail to the right. Stay left to follow the Preserve Trail.
Just ahead, the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail makes a turn to the left. Stay on the Preserve Trail, and follow it as it begins to climb. The bedrock that forms Ragged Mountain is basalt, often referred to as traprock. This rock formed after the cooling and subsequent solidification of lava flows during the Triassic Period. As you hike, you may notice rocks at your feet that appear to have a pitted exterior. Known as scoria, the appearance of these pieces of basalt is due to their formation 200 million years ago; as the prehistoric lava cooled and hardened, gases dissolved inside were forced out of solution in the form of small bubbles, resulting in the cavities you see.
Continue up the slope. The trail momentarily flattens before continuing uphill. Hike under a canopy composed predominantly of hardwoods, including hickory, assorted oaks, and beech. Deciduous, broadleaf trees are known as “hardwoods” due to the strength of their xylem, an important type of plant tissue that conducts water from the roots up through the rest of the plant. Most of a tree’s wood is xylem. The xylem of evergreen, coniferous trees has a different composition compared to that in hardwoods, and results in weaker wood. For that reason, pine and other evergreen trees like hemlock are often referred to as “softwoods.”
Follow the blue/red blazes on the Preserve Trail. Eventually, you’ll find yourself on the crest of a ridge with views of the reservoir (Hart Ponds) below. Take some time to enjoy the panoramic vista stretching from the southwest to the east.
Near the last (and best) lookout, notice the CFPA trail map at the junction of the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail and the blue/yellow-blazed trail. Continue to travel along the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail. The next 0.9 miles traverse the ridge, often with steep drop offs to the left. Enjoy the numerous views and have fun on this rugged and rocky section that goes up, down and around many rocky outcroppings along the ridge.
After 0.9 miles, you’ll come to a rocky outlook with views stretching from the south to the west and northwest. Note the memorial to Darin Findley, who died while at Ragged Mountain in 2003. This area has been identified by the State of Connecticut as a critical site, as this grassy, rocky summit outcrop represents a rare wildlife habitat and has high conservation significance. When you’re ready to proceed, look for the junction of the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail and the blue-blazed Metacomet section of the New England Trail (NET). At this junction, see if you can identify two different types of pine trees. One type has short, thick needles in groups of three while the other has thinner, longer needles in groups of five; the former is pitch pine and the latter is white pine.
Turn right at the junction of the Preserve Trail and NET, onto the blue-blazed NET. Continue to follow the blue blazes, which lead to the open summit of Ragged Mountain after approximately 0.3 miles. Long a favorite of local and regional rock climbers, these cliffs tower nearly 300’ above the valley floor below. Please exercise caution near the sheer edge of the cliffs!
Take a moment to inspect the scenic vista. To the southwest, at a magnetic bearing of approximately 210°, you’ll see Meriden’s Hanging Hills. The Hanging Hills, like Ragged Mountain, are part of the Metacomet Ridge, a large traprock formation that stretches north into Massachusetts. To the west, at approximately 280° is Southington Mountain. Appearing as a long ridge rising from the valley floor, Southington Mountain represents the eastern edge of Connecticut’s Western Uplands, which together with the Central Valley and Eastern Uplands form Connecticut’s three distinct geologic landscapes. Each geologic landscape has its own unique origin. In the case of the edge of the Western Uplands you see across the valley, it is comprissed of metamorphic rock made up of materials that once formed the floor of the prehistoric Iapetos Ocean in the Paleozoic era approximately 250 to 500 million years ago.
Continue to follow the blue-blazed NET. Along the way, see if you notice an area of the forest adjacent to the trail composed mostly of young hardwoods, many less than four inches in diameter. This stand of small trees is dominated by black birch. Black birch can be identified by their smooth, dark, almost black, bark (when young). The thin horizontal lines you see in the bark are lenticels. The cells that compose these structures allow for the exchange of gases between the outside air and the inner tissues of the plant. The inner bark of black birch has a distinct wintergreen-like aroma that you can smell if you scratch it.
Keep following the blue blazes, eventually hiking along a ridgeline overlooking Wassel Reservoir, until you find yourself at a junction with the blue/yellow-blazed trail. Find the CFPA trail map and stand in front of it. Turn around 180°. See the fallen tree with a hollow opening in the trunk? Look inside for the letterbox. Congratulations! Enjoy the contents, then hide well when finished.
You now have several different options for finishing your hike and returning to the West Lane trailhead. Use the map to plan your preferred route or retrace your steps on the blue-blazed NET and red/blue-blazed Preserve Trail. Retracing your steps would entail a total round trip of 5.3 miles.
Hike length: 5-8 miles
Total Distance: Varies; As an out & back, approximately 5.3 miles
Start at the West Lane trailhead in Berlin, CT
Google Maps Directions: https://goo.gl/g0b3pl
The 8-part New England Trail Letterboxing Series was created by Connecticut’s oldest non-profit conservation organization, the Connecticut Forest & Park Association (CFPA). Grab your gear and get ready to experience one of America’s national scenic trails right here in your own backyard. Discover the rich natural and cultural features of this incredible trail. Enjoy this fun and adventurous learning quest! We challenge you to find all 8 in the series. To learn more, visit www.ctwoodlands.org.
Note: A compass may be useful for identifying landscape features viewed from atop one scenic vista along the way to the letterbox.
From the parking area on West Lane, proceed past the map kiosk onto the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail. After a short distance, the Preserve Trail splits in two directions. Go left. Immediately after, the trail splits again with the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail to the left and the blue/orange-blazed trail to the right. Stay left to follow the Preserve Trail.
Just ahead, the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail makes a turn to the left. Stay on the Preserve Trail, and follow it as it begins to climb. The bedrock that forms Ragged Mountain is basalt, often referred to as traprock. This rock formed after the cooling and subsequent solidification of lava flows during the Triassic Period. As you hike, you may notice rocks at your feet that appear to have a pitted exterior. Known as scoria, the appearance of these pieces of basalt is due to their formation 200 million years ago; as the prehistoric lava cooled and hardened, gases dissolved inside were forced out of solution in the form of small bubbles, resulting in the cavities you see.
Continue up the slope. The trail momentarily flattens before continuing uphill. Hike under a canopy composed predominantly of hardwoods, including hickory, assorted oaks, and beech. Deciduous, broadleaf trees are known as “hardwoods” due to the strength of their xylem, an important type of plant tissue that conducts water from the roots up through the rest of the plant. Most of a tree’s wood is xylem. The xylem of evergreen, coniferous trees has a different composition compared to that in hardwoods, and results in weaker wood. For that reason, pine and other evergreen trees like hemlock are often referred to as “softwoods.”
Follow the blue/red blazes on the Preserve Trail. Eventually, you’ll find yourself on the crest of a ridge with views of the reservoir (Hart Ponds) below. Take some time to enjoy the panoramic vista stretching from the southwest to the east.
Near the last (and best) lookout, notice the CFPA trail map at the junction of the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail and the blue/yellow-blazed trail. Continue to travel along the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail. The next 0.9 miles traverse the ridge, often with steep drop offs to the left. Enjoy the numerous views and have fun on this rugged and rocky section that goes up, down and around many rocky outcroppings along the ridge.
After 0.9 miles, you’ll come to a rocky outlook with views stretching from the south to the west and northwest. Note the memorial to Darin Findley, who died while at Ragged Mountain in 2003. This area has been identified by the State of Connecticut as a critical site, as this grassy, rocky summit outcrop represents a rare wildlife habitat and has high conservation significance. When you’re ready to proceed, look for the junction of the blue/red-blazed Preserve Trail and the blue-blazed Metacomet section of the New England Trail (NET). At this junction, see if you can identify two different types of pine trees. One type has short, thick needles in groups of three while the other has thinner, longer needles in groups of five; the former is pitch pine and the latter is white pine.
Turn right at the junction of the Preserve Trail and NET, onto the blue-blazed NET. Continue to follow the blue blazes, which lead to the open summit of Ragged Mountain after approximately 0.3 miles. Long a favorite of local and regional rock climbers, these cliffs tower nearly 300’ above the valley floor below. Please exercise caution near the sheer edge of the cliffs!
Take a moment to inspect the scenic vista. To the southwest, at a magnetic bearing of approximately 210°, you’ll see Meriden’s Hanging Hills. The Hanging Hills, like Ragged Mountain, are part of the Metacomet Ridge, a large traprock formation that stretches north into Massachusetts. To the west, at approximately 280° is Southington Mountain. Appearing as a long ridge rising from the valley floor, Southington Mountain represents the eastern edge of Connecticut’s Western Uplands, which together with the Central Valley and Eastern Uplands form Connecticut’s three distinct geologic landscapes. Each geologic landscape has its own unique origin. In the case of the edge of the Western Uplands you see across the valley, it is comprissed of metamorphic rock made up of materials that once formed the floor of the prehistoric Iapetos Ocean in the Paleozoic era approximately 250 to 500 million years ago.
Continue to follow the blue-blazed NET. Along the way, see if you notice an area of the forest adjacent to the trail composed mostly of young hardwoods, many less than four inches in diameter. This stand of small trees is dominated by black birch. Black birch can be identified by their smooth, dark, almost black, bark (when young). The thin horizontal lines you see in the bark are lenticels. The cells that compose these structures allow for the exchange of gases between the outside air and the inner tissues of the plant. The inner bark of black birch has a distinct wintergreen-like aroma that you can smell if you scratch it.
Keep following the blue blazes, eventually hiking along a ridgeline overlooking Wassel Reservoir, until you find yourself at a junction with the blue/yellow-blazed trail. Find the CFPA trail map and stand in front of it. Turn around 180°. See the fallen tree with a hollow opening in the trunk? Look inside for the letterbox. Congratulations! Enjoy the contents, then hide well when finished.
You now have several different options for finishing your hike and returning to the West Lane trailhead. Use the map to plan your preferred route or retrace your steps on the blue-blazed NET and red/blue-blazed Preserve Trail. Retracing your steps would entail a total round trip of 5.3 miles.
Hike length: 5-8 miles