I decided to
start a new CT Blue Blazed trail today, the Mattatuck Trail.
After enlisting Mackenzie, my daughter, in accompanying
me I picked out a section that looked interesting in an area of the state that
I like to hike in.
We would hike the
Northern section from Mohawk Mtn. to Flat Rocks rd. in Cornwall.
We dropped a car at the small parking area on
Flat Rocks Rd. and then headed back to what I believe is the Northern Terminus
of the Mattatuck trail where it intersects with the Mohawk Trail.
This is just behind the ski lift of Mohawk
Ski Area. It was mid-morning and the sun
was out with a few clouds around. Temps
were in the mid 30’s with a dusting of snow on the ground from some squalls
that had come through the day before.
There was one set of footprints from someone that had gone before us but
we saw no one all day. Cunningham Tower
is the first interesting sight to come along. We stopped and explored, wondering what it must have been like in its
heyday.
From there the trail wanders
along climbing up to the first peak, called the Pinnacle.
There was no good views as there are trees
all around so we continued on until we reached the summit of Mohawk Mtn.
We stopped there and had a snack and some
water, enjoyed the views before moving on.
From here on it would be mostly downhill for the rest of the hike.
The trail meanders around Wadhams rd. and
Mohawk Pond, where we again stopped and had a brief snack. A short road walk then back into the forest,
through Mountain Laurel thickets and old farm fields. There is a good variety of terrain along this
section, we went over rocks, streams and roots.
There are areas that were fields probably less than 50 years ago, young
forests of Birch and Cherry trees taking over surrounded by stone walls.
Some of the stone walls were massive, 5 feet
tall and as wide, it must have taken years to build them and possible many
generations of farmers. As we neared the
finish we came upon a cemetery. The
grave stones are old and fading away. Most of the dates were from the mid 1800's. We
were able to read some of them, there was a revolutionary soldier buried
there. Someone had placed an American
flag by his stone. Hopefully someone
will take some time to care for this small cemetery in the future.
We were then at the car and ready to call it
a day. It was a fun hike with some
interesting scenery. We hiked a little
over 7 miles. I will get back there and
finish up this Northern section soon.
