CT AT III - Falls Village to Cornwall Bridge

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askus3

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Location
Warwick, NY ( 3 miles by crow from Wildcat Shelter
Here is the hike report for this day hike on the AT taken on May 7, 2006:

APPALACHIAN TRAIL (HOUSATONIC REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL south of FALLS VILLAGE, CT at jct. of US 7 & CT 112 to BREADLOAF MOUNTAIN TRAIL spur to US 7 in CORNWALL BRIDGE, CT).

DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2006
WEATHER: Mid 60s, sunny.
PHOTO LINK: http://community.webshots.com/album/550808851hsdmuV
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 3,720 feet.
NUMBER OF HIKERS MET: 6
PARTICIPANTS: Aaron Schoenberg, Cheri Rice, Nancy Lentner, Leslie Bosse, John Zap.

This is the third in a series of five annual hikes along the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut that I will be leading for the AMC, although the last 0.6 mile was on a spur trail (Mohawk Trail) that led us over Breadloaf Mountain and down to the parking area on US 7 at the intersection with CT 4 in Cornwall Bridge. The views at the outlooks were excellent as this was a spectacular sunny day with low humidity. Two interesting encounters we had on the trail were:

1) Met Bob Poitras who was maintaining the AT from West Cornwall Road south to CT 4. He was a volunteer in an official uniform from the AMC. We met him just north of the Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to. He had clippers in hand and was carrying a small ax. He was removing small blowdowns and brush from the trail.

2) We met Mountain Dog who was section hiking the AT from Bear Mountain Bridge to North Adams, MA. We met him about a mile beyond (south) the Pine Swamp Brook Lean-to. He informed us of an encounter with a bear that scared the living daylights out of him at Morgan Stewart Shelter in New York. He said he couldn't shoo him away as he sniffed around. He was by himself. He said he pretty much camped every night solo. He just met some dayhikers along the trail.

3) Also, met Cascade, a VFTT member.

Even on this beautiful Sunday, we only met 6 hikers along this hike. The thing that amazed me was that the highest point on this hike was Mt. Easter which is 1395 feet and the lowest point was the crossing of the Housatonic River just past the start of the hike (450 feet) along US 7, yet the total elevation gain for this hike was 3720 feet. So you know this is an incredibly roller coaster type hike. I was very tired at the completion of this trek. It took us a little over eight hours to complete this 13 miles hike. We were a group of five from the AMC NY & CT chapters. Stream crossings were relatively easy to negotiate as we have been in a streak of dry weather for the past few weeks.

I hiked this section of the Appalachian Trail with my daughter Stacy and a friend of hers on October 3, 1992. At the time I did not have an altimeter but I was surprised that with all the ups on this hike we completed the hike at the same pace as when I did it with my ten year old daughter fourteen years ago.
 
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