#MIDDLEBURY
Photo No. 1: Can you match this photo with a Middlebury Land Trust property? (Curtiss Clark photo)
By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY
Despite some good guesses, the October mystery photo remained a mystery: it is from the 134-acre property now owned by the town of Middlebury, formerly owned by the Connecticut Water Company, over which the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) has a conservation easement. It is in eastern Middlebury along the Naugatuck border.
This month, we are offering a photo match to see how many readers recognize the properties in three photos. All were taken on MLT properties previously featured in Spotlight articles.
Photo No. 2. Can you match this photo with a Middlebury Land Trust property? (Curtiss Clark photo)
The colors and weather this autumn have been just beautiful – perfect for a hike whether the weather is warm or feeling an autumnal chill. As there are no marked trails on the October mystery property, this month’s photos show locations where people will find established trails.
The most easily walked trail on MLT property is in the Juniper Hill/Sperry Pond tract, starting at the entrance on the west side of route 63, a half mile north of Park Road. The trail is quite level and without the rocks and tree roots that make other paths more challenging.
Photo No. 3. Can you match this photo with a Middlebury Land Trust property? (Curtiss Clark photo)
Next in terms of ease, but not in terms of beauty, is Lake Elise. The ring trail around it is easy to follow. Excellent views surround the lake. Some caution is needed on the eastern edge, where the trail is a bit uneven. Diverse tree species on this tract include white pine and Norway spruce, birch with their yellow fall foliage, maple and beech.
Another location with established trails is Larkin Pond. A Middlebury scout – Michael Trager – improved the trail entrance from Long Meadow Road as his Eagle Scout project. The wooden boardwalk he built through a wet area on the path is a vast improvement.
You can find this entrance and a small pull-off about two-tenths of a mile from the intersection with South Street. The trail goes fairly straight through the woods, which were brilliantly colored this year, then up a steep embankment to the earthen dam along the southern side of the pond. From that point you can walk to the right around the pond along a fairly easy path.
Can you match the photos to the properties described? For help, refer to earlier editions of the Bee or use the map on the MLT website middleburylandtrust.org. Submit your guesses to mbisubmit@gmail.com and put “Photo match” in the subject line.
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