Keep walking this winter

#MiddleburyCT #MiddleburyLandTrust #Winter

The author’s husband and his brother enjoy a November hike along the east side of Lake Elise. The path has many raised roots but is a delightful walk if you wear shoes with good soles and step carefully. (Janine Sullivan-Wiley photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

As winter closes in here in Connecticut, it can be very tempting to just grab a sweater and a cozy blanket and curl up inside, the window your connection to outdoors. Don’t do it!

It may be hard to take those first steps outside but do it as a gift to yourself. Exercise outdoors is good for us mentally as well as physically, even when the woods are gray and brown rather than a million shades of green. Another perk is that, without all the greenery to hide them, it can be easier to spot wildlife. Watch for deer bounding away and look for coyote scat right on the trails; they are typically mostly fur and easily distinguishable from dog (which should have been picked up by their owners anyway.)

Prepare for a winter walk with sturdy boots or shoes with good traction to aid in navigating the rocks, roots and leaves that abound. We recommend walking poles, both for balance and for checking the depth of leaves or holes between rocks. If it’s icy, shoe cleats like YakTrax can be helpful, but they are easy to lose in the snow. When there is ample snow, snowshoes can be used on some trails. Remember to wear layers, as you might start out cold but warm right up with exertion. When you return home from a nice winter walk or hike, note how it elevates your mood even as it tones your muscles and cardiovascular system. It’s a win-win-win.

Where to go? If you want a smooth, paved surface, our greenway is always an option. If you’re interested in being a bit more enveloped by nature, choose a Middlebury Land Trust preserve with marked trails that can be followed in any season.

Many favor the path around Lake Elise. Enter on foot via the greenway at its north end, or park on Long Meadow Rd across from the cemetery and enter at the main entrance. The paths are easily accessed and offer beautiful views but are home to many raised roots as the pond-side trees seek the air they cannot get under the water.

A newly marked trail circles Larkin Pond. Its entrance, on the north side of Long Meadow Road about 2/10 of a mile from South Street, is marked by two large rocks. Going left once arriving at the dam, the beginning is rocky. One section is a bit muddy, but one of the benefits of winter hikes is that mud freezes! You will come out by the fields. Skirt them and return along the dam to where you began.

For a nice hike on the network of trails in the expansive Sperry Preserve, start on the white trail behind Sperry House at 312 Park Road Ext. Turn left when you reach the blue trail, then go right on the yellow to return to the white trail. From there go left, continuing until the blue trail enters from the right, and follow that back to the white trail, turning left back to your starting point. (Maps can be found on the MLT website.) Another marked trail past Sperry Pond goes back to Sperry House but lacks a bridge to cross the stream, and it’s too risky to cross on just the rocks.
Enter the 43-acre Tuttle Preserve on the north side of South Street where the trail head is flanked by stone pillars between #780 and #811. Follow the blue trail until the red joins it on the left; then take that. At its end it rejoins the blue; go right and follow that back to the start.

The Nichols Road Preserve (hopefully by summer home to the long-delayed dog park) has many long trails and is where several people have reported spotting coyotes. For that reason (among others) please always keep your even well-behaved dog on a leash on all MLT land. Trails in this property link to others on Army Corp of Engineers property, the Larkin Bridle Trail, and some continue into Naugatuck, so check the MLT maps online. You could wander in there for a long time.

Last but not least is the Clark Preserve; reach its trails by way of the Flanders’ Hetzel Preserve or from a trail head on East Farm Road. The MLT website shows trails for this one, too.

Contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org. Meanwhile, happy hiking!