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Hike of West Thompson LakeThompson, CTNovember 3rd, 2013 |
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Overcast skies turned bright blue as soon as the five of us set foot on the Shoreline Trail at West Thompson Lake. The much
welcome sunlight brightened up the landscape nicely for our 8-mile hiking adventure.
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Proceeding north along the lake's eastern shore, our trail brought us through bright fields of pink.
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We stopped to enjoy our next view of the lake at the north lookout. At this point we'd already hiked the entire left shoreline.
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The season provided the best of all worlds - enough fall foliage on the trees for colorful scenery and enough leaves fallen to
enhance visibility through the canopy.
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On previous West Thompson Lake hikes, we crossed the Quinebaug river at the lake's northern tip via a bridge that no longer exists.
Knowing this, we continued hiking north on the Quinebaug River Trail to the next crossing. It was an absolutely beautiful 3.5 mile
detour. At times we stopped to admire the river, thinking how nice it might be to explore by canoe.
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Up ahead Stefan spots a rusted hull which we imagined to be the remains of an alien spaceship that crashed here generations ago. So beware... we are not alone! |
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Roisin, Eunice and Stefan move in for a closer look, examining spaceship's mysterious features. |
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Leaving the spaceship behind, Eunice, Logan, and Roisin are back on the trail headed toward the Red Bridge Road river crossing. Along the way, we pass by open fields by the riverbank. |
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We cross the river and hike back along its west bank. That's when we make our next big discovery: a random outhouse in the woods. |
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Stefan knocks... Nope, it's unoccupied! |
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Our hike offered a little of everything, including a cornfield crossing! We missed the harvest though. And as we approach the Ravenelle Ponds loop, our trail passes through a funky little grove. |
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Back at the lake our mascot Mugsy is poised on a rock, but the picture was tricky because he kept flopping over in the wind.
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Up on Mugsy's rock, the rest of us were steadier on our feet.
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High above the lake, a flock of geese passes by. The left flank of the V needs some formation practice.
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We descend toward West Thompson Dam on our final leg of our hike.
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Completing our hike, we're treated to a final bright orange hurrah as the setting sun illuminates the scene. 
Sunset and long shadows at their finest! |
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