Cobble Mountain
Katie and I had a wedding to go to in Connecticut to go to. It is one of Katie's friends that she is decently close to, and as such, she was part of the bridal party. When we booked the trip, we thought she would only have 1 day of bridesmaid duties plus the rehearsal dinner that we would both attend on top of the wedding itself. We planned a 4-day trip thinking we would get to hike together at least 2 of those days, but as the time grew closer and her bridesmaid duties grew, I was left on my own on the first day to hike by myself.
I decided to drive as far North as I was willing to in order to have the best chance of seeing some fall colors. I knew that all of Connecticut would be a little early for fall colors this time of year, but we didn't set the date of the trip, the people getting married did. I chose a hike in Macedonia State Park somewhat arbitrarily. The two north corners of the state tend to change colors first, so I chose to go on the northwest side of the state since I was already on the West-half of the state where our hotel was. With Macedonia State Park only an hour and a half away, that's where I went. On the way there, I stopped at a deli to get a sandwich for lunch and made it to the park right around noon. The hike I chose was based on getting to the top of something so that I could see rolling hills of colorful trees. Cobble Mountain fit all my criteria including not being a very long or challenging hike. The hike was super foggy and the colors were just starting to change, so the summit wasn't that great.
I haven't hiked on the East Coast since our 2021 fall colors trip and have forgotten how it is hiking around here. It was very humid here. Because of the moisture, there were lots of mushrooms which was a cool sighting for me since I don't see many in Colorado. I also saw a salamander right at the start of the hike which was super cute and cool. The hiking experience was great since I don't hike in this type of forest very often. Everything was so uniquely different, yet familiar at the same time.
4.69 mi
2.6 hrs
1,819 ft
1,486 ft
Waiting for GPS
I start a hiking activity on my watch at the beginning of every hike. Since I was in a new area, it took my watch considerably longer to get GPS signal. So while I waited, I took photos of some bumble bees in wild flowers at the start of the trail. If I had GPS signal I wouldn't have stopped to look at these flowers, so that small delay ended up being a good thing.
Showing it's Underside
It didn't take long in the hike for me to find my first mushroom. This one was being scandalous by lifting itself up to show me it's underside.
Tiny Salamander
I almost stepped on this tiny salamander. It's bright color allowed me to notice it and not send it to its grave. It ran away from me and hid under a leaf, which I then lifted up to find him frozen in fear as I took a few photos before letting him run away from me.
More Mushrooms
The mushrooms were everywhere in the Connecticut forest.
Foggy Summit
The summit had a great view, but the fog made it different than what I was expecting. I didn't mind the fog since none of the leaves were changing drastically yet. If the trees were changing I might have been a little frustrated with this overlook into nothingness.
Mostly Green
The trees were mostly green still. The ones that had changed tended to be either yellow or have already dropped their leaves on the ground.
Glowing Rim
I dug this mushroom out from a few leaves to get this photo. It was such a beautifully white mushroom.
Moss and Leaves
I did find some red and yellow colors on this hike. The reds were all on the ground from the maple trees that dropped early. Most of what was still on the trees was green with some spots of yellow.
Old Forest Road
The last mile of my hike was on an old forest road. I usually don't like hiking on forest roads because they're flat and boring, but this one was gorgeous with the wide path of fallen leaves, framed by a brick wall on one side.
Boulder Off the Path
This boulder looked great for climbing. But I didn't have any of my gear, so I kept going.
Stone Wall
There was a stone wall on one side of the forest road. For a road not in use anymore, this road is very well up kept.
Red in the Trees
This was the most red that I found in a tree on the entire hike. It's not much, but I'm sure this area is absolutely stunning a few weeks from now.
