I love a good climb. Not in the way of mountain climbing (drop-offs scare the daylights out of me). But a nice steep rocky climb on a hillside is a fun challenge, and taking the Falls Cut-off Trail in People’s State Forest provides this very thing.
Nature column writer Peter Marteka describes this trail as "about as strenuous and difficult a hiking ascent as there is in the state." According to my app, our snail’s pace at that point was a laughable 1 hour and 20 minutes per mile. But we thoroughly enjoyed it. If you prefer to skip this climb, turn right onto the blue trail rather than going left onto the red/blue Falls Cut-off.
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| The climb takes you along a trickling waterfall |
We turned left at the wooden bridge to join the Robert Ross trail which leads to Jessie Gerard, and were soon treated to an amazing view known as Grand Vista.
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| Grand Vista |
Our devotional was based on Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
When on a hiking trip, it’s important to keep your backpack as lean as possible. A candle lantern is small and lightweight and provides light to read by in the evenings. One would think you would need to carry several candles, but the same candle can be reused by taking the melted wax surrounding the base, placing it near the small flame and molding and shaping the warm wax until it looks as good as new. What seems to be worthless melted wax becomes a brand new light.
God uses us to illuminate a dark world with His love. Like the candle, however, we can burn out. Isn’t it incredible that although the world may see a dying candle, our heavenly Father takes our lives and reshapes them. There is nothing worthless in the kingdom of Heaven. No one is so far gone that he or she is tossed in the scrap heap. God wants us to return to Him, even when we feel all used up. He will find a purpose for what we view as unusable when we allow Him to mold and reshape our lives. (Adapted from "With God on the Hiking Trail by Nathan Chapman)
A little farther along was another beautiful overlook
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| Chaugham Lookout |
With its 11 miles of trails, there are many options for hiking in Peoples State Forest. In the interest of time, we left the Jessie Gerard when we came to Quarry Road and turned right onto Warner Road which led us back to Robert Ross/Jessie Gerard. Although I loved the steep climb on the way up, going down is another matter entirely. We passed up the Falls Cutoff trail, crossed the wooden bridge and descended via Jessie Gerard.
This hike definitely goes on my list of favorites. I look forward to returning in the fall when the leaves change!
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| Our route, available at https://runkeeper.com/user/SusanGayle/route/4315328 |
Directions: Follow Rte 44 west through New Hartford. Take right on Rte 181. At the stop sign, take a right on the bridge that goes over the Farmington River and a quick left on East River Rd. You will pass the entrance on the right to the People's State Forest Park and continue until you see the trail sign for Jessie Gerard (north of the Agnes Bowen trail). Park along the street
Trail Map: http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/stateparks/maps/peoples.pdf
Length: 2.53 miles
Duration: 2 hours, 7 minutes
Calories burned: 653
Difficulty Level: Difficult if taking Falls Cut-off, otherwise it's moderate
