Heublein Tower Via Hazen Park

Update 4/17/18
We did this again without spotting cars. Up and back without a problem. This hike is becoming a favorite of mine. Funny that I thought it was so hard the first time.

Update 5/3/17
In spite of the fact that only one person wanted to repeat this hike (and it wasn't me), we did it again! My issue was not going up, but going down. So we spotted cars, beginning at Hazen Park and ending at the Heublein Tower parking lot. This makes for a very nice short hike. 

The rope mentioned below was gone, and it made me realize that my state of mind has more bearing on a situation than does reality. The first time we did this, we thought it would not have been possible to continue without the rope. This time we were wondering, is this where that rope was? It didn't seem that bad. Did using a rope make it seem steeper than it was? Still, the small loose stones would make me leery of descending, and I'm glad we spotted cars.

Stats for our second trip: 

Length: 2.5 miles

Duration: 1.5 hours

Calories burned: 448

Difficulty Level: Easy to moderate 

8/20/16

Taxi! Taxi! Can we please call a taxi?

There are several ways to get to Heublein Tower, and I was curious to try this route. My curiosity has been satisfied. Been there, done that, won’t do it again. Keep in mind that all things are relative, and we are of a "mature" age. A gentleman who was easily traversing the terrain passed us along the way.

The trail starts out great. Up up up, but not too steep. A nice workout on a path carpeted with pine needles and bordered by ferns.

But the up up up becomes steep steep steep, and I began to have my doubts about the trip down. It's not the physical challenge that concerns me - that was not the problem - it's the fear of injury that caused me to hesitate. Our group decided to press on, and press (and pull) on we did! My iPhone doesn't begin to show how steep this is.

Bless the soul that put this rope here, otherwise we would not have been able to continue

They thought I was kidding when I suggested we call a cab!

Beauty along the way

Our reward!

It was a gorgeous day, and we could see all the way to Mount Tom and beyond. A pavilion with picnic tables provided shelter from the sun, and we enjoyed a nice breeze during our devotional time. This isn't the devotional I shared, but I feel it's appropriate for this hike: 

It’s hard to set aside the time to exercise daily. But if we condition ourselves with daily exercise, we’re able to keep up the pace when we find ourselves making our way up a steep incline on a trail. We don’t usually have to be in great shape to do our daily tasks, but we’re going to need conditioning if we’re going to tackle the mountains. 

Daily conditioning is also important when following Christ. Although we might go through an ordinary day without running into difficult temptations or faith-testing trials, we never know when hard times are on their way. Life's ups and downs require that we strengthen our faith on a daily basis. 

We set aside time for exercise to grow physically, and it’s the same with our Christian journey. If we are not separating ourselves from the world on a daily basis for conditioning and strengthening in Christ, we might find our ability to keep the pace compromised when the trail leads us out of the valley and over the difficult mountains. 

Sometimes life’s trail is difficult, but God will provide the strength needed to make it through. Ask Him for the self-control to prepare as best we can for the mountains that sometimes stand in our way. (Adapted from “With God on The Hiking Trail”)

Psalm 119:15-16:  I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

I love the challenge of going up a steep hill. I love the feeling of those muscles firing and my heart racing. But going down is scary. I injured my shoulder five months ago. My visits to the physical therapist are winding down, and I am finally close to regaining full function. I didn’t want to take chance on re-injuring that shoulder. There’s a very easy route down the mountain, but that route would leave us three miles away from our cars on Hazen Road. That's three miles walking in the hot sun on pavement. I seriously wanted to take the easy route down and call a cab, but I was voted down. So onward and downward it was!

My friends still referred to me as their “fearless leader.” I told them I will accept that title with some exceptions. I am fearless . . . as long as there is nothing to be afraid of! Especially snakes, spiders, bears, sheer drop offs, and steep descents!

Trail Map: http://www.avonlandtrust.org/x/public/trails/Skyline.pdf

Address: 60 Hazen Drive, Avon

Length: 2.5 miles

Duration: 2 hours

Calories burned: 623

Difficulty Level: Difficult