New Haven County High Point Trip Report
two areas southwest of Lindsley Hill (1,050+ ft)
Date: January 18, 2004
Author: Dave Covill
This is modest walk bushwhacking in open and scrubby terrain, perhaps a half
mile total, with maybe 90 feet of gain. I was headed south from the Hartford CT cohp,
enroute to a 5 PM wedding in Norwalk CT. I left route 8 at exit 39 and
turned east onto US 6. Zeroed odometer. I drove 3.7 miles east to a junction
with route 72, turned right and headed southeast into Bristol at 6.8 miles and
the junction with route 69, and turned right and headed south on 69 to mile 11.4.
This is a bit less than a mile beyond prominent Wood Tick Road. Regardless of
how you get here, you can’t screw it up. The ground is high, and the tower is
evident on the first hill, and the defunct driving range is evident just beyond it.
I followed Roy Schweiker’s route, and parked at what is now a hobby shop at
the golf range. If you didn’t know it once was a driving range, it might not be
obvious anymore. They now allow patrons to drive radio controlled dune buggy
cars on a short track out back, near where folks once slugged golf balls up the hill.
The folks inside didn’t mind me meandering out back to the cohp,
and in fact said, "Knock your socks off.".
I still had my boots, gaiters, and snow pants on from my Hartland Hill escapades,
so I immediately set out uphill southward. There was about 6 inches of snow in
all spots, and 12 inches where it had drifted. I made for the high ground,
and passed under the power line now crackling very loudly with the snowfall.
The precise spot is not discernable, but no matter.
There is now a house near the highest ground but it seemed the highest point
was near an old, abandoned structure and a pile of junk.
From here, I headed for the other point, near the tower. I bushwhacked downhill,
passed between two houses maybe 200 feet apart, one access from route 69 next to
the hobby shop, the other from Wood Tick Road to the east. I scrambled gently
uphill and approached the tower complex. It consists of a large old building,
with many microwave dishes on it, surrounded by fence in places. The building
looked dilapidated, but seemed to still be functioning. The high ground,
as others report, is beyond it to the north, perhaps by 50 feet, and is a
large, 4+ foot boulder jutting up amidst trees. From here, follow the good road down
about 100 yards to route 69, and walk back to the hobby shop a quarter mile.
I was doused by plow trucks twice, being unable to get off of the highway.
One took mercy on me and turned his blade straight, the other showered me while I
was about 20 feet from the pavement on a lawn, going by at over 40 mph, throwing
up a stream of slush 15 feet high and 30 feet out. Nice guy.
There was no view at the second point. There was probably a modest view from
the first, but the snowfall limited my visibility to under a mile. Total time
was perhaps 25 minutes out of the car. I followed route 69 into Waterbury,
a bummer of an in-town drive, and back out to route 8, and I made it to the
wedding in Norwalk at 5:02.