Hiking with Dogs in Fairfield County: Huntington State Park

November 12, 2016

Hiking with Dogs in Fairfield County: Huntington State Park

Yesterday we had huge wind gusts come in through our coastal town here in Connecticut, and it wiped away much of the beautiful fall leaves I’ve been admiring over the last seven weeks. Last week the foliage was certainly at its peak when I took Laser for a trail run that, at far too many times, became a hike as I tried to maintain my heart rate while climbing some steep elevations.

This was the second time I’d been to Collis P. Huntington State Park. Last time was while I was training for my trip to Machu Picchu (That I still haven’t written about!) and I got the most lost I’ve ever been on a trail. Laser and I were out for hours. No complaints from that guy.

It was beautiful in the summertime, but just as it is in much of the Northeast, it really shines in the Autumn. Here’s a map of the 883 acre park. You might want to keep it on hand, hah!

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At the southmost side, where I’ve parked my car both times, there are two statues on either side of the entrance. They’re gorgeous! Upon researching a bit more about the origins of Collis P. Huntington State Park, I learned that the daughter-in-law of Collis, Anna Hyatt Huntington, was a famed sculptor, whose art includes the Joan of Arc statue in New York City.

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After entering through the gate, there’s a small rest area with several picnic tables.

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Going into the park, you must descend down a pretty big hill. It’s pictured below, but I found the photo to have a better composition when I straightened it out.

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The colors were so brilliant.

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Laser, who I seemed to have trained to learn the commands, “come, photo!,” “sit,””lie down,” and “smile” was pretty happy to be joining me. The park allows leashed dogs only, and I removed his harness only to take pictures. If you do bring your dog, don’t forget to clean up anything your dog leaves behind. Dog waste isn’t good for the ecosystem of the park.

Speaking of waste, because this is a state park and not just a town open space, there are toilets! It has no plumbing, but it’s built into the ground and it’s an ecotoilet. It’s not the Ritz, but when you drink a full gallon of water while getting lost, you’re thankful for the little things, like toilet paper.

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For the record, I’ve only gotten lost there once. I met a man there who is a volunteer firefighter and after telling him about being lost, he told me that a few weeks prior, someone called 911 they were so lost!

So, yeah. Heed that as a warning, and also, I’m not [the only] goober.

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Sometimes you need to get lost, after all.

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fairfield county, new england

autumn, connecticut, fairfield county, fall, hiking, hiking with dogs, microadventures, photography

Posted by:

Kelsie O

one of those creative types

2 responses to “Hiking with Dogs in Fairfield County: Huntington State Park”

Unicorn

November 12, 2016 at 10:20 am

Absolutely beautiful scenery! ❤

Reply
1. Kelsie O
  
  November 12, 2016 at 10:22 am
  
  Thank you!
  
  Reply

About Me

I’m an artist. Sometimes I paint impressionist townscapes in oils, other times I sketch out what I’d rather be painting in pencil. I design intentional environments in my home, and sometimes I get around to projects that the design consists of. I flip thrifted clothes, or I let ideas pile up like used fabrics overflowing from a box in my basement. This is a metaphor, but also a fact.
I’m a writer. Sometimes that means bad poetry. I often meander in my prose, as I find it hard not to mention every detail, what something reminds me of, and all of the background information you could never want.
I’m an explorer. Sometimes I explore the great outdoors, or other countries. Other times, my nose deep in a book, I’m exploring the universal human experience, nature science, ancient wisdom and impacts of colonialism. Often, I’m exploring my own inner experience through train-of-thought journaling.

I’m restless in my curiosity and consistently creative. To an outsider, it’s clear that leading a creative life involves output: paintings, outfits, decor, a garden. The creative knows that this output requires a frequent stream and synthesis of that input. This blog is the space I use to organize and sort my meandering thoughts and pile of ideas.

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