New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Determined not to be ‘old couch potatoes’
Couple takes 52 Hike Challenge during COVID pandemic
BRANFORD — At this time last March, as most everyone was newly locked in at home, going through all kinds of emotions about what was happening in the world, Pat and Fred Cotton were two months into a perfect pandemic panacea: a 52 Hike Challenge out in that strange new world.
Their experience ended in November with 150 miles logged, a new appreciation for trail snacks, and an eye-opening look at the beautiful natural resources of this little state that might inspire others as spring has sprung.
Admittedly more walkers than committed hikers, but determined not to become “old couch potatoes,” the Hotchkiss Grove couple were inspired by friends who’d done the challenge, and learned something about themselves, too.
Fred Cotton, a financial planner, jokes that one of those things was “That we get along pretty well in the woods …”
The Great Outdoors provided the perfect refuge and distraction. Thanks to the mild winter of 2020, they started on Jan. 11 at a sentimental site, as it turned out, Mansfield’s Albert E. Moss Sanctuary, a trail they never knew existed near the University of Connecticut, where they met – and notched the 52nd on Nov. 29 – 52 hikes in less
than a year, with one stretch of 33 hike days in a row and a few weeks’ break for the heat.
“We had been talking about it in December (of 2019),” Pat Cotton said.
“Our friend Amanda Morgillo does the 52-Hike Challenge and posted pictures on Facebook. I said, ‘Fred, I think we should try it. We’re getting too old; we’re becoming couch potatoes.’ And once I decide to commit to something, I’m one of those people who follows through,” said Pat Cotton, an animal rights activist and former president of Branford Compassion Club, and caregiver to their grandson Charlie.
Once they committed, and, knowing that travel restrictions would confine them to Connecticut, the Cottons bought their go-to
book “Appalachian Mountain Club’s Day Hikes in Connecticut,” and logged in to the 52HikeChallenge.com website for planning ideas. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is another good source.
Mother Nature cooperated, providing a mild January start for them, and, ironically, the pandemic gave them more time for it, with work shut down and babysitting duties on hold.
“Honestly, no one was on the trails most of the time,” said Pat Cotton.
“The (Branford) Supply Ponds, Juniper Point and the Trolley Trail are popular, but pretty much 90 percent of the places were empty… But when things were really shut down, and we didn’t want to drive to places where we couldn’t
eat or go to rest stops, and everyone was paranoid, we really stayed close to home. We would literally Google hiking trails in Killingworth or Guilford,” she said, adding that they always carried face masks, just in case.
The 52 hikes, which they recorded in posts with hashtag-numbered hike and photos on Facebook, were all an hour or hourplus drive throughout the state, from Branford to Burlington and Weston to Groton. They returned to a few places, but never did the same trail at any site, traversing through leafy forests, rugged rock terrain, sunny trails with water views in state forests, wildlife management areas, state parks and conservation areas.
At the beginning, they
admit they were “woefully unprepared.” But they quickly acquired the basics for hiking: proper shoes, lightweight backpacks, binoculars, first aid kit, bug spray, sunscreen, wet wipes, snacks and fully charged phones.
One thing they recommend is to check websites of venues before venturing out, as pandemic protocols are fluid. After driving all the way to Devil’s Den in Weston one day, “it was closed to everyone but Weston residents,” noted Pat Cottom. (Its site currently notes it is temporarily closed to all).
Before they even hit the trails, Pat Cotton, inspired by her friend Ginny Henry, spent the early part of January painting rocks with inspirational words or phrases to leave at sites.
‘It was a good additive to the whole thing,” she says. “I’m not an artist, but I got acrylic paint and I’d go out and collect rocks — or sometimes brought one home from a trail — and spent afternoons painting them. It was probably the most relaxing thing I did all year.”
Their favorite places, said Fred Cotton, were Sessions Woods in Burlington, a wildlife management area with a flat trail, but lots to see, and Bluff Point State Park and Reserve, Groton, a 4-mile trek through beautiful woods and beach. The place they would go back to is close to home, the Washburn Preserve in Stony Creek.
The most difficult and scariest for anyone with a fear of heights (Pat) was Chauncey Peak in Meriden, a rocky trudge to a 400-foot ledge with a lake view.
They estimate that the hikes averaged 2-4 miles. Though they say that they didn’t lose weight because of too many snacks and Dairy Queen rewards, Pat Cotton said, “it definitely gave us more endurance, and we just felt better.”
The 52nd and final hike “just about did us in. It was supposed to be 3.4 miles, but it was over 5 miles at Kettleton State Park in Southbury,” said Pat, noting that they either misread the marker or it was mismarked, sending them over challenging rugged terrain for a much longer than planned hike.
Their advice?
“Be prepared. Sometimes we weren’t. We’re not risk takers. We’re not going to go out in bad weather. … We’re not going to hike in ice and snow ….” she said.
They were both surprised about how much they enjoyed the experience, especially seeing local places they never knew anything about, but as for an encore, they laugh. “To the point where we want to do it again… ,” Fred starts, and Pat finishes, “Let’s just say we haven’t made that commitment yet, but …”