Connecticut has never had true counties but rather designated regions. I had completed visiting the 8 pseudo counties high points back in 2008. Recently CT reorganized the regions (calling them "planning regions") and with the redrawing of lines there were now four (of nine) planning regions that I had not completed.
With some time off (burning up my vacation time) I decided to finish of the list. The first two would be drive-ups and the last two would feature some running.
First up was Eden hill in Easton. This was a simple drive-up with a short walk up the driveway of the equestrian center. I arrived about 20 minutes before sunrise for a quick stealthy “ascent”. Another hour of driving got me to my next drive-up on Todd Hill in Bethlehem. The view was nice with fog in some of the lower valleys and the sun just peeking up over the horizon. Then it was off for the first real ascent of the day. I arrived at Hubbard Park in Meriden around 8am and was trotting off up the park road by 8:15. It was nice to see a few people out there taking advantage of this beautiful park despite the chilly (25 degree) temps. The bright sunshine helped a bit as did the steady 700’ of climbing over about 3.5 miles. I took it easy in deference to my balky knee and spent about 5 minutes at the castle climbing it and taking in the stunning view. After that I jumped on the Metacomet trail to ensure I hit the high point of the east summit and made my way over to the west summit (radio towers) before heading back down the road. In all it was a picturesque 7.4 mile run. The final high point of the day was a return to Burley Hill in Stafford. This would involve some stealth as well as some of the area (most of it) is posted. I parked at a Cemetery, which are always good locations to legally park, and did some scouting to ensure I could find a way through the woods to the destination. A quick bushwack followed. That brought me back to 100% for CT county high points!
Visit 1
Visit 2
Visit 3
Visit 4
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