|
|
Post by brianbutler on Jan 27, 2022 23:17:08 GMT
Here in New England it has been too cold to ride this month, well below freezing almost every day, so I switched to hiking. It is a good opportunity to check out places that are too wet during summer. Today I walked part of the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (rail trail) that was impassable in August when I tried riding it. Here is the current condition at the point where I gave up last summer. The wide patches of ice were standing water at the time and the entire trail was thick mud.
The problem seems to be poor drainage and water seeping out of the road cuts. The frozen version is quite attractive:
From here, the trail continues to an intersection with the outlet of a large pond. In August I assumed conditions would get worse approaching the stream. I envisioned a submerged trail. If I had gone a bit farther I would have discovered a dry trail at least 40 feet above this beautiful bridge. I took the picture by scrambling down the embankment and crossing the frozen stream to view the bridge from the opposite side:
On the return my parking spot, I saw this unusual "shed" adjacent the trail. The interior is laid up with field stones. This must have been part of the railroad. I don't believe local kids could have moved that roof slab. I'll keep this cave in mind for stealth camping.
We're hunkering down for a possible couple of feet of snow this weekend. I'll have to switch to skis, or at least snowshoes.
Brian
|
|
|
|
Post by wheelson on Jan 28, 2022 0:43:09 GMT
Here in New England it has been too cold to ride this month, well below freezing almost every day, so I switched to hiking. It is a good opportunity to check out places that are too wet during summer. Today I walked part of the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (rail trail) that was impassable in August when I tried riding it. Here is the current condition at the point where I gave up last summer. The wide patches of ice were standing water at the time and the entire trail was thick mud.
The problem seems to be poor drainage and water seeping out of the road cuts. The frozen version is quite attractive:
From here, the trail continues to an intersection with the outlet of a large pond. In August I assumed conditions would get worse approaching the stream. I envisioned a submerged trail. If I had gone a bit farther I would have discovered a dry trail at least 40 feet above this beautiful bridge. I took the picture by scrambling down the embankment and crossing the frozen stream to view the bridge from the opposite side:
On the return my parking spot, I saw this unusual "shed" adjacent the trail. The interior is laid up with field stones. This must have been part of the railroad. I don't believe local kids could have moved that roof slab. I'll keep this cave in mind for stealth camping.
We're hunkering down for a possible couple of feet of snow this weekend. I'll have to switch to skis, or at least snowshoes.
Brian
Careful, Brian, that looks like one of those ancient stone chambers found all over New England. Sleeping one night in there might produce some strange apparitions like a desire for carbon fiber bikes or something! Best, John “wheelson” |
|
|
|
Post by brianbutler on Jan 28, 2022 2:43:05 GMT
Careful, Brian, that looks like one of those ancient stone chambers found all over New England. Sleeping one night in there might produce some strange apparitions like a desire for carbon fiber bikes or something! Best, John “wheelson” Hadn't thought of that risk but that would be pretty bad.
You are right, I know of several other weird stone chambers nearby. The ice age did a job around here, leaving many balancing rocks and boulder caves, so maybe these chambers started out as natural features and were "improved" by humans.
Brian
|
|
Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,389 
|
Post by Jem on Jan 28, 2022 12:51:10 GMT
Great photos and write up. Very enjoyable thread.
|
|
Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,389
|
Post by Jem on Sept 26, 2022 14:04:53 GMT
Just re-read this thread again. I really like the photos.
Do you think the 'shed' could have been railway workers built shelter? You would need some equipment to move those stones.
|
|
|
|
Post by brianbutler on Sept 26, 2022 15:27:59 GMT
Just re-read this thread again. I really like the photos. Do you think the 'shed' could have been railway workers built shelter? You would need some equipment to move those stones. That seems likely to me since it is adjacent to the rail bed. But as Wheelson mentioned, there are hundreds of similar structures scattered across New England. Somewhere I read there are over 800 known chambers. They are often just out in the woods. No one seems to know what they were for or when they were made. I still think they may have started as natural boulder caves of glacial origin and were later improved as temporary camps, shelters, or storage chambers.
Brian
|
|
|
|
Post by brianbutler on Sept 26, 2022 15:33:37 GMT
The chamber I mentioned is not as sophisticated as the ones mentioned in this article. I think the writer might be a bit over the top with the celestial alignment arguments, etc.
Brian
|
|
Jem
Viscount
?
Posts: 3,389
|
Post by Jem on Sept 26, 2022 19:15:41 GMT
Interesting read though Brian. I would be intrigued if there were any near me.
Things like this sentence below might be valid but I would imagine that any doorway has the sun rise (or moon rise) through it on certain special days of the year and could have meaning if you looked for it.
"Many of the chambers are aligned to the rising of the sun on special days, like the summer and winter solstices (June 21 and Dec. 21) and spring and autumn equinoxes (March 22 and Sept. 22), as well as specific solar and lunar events of the year."
They have some bigger version of these in Ireland that I think they said were maybe burial chambers? But probably the same era.
|
|
