Thursday, October 28, 2010

Lantern Hill Hike, Ledyard/North Stonington, CT

Howdee all,
Still enjoying the amazing foliage.
Sunday we hiked Lantern Hill with my Sicksta Tammy and her hubby Joe. Lantern Hill is not to far from where we are parked in my parents driveway in Ledyard, Ct.
Lantern Hill_002
Nearby City:
North Stonington/Ledyard
Length:
2.6 total miles
Elevation Gain:
Minimal around 400ft
Trail Type:
Out-and-back
Skill Level:
Moderate, steep climbs and bare rock
Season:
Year-round, weather permitting
  Lantern Hill_006


We started out hike via Wintechog Hill Road. Directions here. I found this online GPS map that is pretty cool. The author started his hike from Foxwoods Casinos Two Trees Inn.

Check out the graph then x out of the black box to see his route.
Lantern Hill

EveryTrail - Find trail maps for California and beyond


The hike started with a gradual uphill climb.

Lantern Hill_007The trail splits….the trail to the left goes directly to the summit, we took the trail to the right that skirts around the summit and then took a trail to the summit.Lantern Hill_011First views of Lantern Hill pond.Lantern Hill_019Beautiful oranges, reds and yellows.
I always think of Trix cereal when I see these colors.Lantern Hill_024Below you see the remains of a Silica Mine.
Lantern Hill_027Lantern Hill gets its name because its white cliffs are said to shine in the sun when seen from the sea (Caulkins p. 97; Crandall pp. 107-108; Detwiller). Some believe that Lantern Hill was also known as "Tar Barrel Hill." In August 1814, during the War of 1812, barrels of tar were set ablaze atop a hill to warn residents of the British approach along the coast. It may be unlikely that Lantern Hill is Tar Barrel Hill, being so far (on the border with Ledyard) from the more populated coast. A more likely candidate for Tar Barrel Hill is Jeremy Hill, about 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometers) to the southeast, on the Stonington/North Stonington border (Haynes and Boylan, p. 51; Heermance, pp. 246-247). The barrels were put in place on May 15 and set on fire on August 9, 1814 (Haynes and Boylan, p. 51). The smoke from the burning tar, not the light from the fire, may have been the warning signal (Grotz p. 32; Haynes and Boylan, p. 51).  via The Story of the Yawgoog Trails
Lantern Hill_031
The hill's quartz was first mined by David D. Mallory in 1870 ("A Growing Industry"; Haynes and Boylan p. 74). With a purity as high as 96.84% silicon dioxide, the mineral had many uses, including glassmaking, filter sand and construction aggregate. Lantern Hill quartz was used as an aggregate in the concrete faces of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts (Altamura, Tectonics, Wall-Rock Alteration pp. E31, E15). Paul Slade and his Gang reused narrow-gauge rails from the quarry to build a short marine railway where Yawgoog's sailing center is today. The railroad was used to move 28-foot (8.5-meter), surplus navy cutters into and out of Yawgoog Pond from the 1930s onward (Williams and Anthony vol. 2 p. 28). Lantern Hill is spiritually significant to the Pequots (Detwiller; "Bozrah's Healing Waters"); the tribe protected the quarry site by acquiring it from the U.S. Silica Company in 1994. To the south, it can be seen that much of one of the hill's lower summits was removed before mining ended.
via The Story of the Yawgoog Trails
See Foxwoods Casino in the distance?
Lantern Hill_033Here's a better view.Lantern Hill_037Jeff and Joe checking out the scene.Lantern Hill_049Lantern Hill_042
The hill is composed mostly of high-purity milky quartz and it occupies the inactive Lantern Hill Fault, which runs south into the Atlantic Ocean. Analysis of the quartz reveals that it is 238 million years old—the mid-Triassic Period of the Mesozoic Era in geologic time. The formation of the fault and the quartz are associated with the early formation of the Atlantic Ocean (Altamura 1995; Altamura 2003).[5] [6] 
Lantern Hill_055We continued to the summit…east side
Lantern Hill_056Lantern Hill_058Back to the western summit and we start our hike down to Lantern Hill pondLantern Hill_059Lantern Hill_061We leave the Reds..for a forest of Gold.Lantern Hill_063To the pond where we see, Wood, Mallards and Black Ducks.Lantern Hill_064Lantern Hill_075The golden forest was busy with Chickadees, Titmice, Juncos, Downy woodpeckers  and Wood thrush.Lantern Hill_065Wowee colors…Lantern Hill_068The peachy colored leaves in the trees below are Dogwoods.Lantern Hill_071Lantern Hill_072We continued that trail thru the forest of gold and green..Lantern Hill_076Lantern Hill_077We didn’t have a map..so we hoped we were taking the right trail back to the car.Lantern Hill_079Old foundation….wonder who lived here…Lantern Hill_080We made it to the road we came in on..the car was just a hop, skip and a jump away..SmileLantern Hill_082
Happy Hiking!

10 comments:

  1. Great foliage you've got there, the colours are stupendous.

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  2. Gorgeous....loved to have been there.

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  3. So very interesting and gorgeous!
    Sherry

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  4. Great looking hike. super colors!

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  5. Those are some incredible colors! Seems we have more gold than reds here, and most of them have lost their leaves this week. Before you know it they'll all be bare!

    Foxwoods ruins the view. Just my opinion. Love the stone walls and foundation. That's some good New England stuff!

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  6. It was a blast sicksta! I'll be putting my blog up this weekend.

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  7. Quite an immpressive photo-reportage, lots of great images here ;)

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  8. Thanks all for coming over to say hi and comment..It is always appreciated..even though it may take me a while to get over here and say it.
    Hope you are all having a wonderful Autumn!

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  9. Wow!Fantastic colors.I will have to go hiking out that way. I'ts probably much safer to view the casino from the top of a cliff than to be inside.

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ok what do you really think?????