[dudley]

I haven't seen this myself yet, by my sister was at our "property" Sunday
The property sits right on the state line between Hampden Mass and Stafford Ct.
These fresh blazes come down the "road" from the Mass side and turn onto the fire/skid road on our land (which starts just feet south of the state line), then proceeds up the "mountain" in the back.
...I'm not sure where the trail goes... I haven't seen it.
There's also what sounds like surveying flags that go right up the state line.

My sister's all up in arms thinking the worst (dirtbikers) . I tend to think we should wait to see what's what.
What do you think ?

[EngineCo.2]

3 questions: what kind of blazes? what color ribbons? when was the last time the boundaries were surveyed?
Ed

[dudley]

OK
I just read her email again
The blazes are yellow, the tree bark has been leveled, but the blazes are not painted as rectangles
The flags are blue and orange.
I doubt that the state border needs to be surveyed. There are 4' tall granite "obelisks" marking the state line and also the Hampden/Monson town line
Our property was surveyed last year

[EngineCo.2]

Whoa. Sounds like you've got some kinda trail goin' through yer place. Hmm.Multi color ribbon is generally used as an entry/egress point for the forest fire service. Solids are usually surveyors' preferred choice. Sounds like whomever blazed it, meant for it to last, i.e. hatchet marks on trees. Yellow blazes are generally a local trail mark. Seems kinda ballsy goin' in and markin' up someone elses' property w/o permission.? ? ?
Ed

[Chris42]

I just read in the AMC mag, that there is a new national scenic trail in the works from somewhere in Mass and end in Long Island it also will have off shot trails. maybe it has something to do with your blazes. I will check the info again when i get home and post more tomorrow. just found some new s on it heres a link http://www.mmmtrail.org/

[dudley]

My sister contacted someone from the M&M Trail (AMC)
They didn't know anything about it
I think it's just kids

[Chris42]

sounds to elaborate for "just kids". i never went as far blazes when i made trails as a kid let alone leveling the bark and using blazes & flags. Maybe some is getting ready to do some selective loggin?

[dudley]

I'm thinking the blazes and flags are unrelated
Could very well be that there's some logging operation lined up on the Mass side, or maybe the property was sold
(don't they try to log in winter ?)
I haven't a clue about the blazes....
There's a shooting club in the area , along with some unconnected small parcels of state forest land
Still, I can't believe any responsible organization would blaze a trail on private property without contacting the land owner

I guess I have to go out there and take a look for myself

[dudley]

Well I went and spent some time at the property over the weekend and got a good look at the "blazes". At first I thought that there was a loop trail through the neighbor's land that had just bled over on to ours. Then I realized that the neighbor had just very aggressively marked his property lines..Mystery solved, not a problem

Last September our favorite campground closed, leaving our large group with no place to camp (see my posts on the R.I. page) So a few people in the group took it upon themselves to buy a piece of land for a replacement campground
I was out there doing some planning. Roads need to be improved, trees taken down, privies built, a picnic shelter built, and a water supply is needed.

The previous owner must have been quite a character. He must have burned hundreds of pallets in the clearing that will be our central area. Nails, thousands of pallet fasteners, broken glass, demolition wood everywhere.
It seems he also liked to get drunk and drive heavy equipment into trees
Oh, and shoot stuff
That clean-up will take some work too

Although I'll be spending a lot of time campin'out this season, it looks like there won't be too much hiking involved

[Chris42]

Thats actually a pretty kool idea to have a group owned piece of land to camp at whenever you want. NO fee's, No Rangers, NO camping neighbors telling you to turn the music down after 10pm. Hopefully all who went in on the purchase can hold up their end of the deal financially.

[dudley]

We bought it from the wife after the divorce
It was cheap... we paid cash
Taxes are only $200 a year

In the beginning, I didn't think it would make a good campsite, but I'm coming around.
I did realize it was a good investment though

[Chris42]

nice how many acres?

[dudley]

It's just building lot. Far from anywhere anyone would want to put a house... at least on the Connecticut side
It's 4 acres ($14,000)
Electricity ends at the last house in Mass, about 1 mile to the north, but any services (mail, schoolbus, trash, etc) that would have to come from the Ct side is 3 miles away over a very rough road
I don't even like to drive that end of road in my truck

[silentcal]

For what it's worth, The M+M Trail spoken of before, crosses from Suffield CT to Southwick Mass.

[Chris42]

If you follow the link i added in an earlier post, it shows that they are trying to extend it all the way through CT to the sound. They are calling it the MMM trail maybe different than the M + M trail