Connetquot: Part Two
May 26th, 2024
Visiting Long Island has provided me with the chance to once again tackle the blue loop at Connetquot River State Park Preserve. Here I recount this morning’s run as a follow-up to my Connetquot inner monologue from nearly one year ago.
I arrived at the park fairly early, paid my entrance fee, and parked in the same exact spot as last time despite the almost entirely empty lot. When my watch chimed that the GPS was ready, I began my run. While I had not thought ahead of time about whether or not completing the blue loop would be my goal for the run, I could not help but remember my previous struggle and wish for redemption. Soon enough I arrived at the first wooden map kiosk and paused to study it. I was focused only on the blue loop and what needed to be done to return on the correct trail, rather than the accidental out-and-back that always occurred. The loop should be fairly simple, with the first half heading north, a turnaround at the top of the park, and the second half heading back south on a different path. From my old Strava activity it was apparent that I was making a “lollipop” shape out of the route and returning on the same trail. To remedy this, I memorized a few of the trail names and intersections after the turnaround that might be of use and was on my way.
As it had been almost a year to date since my last run in the park, I began to doubt if I could even replicate the beginning of the run. I found myself looking for familiar landmarks and surroundings of which I had previously written. Clearly there was something about the blue trail blazes that led me astray and I was determined to avoid it. Once I was sure that the path I was taking was leading me to the same turnaround as usual, I was able to relax and enjoy the run a bit more. I was especially appreciative of the milder weather that running on Long Island afforded, dreading the return to hot and humid Maryland. It was cooler today than it had been during last year’s run and the brief rain from the night before helped to pack the sand down. I had no complaints about the heat or terrain, nor did I fret too much about ticks.
Finally I came to the turnaround area– the northernmost point of the park where I would need to select the correct path and return south. Another map kiosk was located at this site and I once again set about studying it. Why had I been convinced that the blaze at this location was opposite to the expected direction? After orienting myself to the map and the blazes of other trails around me, it dawned on me that the mistake had already occurred– I had come up to the turnaround already on the second half of the blue loop, going in the wrong direction. It helped that some of the trails had names and I was sure that Madeline Farm Road was the source of my problems. While readers may find these details and directions to be superfluous, this was a very important revelation that was years in the making. Aware that I had messaged my partner with the anticipated duration of my run before heading into the trails without my phone, I could not delay my return any longer. I would execute the turnaround as I had on my previous runs, but locate where the crossover occurred on Madeline Farm Road and use it to find the remainder of the blue loop on the way back.
Everything was going smoothly until it was time to turn off the farm road and head south on the true second half of the blue loop. I took a few wrong turns and backtracked before finally realizing that the path I needed to use was the overgrown and unmarked one heading into the woods. Maybe this was just a shortcut and I was still missing some key pieces of the puzzle, but the joy that I felt in finding that it led me to the final portion of the blue loop was unparalleled. With a weight lifted off my shoulders, I focused more on the creatures and nature around me as I finished my nine miles, rather than fixating on trail blazes. Being able to explore the end of the blue loop at long last was satisfactory. However, I will not put this to rest until I have run the blue loop from start to finish without any backtracking or unintended crossovers. To be continued.
Creature Count:
Two geese and a gosling; one gentleman at the toll booth; two turtles; one cat; three horses and their three human riders; one turkey; one deer; two fisherman; two pairs of people walking the trail; about a half-dozen each of squirrels, chipmunks, and ducklings; and finally one mourning dove that I was excited to have identified not by its iconic coo but by the distinct sound of its wings rustling when taking flight
