Saturday Was The Hike at the Spiderweed Preserve!

On Saturday, September 8th Beth Lapin held a hike at the Spiderweed Preserve through Middletown's Recreation Division. The Preserve is a little known 150 acre preserve that was the former summer retreat of a New York actress. The hike explored pegmatite outcrops with long-range views and followed colonial stone walls that demark old fields and roadways. Click For: Healing Nature Upcoming Hikes And Events!

Here Is An Article About The 2016 Preserve Hike From Hartford Courant's Peter Marteka:
The Nature Conservancy's Spiderweed Preserve
Spiderweed was once the summer home and farm of Helen Lohman, a New York City resident who would spend her summers here. She donated the 157 acres to the conservancy in 1967. The legend behind Spiderweed is that Lohman named her property to reflect the state she found her gardens in each spring.

"She used to take great pride in strolling on the land and taking in the scenery," Mrs. Agnew Talcott said in a 1978 Hartford Courant article.

The old farmhouse still stands about a half-mile in from the parking area, but it has fallen into disrepair over the eight years since my last visit. The circa-1740 house is still a marvel to behold with its beautiful stone walls and chimney standing against the elements and vandalism.

There is an overlook nearby and from the top of a pegmatite intrusion is a commanding view of the Connecticut River Valley. After rejoining the trail, the path winds by some magnificent rock outcroppings that loom high over the woods. There are many of these outcroppings along the trail, and each is worth exploring with their small caves and unique formations.