Women's Hiking Group Sept 27 only

The DC Women's Hiking Group will meet at Aldrich Park in Ridgefield at 9:30am Tues., Sept. 27th.
No hike on Thurs. the 29th due to no school.
From Rt. 35, turn onto Farmingville Rd. and turn left onto New Rd.
Parking will be on the left.
From Rt. 7, turn onto New Rd. and follow up to parking area on the right just before intersection with Farmingville Rd.

The D C Women's Hiking Group will hike this week Tues., Sept. 20th and Thurs., Sept. 22nd, at Topstone Park in Redding, CT.
Take Rt. 7 to Topstone Rd. Follow across R.R. tracks continuing on Topstone Rd.
Keep on Topstone Rd. till turns to dirt Rd.
Shortly after there will be a parking area on the right.
Meet at 9:30am.

Seth Low Pierrepont State Park

This year the Women's Hiking group will start its weekly hikes at Seth Low Pierrepont State Park. But who was Seth Low Pierrepont? He was a millionaire and ex-diplomat who served as a US official in Italy, France and Chile. He was also chief of the American Division of the US State Department. In the early 1930's he purchased this large tract of land from the Scott family and made it into his estate. Upon his death in 1956, he gifted it to the CT State Park & Forest Commission. Its 313 acres contains trails with views, Lake Naraneka (Pierrepont Pond) and history.

The Scott family has a long history in Ridgefield. David Scott was one of the original Proprietors and purchased lot 13 on June 3, 1712. The family included a number of Ridgefield patriots, tanners, millers and of course farmers. When Rana Scott married John Barlow Jr. in 1789, this area was already referred to as the Scotand District and was a thriving community. It is the old foundation of the Scott house dating from 1720's that can be seen at the boat launch. Hints of their farming life can be seen in the stonewalls throughout the park and the cellar holes on the northern end of the park. One of these cellar holes was John Barlow's blacksmith shop. What is now Old Barlow Mountain Road was a main thoroughfare into town. General Wooster led his troops along it on his way to meet the British Army in what was to become The Battle of Ridgefield. Scotland & Barlow Mountain Elementary Schools along with Scott's Ridge Middle School bear the legacy of this family.
(This post first appeared on Sept 27, 2010

Women's Hiking Group Starts another Year!

The Discovery Center Women's Hiking Group will start up for the year meeting at 9:30am Tues., Sept. 13th and Thurs., Sept. 15th at Pierrepont State Park.
Located on Barlow Mountain Rd.
Please meet in the parking lot.